In October 2004, my regular UK dive buddy Graeme "Spotty" Hastings, his partner Dee Smith and I travelled to the small town of Seahouses in North Northumberland to dive the Farne Islands.  Close encounters with seals are virtually guaranteed there as the Farne Islands have one of the largest colonies of Atlantic Grey Seals on the eastern coast of England. The Farne Islands lie one to four and a half miles off the coastline and are a mixture of submerged rocks, tiny islets and larger islands. We enjoyed two full days’ diving there with Sovereign Diving, staying at their bed and breakfast accommodation, Southfield House. Our boat for the two days was Sovereign II and as the diving season was all but over, we were the only divers aboard this vessel.

After strong winds and poor weather I was relieved when our first day of diving began with a blue sky and calm sea.  However even as our skipper, Toby, took us to our first dive site, Scarcars, the wind was beginning to pick up. Fortunately we were soon able to gain shelter from the increasing swell. The first dive certainly lived up to our expectations even though the visibility underwater was not as good as we had hoped.  No sooner had we left the surface than a seal joined us and began tugging at my fins.  Initially it was inquisitive but it soon tired of us and moved away. Fortunately it was not long before another curious seal came along to play with us before also becoming bored with us. This pattern was repeated again and again. Our second dive of the day was at 'North Wamses'. The weather continued to deteriorate, the swells becoming larger, the sky turning overcast with driving rain setting in. But as soon as we were underwater this was forgotten and the three of us had the privilege to play with numerous seals, some as big as two metres in length.

After a night of quite strong wind it was with some trepidation that Graeme, Dee and I boarded Sovereign II for our second days diving.  The bad weather restricted our dive site options and both dives were again at 'North Wamses'. With the boat pitching around and the cold wind, the day proved rather arduous. However our first dive of the day was the best of our four dives in the Farne Islands as inquisitive seals surrounded us throughout the dive.  Provided that we did not make any sudden moves, they would come up to us and nibble at our fins.  The seals seemed to prefer approaching us from behind. We spent so much of this dive looking behind us that Graeme ended up with neck ache!  After a surface interval it was time for our final dive. Dee felt too cold to join Graeme and I while Toby was concerned about the increasing wind from the north. He warned us that if the surge or current grew too strong we must abort the dive and surface. Graeme and I started the dive once again surrounded by seals.  As ever their curiosity was short-lived but there were no more seals to be seen after this initial encounter. So we finned along the reef looking for more. From time to time we could hear them, but apart from a brief glimpse of one at the end of the dive, there were to be no further sightings.

We had enjoyed two memorable days’ diving in the Farne Islands. The diving had not been easy and Graeme, Dee and I had all felt a little nauseous during the second day.  However, the interaction with the seals had been truly wonderful and I will always treasure the memory of watching a large seal nibble at my fins.