Where are the Seals?
When are seals at Rome Point?
Seal Watching Tips
Watercraft and Drones
Contact RomePointSeals
Seal Observation Forecast:
Tuesday April 1, 2025 We enjoyed a great run of seal watching last week, but unfortunately this week the weather is unlikely be so accommodating. Warm fronts and cold fronts are going to be rolling through New England like waves on the Rome Point shore, with accompanying unsettled weather. We are hoping that the large numbers of seals we have been seeing recently will hang around until the next full moon tide, but right now we do not see any great opportunities to check out the seal situation, certainly none with the ideal weather and tide alignment we enjoyed last week. If an afternoon weather window opens up on short notice, we will try to let you know. We know from long experience that we can't take the exceptional seal days for granted, which is all the more reason why we are so grateful for last week's wonderful seal watching, which was the best continuous period of outstanding seal observation since 2018.
We have decided to remove the Recent Seal Observation Notes page from this website. From now on, only the most recent observation note will be posted right here on the Home page. We have had a recurrence of an issue pertaining to copyright security such that we cannot continue to make the body of our observational work so readily available. To everyone who enjoyed reading our observation report history we are sorry, but the best we can do is keep you informed about our latest seal sighting in the new Observation Notes section below.
Recent Seal Observation Notes:
Saturday March 29, 2025 - 71 seals hauled out, 46 degrees, cloudy, NE 15+, 12:00 We had no idea what to expect from a wild weather forecast today, but when we saw a south wind at 5 and no rain on the radar, we were out the door heading for Rome Point. After we arrived we were barely out of the car when we realized that south 5 wind was no longer in play when a big NE gust slapped us on the cheek. We decided to walk to the end of the road to check out the seal situation, and when we saw a dozen seal perched on the taller rocks 3 hours before low tide, we proceeded up the beach to watch the haul-out activity. It was much too windy to set up at our customary spot, so we hung out in the protective "land shadow" around the corner about 60 yards south of the point. The seals were decidedly more subdued than they were a couple of days ago but the light for the scope was quite good, as was the seal watching for the first hour of our visit. However, the wind continued to build with gusts over 25 mph, which caused all the seals that were perched on the tall rock to head for low ground, including the venerable Big Red, who disappeared all together. The weather was not conducive to beach walks and we saw a number of folks turn around way down the beach. For the last hour we had a solitary seal watch and after all of the great seal watching we enjoyed over the previous four days, we were disappointed that the weekend conditions were such that we were not able to share amazing seal watching with numerous visitors. As we departed, we paused to consider that our life itself has taken this turn lately... full of blessing and good fortune for which our gratitude abounds, but all seemingly accompanied by a shadowy tinge of disappointment that we hope will disappear with the coming change of season.
This time of year it is worth
the effort to try to be on the beach two to
three hours before low tide, as the haul-out
time is when the seals are usually most active.
In addition, it is a good practice to arrive
early in the seals' rest cycle to stay a step
ahead of marauding watercraft, which can spoil a
seal watch by chasing the seals from the area. When the seal count at Rome
Point exceeds the 100 seal benchmark, the
haul-out time seal show rivals almost any
wild animal observation you are likely to
see anywhere in North America. The big seal
show has come to town now, good days should
not be taken for granted, and there are a
bunch of good days coming up this week.
The links below connect to short
seal videos we posted on YouTube for your seal watching
amusement. Seal Pup Follies was recorded in Maine
in June 2012 and Linebelly Rising is a short clip
showing the former Rome Point kingpin climbing to the
top of his favorite pointy rock.
Video Links:
Tail Biting Jumps March 2020
Seal
Action March 2013
Linebelly
Rising
Big Seal Day 2011
Seal
Pup Follies
Rome Point Seals 2011