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Seals

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  • 08-08-2011 11:53am
    #1
    ParkRunner
    Registered Users Posts: 3,010 ✭✭✭


    I go out on the sea on a fairly regular basis on a sit on top kayak. While out there seals occasionally come up to the kayak and suss me out, for fish I imagine.

    The seals off Dublin seem to be huge to say the least and there seems to be an explosion of their population recently. I haven't had any negative experiences with them while kayaking although one did try to bite me when I was scuba diving. There was an article in the paper about them too over the weekend calling for a possible cull.

    I just wanted to see what other kayaker's experiences have been like with seals.


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    #2
    Pigeon Reaper
    Registered Users Posts: 1,294 ✭✭✭Pigeon Reaper


    The seal population seems to be stable in the Bay and surrounding areas. The problem is with more people using the water and feeding seals which encourages them to follow boats. Young seals will play with divers often nipping the fins but it's not an attack. Grey seals are large with males being especially big compared to females and harbour/common seals.
    I've never had a problem with them while diving or kayaking although one decided to sleep in a yacht tender of mine a few years ago. They will follow and play with the kayak and i imagine could capsize you if it made a mistake but I have never seen or heard of this occuring.
    If you don't feed them, chase them, stay away from pups and males during mating season you shouldn't have any problems with them.
    The man nipped was in an area where seals are fed by people from both the piers and boats. If it had bitten down properly I doubt the man would have had a hand afterwards.
    Like all large wild animals you have to respect them and not get them to think humans are an easy source of food.

    This type of article comes up at the same time every year due to more people going into the water and others feeding the seals in the same area.


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    #3
    Banbh
    Registered Users Posts: 1,037 ✭✭✭Banbh


    Yesterday I was paddling by a group of seals, sunning themselves, when they took fright and dived into the water. I counted about 20 heads in the water watching and following me. I admit I was scared.
    A friend claims that when he was out in a Pico - a tiny sailing boat, no bigger than a canoe - seals butted the boat twice at the same place (in Galway Bay).
    I have to admit that I was glad when the seals went back to doing their seal thing and I did paddle a good bit harder.


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    #4
    MugMugs
    Registered Users Posts: 17,875 ✭✭✭✭MugMugs


    Meet them in Clogherhead quite often. The odd poking up of the head to sound things out and then back to the fishermen. Never had any issues but like everything when boating, Always respect your environment. This goes from river to wildlife.


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    #5
    ParkRunner
    Registered Users Posts: 3,010 ✭✭✭ParkRunner


    Thanks for the replies. Like I said I never had any negative experiences with seals while kayaking. They would regularly pop their heads up and look at me, probably to suss out of I have any food, but they usually stay well clear of the kayak.

    Given their size they are well capable of capsizing a kayak if they jumped up on one and it can be a bit unnerving when they disappear under the boat but they don't seem to take anything more than a passing interest thankfully.


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    #6
    thetonynator
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,234 ✭✭✭thetonynator


    MugMugs wrote: »
    Meet them in Clogherhead quite often. The odd poking up of the head to sound things out and then back to the fishermen. Never had any issues but like everything when boating, Always respect your environment. This goes from river to wildlife.

    Swans = seals of the rivers! But less benign . . .:cool:


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    #7
    Pigeon Reaper
    Registered Users Posts: 1,294 ✭✭✭Pigeon Reaper


    thetonynator wrote: »
    Swans = seals of the rivers! But less benign . . .:cool:

    Swans are the only animal in Ireland that have attacked me. This was without provocation:eek: They're EVIL hissing beasties who don't even need teeth to be nasty!


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    #8
    MugMugs
    Registered Users Posts: 17,875 ✭✭✭✭MugMugs


    Pigeon Reaper wrote: »
    Swans are the only animal in Ireland that have attacked me. This was without provocation:eek: They're EVIL hissing beasties who don't even need teeth to be nasty!

    +1

    Had a vicous encounter with one when I was a young lad on The Liffey years ago. Fantastic creature to look at but good god steer clear of them.

    At least Seals just want a bit of craic, Swans want to hurt you if they take a dislike toward you.


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    #9
    thetonynator
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,234 ✭✭✭thetonynator


    Pigeon Reaper wrote: »
    Swans are the only animal in Ireland that have attacked me. This was without provocation:eek: They're EVIL hissing beasties who don't even need teeth to be nasty!

    A pair of them swam right in front of me one day in a race, couldn't move or stop, and the pair of them started flapping around and landed on the boat.

    :mad:


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