The Farne Islands

Photo: Simon Rogerson

The seal dives

The greatest populations of grey seals are centred in the Hebrides, but the rookeries are scattered wide and the seals don’t get the volume of diver traffic that habituates them to human contact.

The Farnes are convenient if you’re located in the north of England, but they merit a journey from anywhere in the UK. The wrecks here are fairly broken up, but remain popular with divers and provide a foothold for life. Otherwise, the kelp-strewn reefs give way to dramatic gullies fringed with corals and anemones. The seals here can be both bold and numerous – just carry out your dive as planned and, if they’re feeling friendly, you will soon have an adolescent seal showing off in front of you.

Lundy is a dramatic setting, its sheer cliffs rising from the mouth of the Bristol Channel. You can dive the island from Devon, but it’s much more fun to rent accommodation on the island, which is administered by the National Trust. There are fewer seals than in the Farnes, but anyone diving here for more than a couple of days is practically guaranteed a good encounter.

The Isles of Scilly lie 45km beyond Cornwall and benefit from relatively clear water, making it a good place to view seals in 10m-plus visibility. The seals don’t visit every site here, but a visit to the Western Rocks can yield some superb close encounters. Otherwise, you’ll be spoiled with some of the most beautiful reefs in England, with acres of rock covered in jewel anemones and other invertebrates. The islands themselves seem more subtropical than British, their white-sand beaches providing every holidaymaker’s dream backdrop.

Never forget that seals are wild animals, and while their play can involve contact with divers, you should not chase them or initiate physical contact. A bite from a grey seal would almost certainly result in a serious infection.