Sealboarding…
It was to be my last bodyboarding session, when the tide turned
At Porthtowan and as I trod slowly towards the ocean,
A dog saw some interest in me and its owner, a guy,
Stopped and chatted to me, before I reached the sea,
Which untidily wrestled with itself and made an awful din.
There was no-one else in the water, which rushed and churned
But a bobbing shape suddenly surfaced near the shore, its motion
Limited but the head of a seal was not difficult to identify,
As it breathed and took in the sunlight, natural and free.
Then I waded into the tousling waves for my leisure to begin…
I had already caught several breakers and the rides had been well earned,
Before I saw a dark shape away to the east and I had a notion
That the seal was there, lurking, lingering and hovering nearby.
Sure enough, its face appeared and it stared straight at me,
Which was oddly reassuring and I responded with a wave and a grin…
Pete Ray
9th October 2025…
The last of three bodyboarding sessions at Porthtowan, before returning home.
I had seen many seals that morning, lying in Mutton Cove, Godrevy and had looked down at them from above cliff top for quite a while.
Then during the afternoon, just off the beach, one seal was observing me playing in its domain…
It was as if we were respecting the interest we felt for each other…
Usually at Porthtowan, an oystercatcher flies over me when I bodyboard but this time I had the company of a seal…
It was special…
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