Harbor Seal Gallery

Curiosity

This young seal was swimming in the shallow waters at my favorite place to watch seals on the Oregon Coast, Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport, Oregon. The seals swim in close to shore as they frolic in the surf, with their curious nature they'll watch you as you watch them. It's a difficult place to shoot on a sunny evening, with the setting sun before you, so on this day I arrived at sunrise. These pictures were taken moments apart, shortly after the sun first rose above the high cliff walls, most of the other areas around the beach were still in shadow. Seals are mammals of course and have to surface to breathe. In the first picture you can see the seal's nostrils flared open as it breathes in, in the second they've closed down as it prepares to dive back under the water. Which it did, right after I took the picture.

A harbor seal in the surf at sunrise at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

	Shades of Gray I often like to photograph the seals in the early morning light but on this day nature gave me a nearly monochrome look that I like as well. It may look like a black-and-white image but it is not, although I may yet play around with a B&W conversion to see which I prefer.
	Wave Goodbye After watching me from closer in, this harbor seal popped up further off in the gentle waves before finally swimming out of sight.
	Big Yawn An adult lets out a big yawn on an early morning in March 2005. He had a fairly choice perch, off by himself but elevated above many of the other rocks. He was able to sun himself longer than the younger seals several feet below him who had to yield their spots to the incoming tide.

Sound Sleeper

Thick layers of blubber can make even a rock a comfortable place to sleep, but it can get a little dramatic when the tide comes in, so it helps to be a sound sleeper that isn't easily distracted by the sight and sound of crashing waves. This adult slept unperturbed in the warmth of the rising sun until the rising tide forced even it into the ocean.

A harbor seal sleeps near the tide pools at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

A harbor seal sleeps as the waves crash around it at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

	Early Riser I'm not a morning person so I was pretty impressed with myself when I woke up early enough to be at Yaquina Head at sunrise. When I got down to the beach, though, some of the harbor seals were already out swimming around in the surf, making my early rising not quite so impressive. Because of the high cliffs, the rising sun hadn't yet lit up the waters where this seal was swimming.
	Once More Into the Breach This adult decided to start his morning early and not wait for the incoming tide to reach his high perch. He shuffled off his sunny spot, down past the mussel beds and into the shadows at the water's edge.

Bottom of the Pecking Order

This young seal was at the bottom of the pecking order when it came to places to perch and rest, occupying the first place to get covered by the sea as the tide rolled in. This particular wave, though, didn't dislodge the little one and it was able to hold its position until the rock was submerged. When I was growing up we had our own bottom rung: the dreaded middle seat in the station wagon, the one with the big transmission hump in the floor where your legs should have been.

A young harbor seal at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

Water Belts

The young seal displays fine form as it shows how to let the waves wash right over you, with rings of water rolling past its belly.

	Now How Do I Get Down? With the tide out, these harbor seals at Seal Rock State Park on the Oregon coast were quite a ways out of the water. The rock is isolated by itself with a sharp drop off, it is only accessible to them when the tide is in.
	Unfazed One thing that always amazes me about watching harbor seals swim is how easily they manage themselves even in the strong currents and crashing surf near the shore's edge.

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