April 21, 2014 - We had a great Saturday afternoon seal watch this past weekend that was so good that it extended into the evening, with numerous excellent seal behavior observations enjoyed under crystal clear optical conditions. Prospects for seal watching during this school vacation week are only fair, due to unfortunate tide timing and a windy forecast for mid-week; but if you are reading this you stand a good chance to enjoy a productive, entertaining seal adventure. The best bets for this week are Monday late afternoon into the evening and Friday morning, as the tide and wind will conspire to make seal observation more challenging around the middle of the week. There will probably be seals around tomorrow late afternoon and Thursday morning as well, with Wednesday being the day when the better seal tide switches from afternoon to morning. This time of the year, we sometimes see seals on the taller rocks while the tide is still relatively high, and we are going to head out early on the ebb tide this afternoon to see if extended seal observation hours are in session. 

On nice spring weekends its best to plan your hike to arrive on the beach 2 to 3 hours before low tide to stay a step ahead of wayward watercraft.  Less windy days will be the best for seal observation, but as long as the wind has a westerly direction, good numbers of seals should be out and about.  Seal seekers should check in here regularly to find out when the action at Rome Point picks up; the Recent Observations link will dish the latest details about what the seals are up to, so be sure to check that page when you visit the website.  See you on the beach soon!  

Check out this link to see video that highlights the territorial behavior that harbor seals exhibit when the rocks get crowded, taken Rome Point on March 10 and 11, 2013.  Seal Action March 2013

This link will take you to a live Grey seal web cam in Maine, it is fun to check this site from time to time, you never know what you might see.  The Grey seal pupping season is over, so this site is not a live feed at this time of the year, but the highlights are still worth viewing.  Grey Seal Pupping Cam

Some of our seal watching friends have shown an interest in sharks; we found this website dedicated to tracking great white sharks that have been tagged with GPS satellite transponders. Ocearch Shark Tracker  Our favorite shark is the legendary Mary Lee, she's a 16 foot, 3500 pound beauty that was tagged off Cape Cod in 2012.

Seal Video is On-line Now!!
We have posted some short seal videos to Youtube for your seal watching amusement.  Seal Pup Follies was recorded in Maine in June 2012 and contains several interesting interactions between seal pups and adult seals.  Linebelly Rising is a short clip showing the Rome Point kingpin climbing to the top of his favorite pointy rock. 
Video Links:
Linebelly Rising   1:09
Big Seal Day 2011 2:06, 111 seals on the rocks in Spring of 2011
Seal Pup Follies  4:44, Seal pups in action in Maine
Rome Point Seals 2011 6:55, Seal watching highlights from 2011

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    Welcome to the Internet home of the Rome Point harbor seal colony in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay.  This web site is the place to learn where, when, and how to observe harbor seals from the shore of the John H.Chafee Nature Preserve at Rome Point, located in North Kingstown, RI.  Rome Point is the best place in southern New England to observe large numbers of wintering harbor seals from shore. Since 1999, I have had the pleasure of enjoying more than 500 seal walks and sharing close-up views of the seals through my spotting scope with at least 7000 friends, neighbors, and seal seekers from all over the world.  Rome Point is one of Rhode Island's most spectacular natural treasures; on a good day the seal watching experience rivals any wildlife sightings you are likely to observe in most US National Parks.  

   This web site is a guide to having a successful and fun seal watching hike at Rome Point.  The information presented here will enable you to locate and responsibly observe the seals.  This site is published as a public service by amateur naturalists on a volunteer basis.  Thanks for visiting Romepointseals.org!