When a group of French divers took the plunge off the coast of Antarctica, some of them brought waterproof cameras to capture the frigid undersea world. They didn't expect to be approached by a group of leopard seals, seemingly eager to be photographed. The Antarctica expedition was led by Gilles Rigaud and the photos were taken by Alexandre Voyer, 37, reported the Daily Mail. Voyer is a Paris-based commercial sound editor who grew up in French Polynesia with a great love for the sea.
Leopard seals can be very aggressive if they feel threatened, so the divers knew to behave with caution and let the seals approach them. Once they'd established some trust, the seals played around and put their best faces forward, leading to some amazing underwater seal photobombs, said the Telegraph.
They've been likened online to the famous seal photobomb meme that swept the internet five years ago. Some have referred to Voyer's photos as "sealfies."
"They are big mammals, but they're also very curious about us — these are wild animals and aren't used to seeing any humans so we had to approach them with a lot of respect. It was great to see them asserting their authority, but when they realized we were only poor swimmers and weren't a danger, they began to be a bit more playful and familiar with us," said Voyer, noted the Daily Mail.
These expeditions are unfortunately not for everyone. "You have to be in good shape to do this sort of thing — for the moment, I'm training with athletes in Paris pools," said Voyer, reported the Daily Mail.
