Rising Tide Images
Wet Vibrissae Encounter
Two emersed monk seals faceoff whisker to whisker in the surf zone. This male and female Hawaiian monk seal pair spent the night on the dunes high above the strand to avoid 25’ surf crashing on the beach. In the morning, they galumphed down to the shoreline, entered separately, located each other, then headed out into deep water. Endemic to Hawaii, this species of monk seal was established in the archipelago millions of years before the current human populated main volcanic islands emerged above sea level. Hawaiian monk seals are critically endangered and among the rarest of marine mammals.
Wet Vibrissae Encounter
Two emersed monk seals faceoff whisker to whisker in the surf zone. This male and female Hawaiian monk seal pair spent the night on the dunes high above the strand to avoid 25’ surf crashing on the beach. In the morning, they galumphed down to the shoreline, entered separately, located each other, then headed out into deep water. Endemic to Hawaii, this species of monk seal was established in the archipelago millions of years before the current human populated main volcanic islands emerged above sea level. Hawaiian monk seals are critically endangered and among the rarest of marine mammals.