I’ve scuba dived around the Isles of Scilly for many years and taken countless seal photographs, but for me none compare to images made while snorkelling. The temperate waters are often clear, yet it’s the light near the surface that transforms the scene. In the top couple of metres, colour and contrast are stronger, giving the images far more impact.

Seal snorkelling here is done from a small RIB launched from the beach on St Martin’s. It’s an ideal platform for locating seals and gently dropping you into the water among them, often close to the granite outcrops of the Eastern Isles. These rocks are key to the experience, forming the seals’ favoured haul-out spots as the tide falls.

Over time, I’ve found the best encounters happen once the seals have returned from feeding and are waiting for those rocks to emerge. Even then, everything must align: contented seals, sunshine, good visibility and minimal swell. Most days one element is missing, but on the rare occasions when they come together, the experience feels magical.

Seals often approach from behind, your first warning a playful tug on your fins as they test you with their mouths. It’s great fun, but it makes photography difficult, with much of your time spent spinning in the water trying to keep them in view.

Eventually, I noticed I could get closest as a seal surfaced to breathe and paused briefly before diving again. This image was taken in that fleeting moment, the instant the seal began its descent, when I was close enough to fill the frame and capture a truly special encounter.