{"id":375892,"date":"2026-04-01T05:12:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T05:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/375892\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T05:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T05:12:18","slug":"photographer-captures-first-ever-images-of-adorable-ross-seal-swimming-in-antarctica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/375892\/","title":{"rendered":"Photographer Captures First-Ever Images of Adorable Ross Seal Swimming in Antarctica"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AThe first-ever photo of a Ross seal swimming underwater. | Photo by Justin Hofman <\/p>\n

A photographer has captured the first-ever images of a rare and adorable Ross seal swimming in the icy waters of Antarctica.<\/p>\n

Justin Hofman has spent 16 seasons diving from an expedition vessel as part of his role as an undersea specialist. During that time, the photographer had only ever seen a single Ross seal.<\/p>\n

Ross seals live deep in the Antarctic pack ice, and since the species never leaves the Southern Ocean, comparatively little is known about it. <\/p>\n

But for the summer of 2025, the expedition vessel Hofman works on was able to venture much further south than usual. \u201cWe were not hoping to find Ross seals,\u201d Hofman tells PetaPixel. \u201cThe captain of the ship saw an opportunity to take the vessel really far south, which happened to be a prime spot for Ross seals.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AJustin Hofman <\/p>\n

Hofman says that he became aware several years ago that a Ross seal had never been photographed underwater before and realized he had an opportunity to be the first. But it was never his main objective; it was more like, Wouldn\u2019t that be cool to have the first underwater photos of this animal?<\/p>\n

Earth\u2019s rising temperatures granted Hofman an opportunity this winter. \u201cWe had originally gone out with the intention of photographing krill along the ice edge,\u201d he explains. \u201cSo I put on my Nauticam EMWL 130 wet-mount lens. It converts a 90mm macro lens into an extreme macro wide-angle lens. It\u2019s a wild lens that allows you to focus up to the glass of the object and still have 130 degrees of field of view.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hofman calls it \u201cabsolutely the wrong underwater setup for photographing seals,\u201d noting that he had been expecting to shoot crustaceans. But fate had other plans: while he was in the water, a Ross seal that had been sleeping on the ice began gallumping toward the edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my colleagues notified us that the seal was heading our way, so we just sat patiently and very still in the water,\u201d Hofman explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe water temperature was 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus one degree Celsius). My options were: a 90mm macro lens, or a close focus wide-angle. Neither of those is what anyone would consider a setup for photographing a Ross seal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AJustin Hofman <\/p>\n

Fortunately, the setup turned out to be a great one. The summer plankton bloom had not yet occurred meaning the water was crystal clear. As the Ross seal entered the water, Hofman and his dive partner stayed back and still so as not to disturb the marine mammal. The 90mm lens and the clear water suddenly complemented each other beautifully. <\/p>\n

\u201cGenerally when shooting underwater, you\u2019re always trying to limit the amount of water between the camera and the subject because water absorbs light and has particulate matter in it \u2014 leading to lower contrasts,\u201d Hofman explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe second lucky thing was that the Sun was out. Knowing this was a very special encounter I decided to not use my underwater strobes. I try very hard not to disturb animals while I am photographing them and I had no idea if the seal would respond to strobes. I decided it wasn\u2019t worth it and turned off my strobes as the seal entered the water.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AJustin Hofman <\/p>\n

The bright sunshine counteracted Hofman\u2019s want of a strobe, and he was able to get beautiful, natural shots of the cute Ross seal. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn total, the Ross seal spent about four minutes hanging out along the ice edge, doing some shallow dives, and then eventually disappearing under the ice,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\"AJustin Hofman <\/p>\n

Part of Hofman\u2019s job is to take photos underwater and then give guests on the ship a presentation about what he\u2019s witnessed. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s honestly the best job in the world because I get to travel the world, go diving in some really wild places, and teach travelers about what happens underwater in the places they visit,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the places that I work are cold-water destinations like Greenland, Alaska, Antarctica, et cetera, so guests are always so surprised at the vibrant marine ecosystems in these locations.\u201d <\/p>\n

It means that Hofman isn\u2019t always focused on maximizing a shoot; he might only get a single dive attempt at a particular location, so he has to be economical. <\/p>\n

\u201cExpedition diving is some of the most challenging diving in the world, and throwing a camera into the mix makes it even more difficult,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe primary goal of my job is to educate, so you don\u2019t actually have to be a good shooter to teach guests about what\u2019s happening underwater. I just do it for my own satisfaction.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI very rarely get to make art or really work a scene,\u201d he continues. \u201cUnless it\u2019s something totally unique like a Ross seal, I can\u2019t return from a dive with just one good photo; I need to cover the scene and convey to guests what it\u2019s like to do a dive in Antarctica.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AJustin Hofman <\/p>\n

But as Hofman says, the Ross seal is something very special. \u201cEvery time I look at his face it makes me smile,\u201d he says. \u201cFor the first few days, I would just stare at him. He\u2019s the perfect ambassador for his species and for the importance that Antarctic ecosystems play on a global scale.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hofman hopes his photos will strongarm folks into \u201cgoing down a rabbit hole\u201d and learning not just about seals, but the entire Antarctic ecosystem they live in. <\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, this encounter and the resulting photos bring me so much joy because it\u2019s the culmination of decades of wildlife watching,\u201d the photographer reflects. <\/p>\n

\u201c15 years ago I might have blown it by not being patient, or I might not have even been in the water that day because there really wasn\u2019t much to shoot.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut these days I will always take the opportunity to get in the water because every once in a while you get an immense surprise and get to see something that no one else has ever seen.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AJustin Hofman <\/p>\n

While Hofman is overjoyed to swim with and photograph a Ross seal, he is aware that a rapidly warming planet and lack of sea ice formation gave him the opportunity in the first place. <\/p>\n

\u201cThose are the things that keep me going through all this ecological grief that I feel as I watch the ecosystems I love degrade year after year,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

\u201cThose are the things that motivate me. I feel like I owe it to these places and these animals to try and bring them to the public and to bear witness.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this photo is very high on my list of personal accomplishments because it\u2019s the one time I can say without question that I brought something to the world that no one else has ever seen, and with that, expanded the collective knowledge of our species just a little bit more.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AJustin Hofman <\/p>\n

More of Hofman\u2019s work can be found on his Instagram<\/a> and website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Image credits: Photographs by Justin Hofman<\/p>\n