Book a seal trip

If you'd like to book a trip with us to see the Worms Head seals then give us a call on 01792 348 229 or book online here.

It’s a privilege getting to know these beautiful and intriguing animals. We love showing them to our passengers and our passengers love seeing them. We like to think that by providing the opportunity for more people to visit these fascinating creatures, we are helping to foster a love and protection for them too.

A curious seal has a good look at our passengers

Why bother with a boat?

You may be wondering if the seals are on the land, why isn’t the photographer? Why photograph them from the water, isn’t that more complicated?

There are a few reasons why observing the seals at Worms Head from a boat is by far the better option for both seals and people.

Firstly, there is no footpath around the north side of Worms Head, where the seals tend to be. The land here is steep and perilous to walk on. Many of the small coves on this side are overhung by rocks so even if a scramble along here was possible, seeing the seals is not.

Secondly, seals feel vulnerable on land. It is not their preferred environment, they are much more at home in the water. They can easily be disturbed by people approaching from the land, and as soon as they see or smell you they’ll rush back into the water. Not ideal for the observers, and bad news for the seals, not to mention it is actually illegal to disturb these wild animals.

By boat they are far easier to watch. We are on the same level as the seals and they are far more comfortable with humans approaching from the water (whilst still maintaining a healthy distance of course!). The Worms Head seals are used to seeing our vessel, Sea Serpent, drifting by them every day, and they can hear us coming so aren’t startled when we slowly motor round to their secluded patch.

We’ll be keeping a keen eye out for these ladies at Worms Head now. We’ve added them to our on-board seal photo albums so if you head out on a trip with us you can try and spot them too.

"Santa" named for the white beard on the front of her neck. Named by Jamie Nobbs on Facebook.

"Kelpie" named for the K on her back, kelpie is also a mythical sea creature or water spirit. Named by April Jane Hollamby on Facebook.

"Pam" is the welsh word for 'Why' named for the question mark shape on her front. Named by Laura Williams Poiner on Facebook

"Dina" named for the dinosaur shape on her front. Named by Jo-Emily Knight on Facebook.

"Enfys" the welsh word for rainbow, named for the arch shape on her side. Named by Lee Anne Davies on Facebook.

The new kids on the rock

This week through Facebook and Instagram you have been helping us name five new female seals. Thanks for all of your suggestions, we’ve had great fun with it and some really imaginative names have come up!

Here are the names we’ve chosen and why:

Now we’re able to recognise her in whatever position she is laying in.

One of our well known seals named 'Heart' photographed in lots of different positions

Luckily for us sometimes the seals are cooperative and if you watch them for a few minutes they may shuffle around or turn their heads showing you patterns on both of their sides. One lady in particular who has become a favourite with us has been very obliging over the past few weeks and we have managed to capture photos of her from nearly every angle:

These ladies look like they have a stripe down their backs as half their fur is wet and the other half is dry. Confusing when you want to identify them!

Sounds easy so far, right?
Pick a seal, see an obvious pattern in her fur, name her, and remember her. Done. Easy.

That’s until she decides to lay in a different position which obscures the pattern you’re looking for.
Or you named her for a marking on her right side and she’s only showing you her left side.

Or she’s been sunbathing for hours on a rock and her fur has dried out rendering the desired pattern ‘fuzzy around the edges’ and uncertainty creeps in!

It’s all fun and games!

The dark coloured male seal here is much less patterned than his lighter coloured female counterparts

Why are the guys missing out?
All of the seals with names so far are females. Female grey seals are usually a lighter colour than males, especially on their fronts, and have darker spots and markings. Male seals are usually a much darker uniform colour which doesn’t lend itself as well to telling them apart. So for now we are sticking with the girls.

"Big 7" named for obvious reasons!

"Chevron" can you see the two chevron markings on her left shoulder?

"Heart" has two heart shaped markings on her front, only one is visible here

"Luna" was named for the crescent moon shape on her neck

Here at Worms Head, the tidal island at the tip of the Gower peninsular, we know there are over 50 seals (our record this year is 57 seals seen at once!). We are photographing each one we see on every boat trip to Worms Head at low tide (when they are on the rocks and fully visible). By giving the seals here names which relate to a pattern we can see in their fur, when we see them again we will recognise the pattern and remember their name. This way we can learn to identify our seals by eye.

Here are a few of the ladies we already know and see regularly:

Natural Resources Wales (NRW), in collaboration with other organisations, has created a national database of seal photos, which marine scientists all around the country are adding to. Atlantic grey seals are found all around the UK and can move quite long distances over several days or weeks. By photographing the seals on a frequent basis in many different locations it is possible to match up photos of the same seal using their fur patterns, and therefore track their movements in the least intrusive way.

This is fascinating stuff, and has helped us learn a lot about their lives.

A white fluffy seal pup next to it's patterned mother on Ramsey Island, Pembrokeshire

What's in a name?
Each and every Atlantic grey seal has their own unique patterns and markings in their fur. They get this mottled fur coat when they are roughly 3 weeks old after moulting the white fluffy coat that they are born with. These patterns stay the same for the entirety of the seals life. This quality makes grey seals perfect candidates for identification through photo-ID.

Seals 'bananaing' at Worms Head, keeping their heads and flippers out of the cold water as long as possible

Providing they are not disturbed they will then stay put on their rock for most of the day whilst the tide goes all the way out, and only get back in to the sea when the tide comes back in and washes them off.

Having spent most of the day relaxing and sunbathing, when the sea laps at the seals’ bodies once again it can feel a little chilly. Seals are well insulated against the cold (their blubber can be 10cm thick in places!) but with less fat on their heads and flippers these places feel it the most. This is why we frequently see our seals ‘bananaing’ – lifting their extremities out of the water, avoiding the cold until the last possible moment!

Well they haven’t. Seals are not the most elegant movers on land, especially over rocks, and they definitely can’t climb.
But they are clever.
They will wait near their favourite haul out site at high tide. As the tide begins to fall they hover over their chosen resting place and let the water drop away, leaving them flumped comfortably on a seaweed covered rock.

Seals high up on rock ledges at Worms Head, there's no way they could climb up there!

At low tide the seals can shuffle out on to the rocks that become exposed. Often we see seals high up on ledges with the sea far beneath them and our passengers are flummoxed as to how they’ve managed to climb up there.

Seals sleeping in the water at Worms Head, this behaviour is known as 'bottling'

Behaviours: Bottling and Bananaing

At high tide we see seals bobbing in the water with just their heads above the surface and their noses sticking up. This behaviour is known as ‘bottling’ and they can sleep in the water like this. With so much blubber to keep them afloat, and nostrils that will close automatically if any water splashes their face, this position requires very little energy and is conducive to a good snooze.

The still waters at the north side of Worms Head

If you've been out on a trip with us to Worms Head you'll know that our star attractions are the Atlantic grey seals which bask on the rocks or snooze in the water there.

There is a resident group of seals here. Even though they can travel long distances alone and hunt for food on their own, seals tend to haul out on to land in groups. This is probably because they are more vulnerable on land, as they are far less mobile than in the water, and feel safer among others of their kind.

In the serpent's shadow

Our boat trips have been running for 14 years this year, so we have been photographing our seals for a long time now. Some are old friends that we recognise trip after trip and year after year, so we know that at least a few seals call the Worm ‘home’.

The north side of Worms Head (named ‘Wurm’ originally which means Sea Serpent) is the perfect place for seals to rest. With prevailing winds from the south west, the Worm’s north side is usually very sheltered. Inhabiting a ragged and rocky tidal island also reduces disturbance caused by people, in comparison to other areas of the coastline.