A seal of approval.
An experienced seal diver and underwater cameraman, has gained worldwide attention after receiving a hug from a wild grey seal. Ben Burville, a doctor in the town of Amble by day, in the United Kingdom has been diving the waters in nearby Northumberland for nearly 20 years.
All you need is a hug…from a seal.
On one of his recent diving trips, Burville got, not one, but several hugs from a very affectionate grey seal.
A slippery snuggle.
Ben shared the video on Twitter on August 9 and it has since gone viral. Burville is seen diving with the seals in the North Sea near the United Kingdom. He seems relaxed and calm while a big seal moves in for a little snuggle.
A mutual understanding.
The seal’s flipper reaches out and wraps around Burville. The diver seems completely at ease and strokes its head and neck. The sweet encounter is truly amazing and seems to show a deep connection and understanding between the seal and a human.
The seals know that Burville is a friend.
Burville has been diving these waters for many years and during that time he has earned the colony’s trust. That trust is evident in the video as the seal doesn’t show any fear whatsoever to the human visitor. The animal seems almost happy to see him as he keeps moving in for another embrace.
A hug shared around the world.
In the now-viral video, Burville included the caption, “Even #wild grey #seals, at home in the cold #NorthSea, sometimes want a #hug.” – Twitter@sealdiver
“There are magical places in this world, places where time stops, places where nature reaches out and shares a common language.” – Ben Burville
According to the NOAA, ‘Grey seals can dive to 1,560 feet for as long as one hour. On average they can eat four to six percent of their body weight in food each day, but do not eat during the mating/pupping or molting seasons.’
Understanding this special species is key to its survival.
“Gray seals are part of the “true” seal family. All true seals have short flippers, which they use to move in a “caterpillar”-like motion on land. They do not have external ear flaps. Adult female gray seals are about 7.5 feet long and weigh about 550 pounds, while adult males can reach 10 feet long and weigh about 880 pounds.” – NOAA
Although they seem to possess short flippers, that didn’t hold this big guy back from giving Burville a tight squeeze.
These friendly animals can live up to 25-35 years.
‘They also have superb vision and hearing making them excellent hunters. They hunt in groups, which makes it easier for them to catch their prey. They love to eat an array of fish including sand eels, hake, whiting, cod, haddock, pollock, and flatfish, crustaceans, squid, octopuses, and sometimes even seabirds.’ – NOAA.
There are #magical places in this world,
Places where time stops,
Places where #nature reaches out & shares a common language pic.twitter.com/G0vWByaVfy— Ben Burville (@Sealdiver) October 29, 2021
Now watch this incredible video of a seal diver being hugged by a friendly seal.
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