Rare seal spotted at West Worthing Beach - See amazing video footage
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
and live on Freeview channel 276
Retired BBC producer Helen Cramer, 65, was shocked when she looked out the window of her flat, overlooking the seafront, and spotted the rare mammal on Saturday afternoon (July 2) – but she initially thought it was a swimmer.
“I’ve got a marvellous bird’s eye view of the sea,” she said.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“I thought it was a swimmer. They were going quite fast and when I looked again and it had dived down.
"It hadn't come out back out of the water three minutes later. I got my binoculars out and saw it was a seal.”
Helen said she has become ‘so used to seeing wonderful things’ whilst living in Worthing but this was the first time she had spotted a grey seal.
According to The Wildlife Trusts, the grey seal lion (Halichoerus grypus) can be distinguished from the common seal by its larger size and longer head with a sloping 'roman nose' profile.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHelen suspects the seal made an appearance because there were no swimmers in the water at the time.
She added: “I couldn't believe it. I was so thrilled.
"It was absolutely lovely to see. It’s incredible really.”