A herd of curious sea lions photobombed a diver’s pictures recently in a once-in-a-lifetime moment, surprising him when they clamoured around to take a selfie.
Incredible images show the group of sea lions surrounding a couple of scuba-clad photographers, cuddling up to them, nibbling their equipment, and photobombing their pictures with their flippers.
The heartwarming pictures show a large number of the lovable creatures outnumbering the divers at Norris Rocks, off Vancouver Island, Canada.
Photographer Steve Woods, originally from Moseley, Birmingham, captured the pictures using a GoPro and a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II attached to Subal housing.
The 37-year-old described the situation as surreal, stating: ‘The most surprising thing about the footage was just the sheer feeling of being in that situation with all these animals outnumbering you.’
He said he was in ‘awe’ of the situation he found himself in, describing it as ‘the best part of the job’ and adding: ‘It is incredible to be in a position where there are way more wild animals than humans.’
Steve explained:
This part of British Columbia is unique as I can’t think of any other ecosystem in the world where wild animals will interact with you on such a large scale, without being prompted with bait or food or anything else to entice them.
It really is amazing, they will just flock to you. They just want to play. They’re just kind of fooling around while we are in the water. And they are so amazing with you. It is like sitting in a ball pit full of puppies.
But they are so careful it is unbelievable. When you put your hand in their mouth, they will just softly nibble at it. They are so careful not to hurt you.
While sea lion attacks on humans are rare, some people continue to hunt them, posing a huge threat to their survival. While in some areas where Eskimos and Native Americans live they are hunted as a source of food, the communities only hunt what they need to survive on and don’t do it to make a profit.
The majority of sea lions that are hunted aren’t used for such purposes, though. Instead, they are killed for the sport of it, with many hunters being taken on guided hunts that lead them to the habitat areas of these animals.
Steve said it ‘breaks [his] heart’ to hear of people killing them because ‘they are so charismatic and so interactive, just like your puppy at home’.
He added:
I only wish the people who are behind this cull idea could come with us and see just what wonderful animals they are.
What incredible creatures, and hats off to Steve for capturing such a beautiful moment.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).