A world-renowned Canadian photographer, Paul Nicklen, came face to face with an ocean predator, and he could have died. In fact, it seems for a moment he thought he would.
“This was probably the closest our co-founder Paul Nicklen Photography has ever come to dying in the wild,” wrote SeaLegacy, a nonprofit environmental conservation organization, on Facebook. “Over decades of filming some of the planet’s most powerful animals, he’s built his career on being calm, patient, and respectful. Let the animal lead the interaction. That mutual trust has opened doors to once-in-a-lifetime encounters—and kept him safe through (almost) all of them.”
SeaLegacy then went on to share an incident from 2008 in Antarctica, when Nicklen was attempting to be the first person to film a breeding male elephant seal underwater. (Remember, male elephant seals can weigh over 7,000 pounds and reach 20 feet long). Turns out, these massive animals don’t like being spied on while in the act.
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“As soon as Paul entered the water, the bull spotted him and charged,” SeaLegacy explains. “Mistaking him for a rival, the seal tried to crush him again and again. Paul thought, ‘So this is how it’s going to end.’”
Thankfully, Nicklen survived the terrifying encounter, and SeaLegacy doesn’t say whether or not he sustained any injuries.
See the moment this talented photographer nearly died by a massive elephant seal:
Header stock image by David Merron Photography/Getty Images