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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kandrew Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Never seen before
    Posted: 24 Oct 2023 at 8:04am
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Titanium
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I was out yesterday morning down the bottom of the Firth having a fish out in the middle off Tapu.

On the way back I noticed what I thought was a large black tree trunk floating in the water. So I thought I’d stop and have a look and to my surprise it was a big seal just swimming around.

I’ve been fishing the Firth for 50 years and I’ve never seen a seal down that far.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2023 at 9:54am
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Titanium
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Different area entirely, but I often see them sunning themselves on the surface in really deep water out of the Kaipara and Hokianga. Would seem like a great way to get eaten by a great white or an orca, but they don't seem to worry about it!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Pcj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2023 at 10:21am
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Saw one last year between kkb and Wilson's.Thought it was a log till the flipper moved.Wouldnt want to hit one .
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2023 at 10:37am
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I've seen them right up the far reaches of the Tamaki River where Gt South Rd passes over it in Otahuhu and I've heard of them out at 100m off the coast of the Manukau Harbour which is maybe 15 miles off shore. They are certainly building in numbers
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Bertiesdad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2023 at 1:48pm
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They get everywhere. A small Taranaki ring plain river passes through our place- about ten km upstream from sea. We have had seals in the river ( we are talking steep, rocks and shallow and about 15m wide) and in the trough in the paddock next to the river…..they get bored and head out on their own again soon enough…
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote White snake Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Oct 2023 at 10:29pm
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I have seen and thought the same thing when fishing wide off taranaki at the mokau trench 100km off shore.I think they must be chasing the squid.The need to feed must off set the clear and present danger of sharks and orcas.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Reel Deal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Oct 2023 at 7:47pm
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Whangarei has a couple in residence in harbour entrance area 
The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men's lives the hours spent on fishing - Assyrian Proverb
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Oct 2023 at 9:07pm
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Titanium
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Originally posted by Reel Deal Reel Deal wrote:

Whangarei has a couple in residence in harbour entrance area 

That's funny, never seen them. We always look out for the ones at Reotahi. Didn't see them last time, so wondered if they have moved on for summer. There is a young seal resident in Pataua at the moment. Pretty cool to see him/her playing under the bridge. 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Alan L Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Oct 2023 at 9:15pm
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They are amazing. We have a bunch of rocks/islands off our beach - about 1 ha size each. I am sure it is the same colony that turns up every year (at least the last 30yrs and prob forever) from god knows where to the same rock to have their pups and winter over. Summer generally gone. Maybe one or two stragglers. How do they find that 1Ha rock every year in a vast ocean? Their gps is as good as mine, for sure. It is great to take kids out to see the seals wih their pups and if lucky, see them teaching the pups to dive in the kelp etc.
Sometimes I will come across one out in the deep, sound asleep. You get attracted to the weird shape - turns out it is a seal fast asleep on its back, with a flipper stuck up in the air, catching the rays. Awesome orca bait. The guy would have died in his sleep , so to say. But they really are out to it at times, you can get quite close and they don't realise.
Amazing creatures.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Oct 2023 at 6:06am
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There was an article recently in The Herald (I think) that was saying how there have been a lot of dead seals turning up on beaches around NZ lately. The numbers were quite high ...
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Oct 2023 at 6:09am
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News Hub sorry:  https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/hundreds-of-seals-mysteriously-dying-across-new-zealand/ar-AA1iMML9

Other articles point at starvation as a cause
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Reel Deal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Oct 2023 at 10:01pm
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Yes orca love them mother had pup in rocks a Whangarei entrance when orca came past, orca must smell them as kept working those rocks. Saw an adult on Saturday came up to the boat rolling around by mardsen point wharf. Fish were still biting but there was a lot of boat traffic so it’s a worry where they choose to live. 
The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men's lives the hours spent on fishing - Assyrian Proverb
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