Incredible shot OP! Is that through a telescope?

Yes!

I guess this has the "seal" of approval.

The great whites should be not too far off the beach . Those beautiful seals are yummy fat balls to sharks.

Was thinking the very same

Do sharks make it into the bay or is that water too fresh?

Pretty sure the sharks migrate to water that’s near 70f or warmer. So by the time the water is that warm, the seals are long gone north.

I hope….

TIL that there are seals in NJ

Its brackish water. And yes, sharks make it in this water way. And sadly. I also saw 3 dead dolphins not far from these guys 2day. It will be in the news im sure.

Please leave them alone. Beautiful.

Yea- they love relaxing in the sun at low tide there.

Any opinion on what caused their death?

I see them sometimes when I fish there.

They can be found even just on the beaches sometimes like in Belmar, LBI, etc.

Many of the inlets and bays are places they can be easier to find. Down near AC and Brigantine, Barnegate, and of course the Sandy Hook bay.

They love to sun bath.

Cool! I went to Sandy Hook for a field trip like 20 years ago and definitely didn’t see anything nearly so memorable. I’ve never ever seen them anywhere else along the shore either. Do they especially like Sandy Hook?

Do they pop up anywhere else along the shore, or are they just particularly fond of Sandy Hook?

I don’t know why I’m so surprised. I lived in NJ my whole life up until a few years ago and spent many summers on LBI, but never heard about any seals

No, just happened this AM. No word yet. If u google it there are a few news articles about it. Curious tht there hav been so many marine mammal deaths this winter.

Yea, every winter they show up in the bay. Best to see them at low tide. There were 11 of them on these rocks!

Its the only place ive seen them along the shore

The fisheries off the waters of NJ are pretty decent these days. Enough to sustain whales, seals, great whites, and dolphins. But who knows how long that will last TBH.

I'll see them on the docks in the Shark River

Thanks!

Lots of beached whales on the news too. Seems like there's a new one every other day.

Sharks not far behind.

Not sure but I see them popping their heads up about 30 ft from me as I fish sometimes. I usually leave when I see them or dolphins because the bait and my target fish might be scared off by them.

Interesting. I have never seen them there but wouldn't be surprised.

Okay, everyone leave them alone and pick up your trash!

Bull sharks for sure can. Not sure about white sharks .

Dead whales on the beach is different than beached whales. Beached whales strand themselves while alive... which may die eventually. Its grim. I know. Just clarifying.

Ever been to the beach in Maine? Water is like 55 in mid summer and they are seeing increased shark activity as seal population increases

where in sandy hook is the best place to spot them?

DO NOT MAKE THE SEAL SOUND WHILE IN THE WATER

hi friends. hi hi hi what are you doing huhuhuh

They like to hang out by the nude beach..

Thank you for the photo while keeping your distance from these beautiful animals.

What we have here my fellow New Jerseyan's is a fucking Harbor Seal.

Some fun facts: 1.Evidence of their presence ... is consistent with both the fossil record as well as a few landmarks named for them during colonization: Robbin's Reef, off of Bayonne, New Jersey, gets its name from the Dutch word robben, meaning "seals". 2.Protected species in the sense it is illegal to hunt or harass them in the United States. 3. I think they are super cute.

Naked. As expected.

This is near the chapel, b4 the coast guard station

Is it safe to kayak the bay in the summer?

Is it safe to kayak the bay in the summer?

They couldn’t afford health care either.

Mapping the ocean floor using high frequency sonar.

They are beautiful! Protect them at all costs

Lived in Highlands for a longgggg time and never seen any seals at Sandy Hook. That is cool!

it’s not just decent. NJ has some of the best fishing in the Atlantic.

The bay is salt water

Shark attacks are super rare. Be careful and avoid areas with seals hanging out.

I say that because who knows what is going to happen with NJ. Global shipping is coming back, the port of NJ/NY is a huge oil hub, we are having an increase in cetaceans, which could be caused by a number of factors, and more.

Also I wouldn't put it past us having overfished it a bit consdiering people from Maine to Virginia have been fishin these waters for the past several hundre years.

global shipping never went away Brother

Well I would say it was slowed own for a while due to the pandemic in NA and then even more when global shipping was stalled by Chinese national policies that hurt production.

fake news. Ports couldn’t keep up with the volume of ships coming through.

Yeah they could, but lower demand from pandemic and supply issues with China HAS resulted in less global shipping ove the past few years. You can call it fake but the rates of ships coming in and out and the delivery of goods are down.

Amazing! When was this picture taken?

Yesterday, around 1pm

My friend and I have been down there several times this winter trying to spot some. We were there yesterday afternoon and didn't see a single one!

Get there ar low tide and go to the rocks near the chapel. Tht pic i took? There were like 12 in tht spot.

Thanks for the clarification, I always thought of them as the same thing.

np

Ohhh so cute!!

I went yesterday and I swear there were about 40 of them, crazy sight to see!

adorable