Not many divers from outside Britain will travel to the UK to dive. But if there is one subject that should draw anyone to our waters it is grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). The UK is home to 40% of the world’s population and in the Farne Islands and Lundy Island they are used to divers and regularly provide excellent photographic encounters. Neither destination is blessed with reliable visibility and both are very exposed to the weather, but when it is good, it is very good.

This summer I made a handful of dives with the seals and snapped a few other subjects along the way. Since the photos were my first with the new Nikon D5, I have submitted them to Wetpixel for Full Frame. I’ve not used the camera enough yet to write a full review, but so far, so very good.

Grey seals can be very friendly and it is easy to fill your memory card with snouts and whiskers pushed up against the dome. Indeed I generally shoot them with the 15mm Sigma and Zen 230, rather than Nikonos 13mm for fear of damaging the latter. My aim on this shoot was to produce a diverse collect of images, from the inside mouth shots, to pictures showing seals behaving naturally in their environment.

To see more of Alex’s work, please visit his website.