‘Friendly’ seals are wild animals

OPINION Last Thursday morning I went to the Geraldton Esplanade, hoping to shoot a good photo for the Geraldton Guardian of the cruise ships Vasco da Gama and Seven Seas Navigator while they were both in port. I couldn’t find a decent angle to get both vessels in frame, so the photo was mediocre at best. Having climbed out on to the rocks, I decided to get “artsy” and photograph one of the many crabs I could see scuttling about. Just as I was zooming in on a critter, I caught movement in the corner of my eye and heard a big splash behind me. It was a group of five or six seals. I repositioned myself to get a photo, but soon realised these seemingly docile pinnipeds (thanks, Google) weren’t going anywhere: they were just as interested in me as I was in them. For the next 10 minutes they splashed and bobbed playfully, their eyes constantly fixed on me. They seemed friendly enough. Yet had I taken a dip with my new friends, it’s entirely possible I would have fared as badly as — or worse than — a certain unfortunate French tourist several days earlier. They look cute, but don’t try to swim with wild animals. More: Warning issued after tourist bitten by sea lion