Otter Heaven (Day 11)

The next day we returned to the same stretch of coast. Why not? During the previous days, I had built an intimate mental map of the coastline and had followed the otters so closely, I could spot where they liked to haul-up, out of view from the road. The tides were extremely high, thanks to the summer solstice and new moon. It took most of the morning for the tide to descend and reveal the seaweed carpets along the shore. It took even longer to find the otters!

It was mid-morning, when we eventually spotted the mother and cub fishing along the shore. The mother would dive first, then the cub would follow, returning before the mother for a lungful of air. The mother appeared another 5-10 seconds later, usually with a small fish or crab. They seemed to be coping with most prey out in the water, so I was patient and just followed on behind. Ahead, I could spot a relatively large, submerged rock, covered with seaweed. I decided to gamble my chances and headed for the rock as soon as the otters dived - not a second too soon either. As soon as the mother broke the surface, she made a beeline for the same rock. I was not yet in position, so every time she drove her head under the water, I moved as quickly as possible, slipping and sliding and trying not to break my neck.

We reached our destinations at around the same moment. She had no prey with her, so they were there for a rub down and rest - just what I needed. I took a few lungfuls of my own and set the camera on a beanbag. All the elements were coming together, probably for the first time since I had started photographing otters - two otters, on a golden seaweed covered rock, with blue water and sunshine! I thought I was never going to see this. The mother tried to curl up for a sleep, but the cub kept rubbing against her and really wanted to play. It was quite comical and I had to stifle a chuckle.
They stayed on the rock for about 10mins with the mother coming and going. Unfortunately she would come and go from behind the rock and the cub so was always obscured. I wasn't unhappy though. These shots are really what I came for - two otters together in a photogenic scene.
Eventually both otters left the rock and carried on fishing along the shore. They fished for another 45mins, slowly making their way East along the shore with the out-flowing tide. Then they suddenly reappeared on another rock. I wasn't very close and was caught slightly off-guard, but managed to get a few shots before they finished their snacks and dove off into the water once more. It was a real shame, but my legs had really began to wobble and shake, so we broke for lunch and rest. Even though I've spent weeks down the gym prior to the trip, my legs were no way near up to the stamina level I once had.