These shots of a Ross seal, a species found only in the most remote parts of Antarctica, are thought likely to be the first ever captured beneath the surface – by US underwater photographer Justin Hofman.
“This animal lives so deep within the Antarctic pack-ice that its life history is not very well understood, and it is not seen very often,” says Hofman. “In 15 seasons of working in Antarctica, I have seen only two Ross seals, and this is the second one.”
The dive professional had long been aware of the challenge of capturing underwater images of Ross seals (Ommatophoca rossii), because the species was confined so far to the south. “I didn’t think about it in the way that someone thinks about a goal or a target subject – I never thought that it was an actual possibility,” he says.
However, the photographer’s “Christmas came early” when, as part of his job as an undersea specialist with Lindblad Expeditions, he joined the National Geographic Resolution cruise ship as it set its own record for penetrating furthest south into the Antarctic. Fellow-diver Ayla Townsend was also able to capture video footage of the seal on the voyage.
Foraging in open ocean
The Ross seal is the smallest Antarctic true seal and the only species in its genus. It is estimated to make up no more than 1% of Antarctic seal populations, though it is classified as of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
The large-eyed, solitary species grows to about 2.3m long and has a life-span of up to 20 years. Ross seals are born and bred on dense, hard-to-reach pack-ice but spend much of their time foraging in open ocean, diving more than 100 times a day to depths as great as 300m in search of the squid and fish that are their staple diet.
Justin Hofman is a marine biologist who began working regularly on expedition vessels in 2008 as undersea specialist, photographer, expedition guide and divemaster.
One of his best-known photographs, showing a seahorse holding onto a cotton-bud in Indonesian waters, was a finalist in the 2017 NHM Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
Hofman is also among the small number of people to have dived in Antarctica’s ice-covered Lake Untersee, and was part of the first dive-team to use rebreathers there.
