We have had the opportunity to do a number of free swims with the harbor seals now, so I wanted to show you some of the interactions we have had.

Smoke showed interest even before I got in the water, then came by for a quick touch. Rochelle and Amelia played with the orange boomer ball, Lana checked out her favorite toy then Smoke came over for a good scratch from Justin. Cayenne, who has been a little shy about the free swim idea, swam close to take a closer look at Lindsay. We all agree that these free swims are not only enriching for the seals, but for the trainers as well!

-Erin

We have recently started free swims with the Atlantic harbor seals. What exactly is a free swim you ask? For us, it is any time a person is in the water with the seals outside of a training session or cleaning dive. We consider free swims to be a type of enrichment for the seals (and of course the trainers). Since it is very new and we want the seals to be comfortable with us hanging out in the exhibit, we will start by going in for short periods of time, taking a break, then going back in.



In this video, you can see Rochelle doing one of the first free swims with the seals. In her first short swim, Amelia comes right over to check her out. In the second swim, Rochelle has picked up a toy to see if anyone is interested and Chuck swims by while Cayenne checks her out from a distance (look at the top left corner). In the third swim, Trumpet checks her out from a distance. I wonder if they will come any closer?...Check back to see!

- Erin