31 January 2023

Mediterranean monk seal Licadonisia

Hi everyone,

I just read a recent report from Lichadonisia about monk seals and wanted to briefly add my experience there.

In June 2022 I visited the islands for three days and I was successful in finding them every day, they were all adult females except for a young one (about one year old) the last day. They are not particularly shy and you can expect to see them as close as 20 m from te boat or less, I was told that adult males are much more wary and seldom come closer than 100 m from boats. The seals can be found there from February/March to November, during winter they disperse to give birth and to make their annual molt. Seals aside there are also good chances of spotting bottlenose dolphins in the area, I saw two of them on the second day between the islands and Evia. I recommend visiting during spring or late summer to avoid both heat and crowds in summer, the only obstacles to consider in spring and autumn are storms and winds that can create waves and make it more difficult to spot seals.

Hope this is helpful

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Wanax01
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3 Comments

  • 5 February 2023
    Daan Drukker

    Yes, this is good information. Wish I knew this when I tried it in December 2019, when I saw nothing during two day-long trips to the islands. Cheers!

    1
  • 21 March 2024
    dactylor

    Hello,

    Whit what company or boat service did you go to search the monk seals.
    How long where you on the water every day?

    Greetings Jens

    • 3 April 2024
      Wanax01

      Hi,
      I visited with a company named NaturalGreece (they still offer trips to the islands from what i know), I asked for one extra day looking for the seals back then. Each day we arrived to the islands at around 9 and left in the afternoon usually no later than 16, but each day is different especially regarding the weather since the mornings were usually more calm. Calm sea surface makes it easier to spot the seals. We had lunch at the islands and spent some time looking for wildlife there especially reptiles, but the amount of time spent with the seals or looking for other wildlife can be agreed with the guide and depends on your interests. Keep in mind also that usually seals are found very quickly, for us it never took more than 30 min since arriving at the islands.
      Best of luck!

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