In Baikal, the world’s deepest lake, lives the rare Nerpa seal, which seldom appears before humans.
Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, the largest freshwater lake, and one of the clearest lakes on the planet. It is home to many endemic species of flora and fauna.
A photographer drives on the ice in search of seal caves.
Dmitry Kokh, a photographer from Moscow, Russia, is passionate about wildlife, especially creatures that live underwater. He often spends a lot of time and takes numerous trips to capture moments of these animals in their natural habitats.
“I am passionate about enjoying the process of trying to create beautiful, memorable photos of animals in nature,” Dmitry Kokh shares.
The photographer has traveled to the most remote places and dived into the deepest seas to seek inspiration and share it with others.
The dog Pulka assists Dmitry Kokh on his journey.
Recently, Dmitry Kokh made a trip to Baikal to photograph the Nerpa seals that inhabit the largest freshwater lake in the world, known locally as Nerpas.
Capturing the activities of Nerpas underwater, in their natural environment, is quite challenging and few have succeeded. This motivated photographer Dmitry Kokh to strive for beautiful images, wanting to show everyone the pristine beauty of this place and the natural behavior of the seals.
Dmitry Kokh has visited Baikal multiple times over the past two years but had not succeeded until now. He had previously visited in November when the lake was frozen, and returned in January but could not spot any Nerpas as they are very shy and tend to hide from humans.
This time, Dmitry Kokh arrived in April, during spring in Siberia, when the snow was melting and the sun was shining. His search for seals included a local dog named Pulka, trained for this task over many years.
Dmitry Kokh dives beneath the ice in search of seals.
Pulka searched for seal caves amid the endless stretches of ice. After a while, Pulka found an entrance to a cave, and Dmitry Kokh began to dive beneath the frigid ice.
After several dives and strong efforts, Dmitry Kokh finally achieved his valuable goal. The Nerpa seal was diving in its cave. Typically, it surfaces only once or twice a day to ensure that the ice hole at the cave entrance does not freeze over.
Nerpa seals swimming underwater in Lake Baikal.
Nerpa seals come ashore once or twice a day.
