‘Very, very rare:’ Woman recovering after being bitten by seal in San Juan Islands

A Seattle woman is recovering from a bite, she received from a harbor seal while swimming out in the San Juan Islands.

Triathlete, Dana Halter shared with KIRO 7′s Lauren Donovan, that the attack happened while she was circling Trump Island. The small spit of land sits just off the eastern coast of Decatur Island. Halter has heard from locals, the island is known to be a seal breeding ground.

“So mama seal, basically told me to get away from her pup,” said Halter. “When I switched from horizontal swimming to vertical treading water I think she felt threatened because my body movements changed and I scared her.”

Halter was spooked by the encounter, but she still loves the pokey pinnipeds. The former collegiate swimmer says she’s encountered the animals during past open-water swims.

“Some of my best experiences swimming open water have been with seals,” said Halter. “They’re just curious and I’m not afraid of them.”

Julie Carpenter is curator of birds and mammals at the Seattle Aquarium. News of the incident surprised Carpenter, who reports violent encounters with harbor seals are extremely uncommon. She says the animals are curious but not confrontational.

“Very, very rare,” said Carpenter. “Something that we don’t normally hear about so very unfortunate situation.”

©2023 Cox Media Group