When is the best time to spot seals?

Reading time 4 minutes · Part of: Knowledge base

The short answer: around low tide

Seals spend roughly a third of their life on dry land, and they prefer to do it on sandbars that only emerge at low tide. The ideal window to see them is therefore 1 hour before to 2 hours after low tide. During that period they lie out, sometimes by the dozens or hundreds, to rest, moult or nurse pups.

Plan your trip or visit on the local tide. On spotting/tides you'll find the exact cycle and how to set the best windows; on the spotting map are all the banks reachable within each tidal window.

The best months

Strictly speaking you can see seals in the Netherlands year-round. Still, the months differ in visibility:

• March–April: animals are active and feed heavily to build up fat for summer.
• May–July: peak of common seal births in June/July; highest numbers on the banks.
• July–August: moulting season of the common seal — animals lie out in numbers for long stretches, sometimes 70% of a population at once.
• September–October: calm after summer, high numbers, good weather, fewer crowds.
• November–January: grey seal pups are born; fixed banks in the Delta are then full of white downy coats.
• February–March: moulting season of the grey seal — many animals on dry land then too.

The weather

A calm, dry day works best. Seals themselves are not bothered much by rain, but for the observer (and the boat) it makes a big difference. Wind force under 5 Bft keeps visibility over the mud flats stable and the sea calm, which makes a world of difference with binoculars or on a boat trip. Overcast weather is often more photogenic than bright midday sun, which creates backlight — boat trips in the early morning or the last light give the best shots.

With strong wind from the sea, banks can flood earlier than the tide table predicts; at wind force 6 or more, count on a 30-minute shorter window.

Busy and quiet times

Seals are shy. Where it's busy — walkers on the beach, off-leash dogs, motorboats too close to the bank — they head into the water and stay submerged. For the best observation, choose weekdays, the early morning tide or the end of the afternoon. School holidays, Pentecost weekend and fair-weather Saturdays give the least rest and therefore the fewest visible animals.

Anyone joining an organised boat trip gets the best times by default: these skippers plan around the tide and stick to the legal distance limit of 150 metres. From shore you can also spot well — choose the banks along the dykes marked as "shore-accessible" on the spotting map.

Seasonal calendar at a glance

For detailed explanation per location and tidal window: see Spotting seals and tides explained. To avoid disturbance, read our article about protection and behaviour rules.