Neil The Seal
Written & Photographed by Chris Holloman
| Camera: Canon R6 Mark II | Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8
THE LOCATION
Cape Palliser could be one of the south coast’s most incredible gems. Black sand beaches lay stretched across the coastline, as the brilliant blue waves crash on its shores.
The reveal as you enter the area is stunning. A windy, sheep-dusted hillside feeds you down rough country roads and then a scene of endless ocean dotted with gnarled rock formations that feel like the earth once screamed. Continue for a handful of kilometres and the lighthouse comes into view, majestically poised above the bluff.
MEETING NEIL
To date, one of my fondest wildlife interactions. I’ve always loved being behind the camera in nature, however, this one capped it all.
Musky notes, comprised of fishy digestion and oily pores, wafted through the breeze. Not your average seaside smells. This was more. Overwhelming at points. Keeping the stomach churns at bay, the odor was soon assigned an owner. The fur seal.
The colony that inhabits the small area beneath the lighthouse lay scattered like discarded sausages around the grassy nooks and jagged rocks. Some lazily swam in circles in the tide pools while others barked at their closest neighbour for no apparent reason. These were the seal pups who were learning how to navigate the world just like an alien discovering gravity. Clumsy, curious and packed full of mischief. Their cuteness was at peak levels. Large glassy eyes that looked you over with zero judgement, seemed to have a fascination with human movement and poor choice in wardrobe.
There’s a careful line not to cross, and keeping a distance that respected that boundary was primary. Little did I expect that a tiny member of this wildlife display would decide to approach ME… without my consent, no doubt. He… or she (I didn’t ask) caught me pointing my camera in their direction and instantly gained a boldness that not even 5 tequilas would’ve given me in my heyday. Let’s call this one ‘Neil’… ‘Neil the Seal’. A tiny chap that had just gone swimming, so his aromatics were on point. He sauntered up (in the way a seal might) and got within a metre of me and my camera. If this WAS a nightlife experience, Neil would’ve immediately been labelled as creepy for the lack of introduction and dodgy eye contact… but we’re in nature and Neil was entitled to follow up on his curiosity.
The next 5 minutes were truly extraordinary. This tiny specimen waddled his way toward my camera lense, went in for a sniff, and seemed to be making decisions on the fly as to whether I was a threat and what the hell that gadget was that seemed to reflect his image back at him. After letting him move around and come to his own conclusions of what this poorly dressed thing was in front of him, I slowly stood and backed away.
Neil went his way; I went mine. He’s got the coolest story in the colony and I’ve got the coolest that I’ll be able to tell for a long time to come.
No longer endangered, these creatures still deserve our care and efforts in conserving their space and their strengthening as a thriving species. Yeah, the little guy came up to me - I stayed still and let him do HIS thing and soaked in the interaction. It’s a wild experience that will take something crazy special to outshine this one.
Be good to our wildlife. I have nothing more pressing and urgent that I can share, because this is it.
My perspective when Neil came to say hello.
A short behind the scenes of ‘Neil the Seal’ having a look at this strange human thing.
