Seals of Wellfleet Harbor: Where and When to See Them from the Water
The Packet Boat | Wellfleet, Cape Cod
Most people think of Chatham when they think of seals on Cape Cod. But some of the biggest concentrations of gray seals on the Outer Cape are right here in Wellfleet — hauled out on Billingsgate Shoal in the middle of Cape Cod Bay.
Billingsgate Shoal: Wellfleet's best-kept seal spot
Billingsgate Shoal — the remains of the sunken island about two and a half miles off the Wellfleet shore — is a magnet for gray seals. At low tide, the shoal rises out of the bay and seals pile onto the exposed sand by the dozens, sometimes by the hundreds. It's one of the most impressive seal gatherings on the Outer Cape, and almost nobody outside of Wellfleet knows about it.
Jeremy Point, the sandy tip of Great Island, is another established haul-out closer to shore. But Billingsgate consistently draws larger numbers, likely because it's farther from foot traffic and surrounded by the productive feeding grounds of Cape Cod Bay. The only way to see it is by boat.
Gray seals vs. harbor seals
Cape Cod is home to two seal species. Gray seals are the big ones — adults can weigh 550 to 850 pounds, with males even larger. They're here year-round and are the species you'll see in summer. You can identify them by their long, horse-shaped heads and wide-set nostrils.
Harbor seals are smaller, around 200 to 300 pounds, with rounder faces and close-set, V-shaped nostrils. They're seasonal visitors, typically on the Cape from September through May. If you're visiting in summer, gray seals are the ones on the shoal.
The overall population has surged in recent decades. An estimated 30,000 to 50,000 seals now live in and around Cape Cod waters, up from almost none before federal protections took effect in 1972 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
When and how to watch
Seals haul out at low tide, so timing your boat trip around the tide chart gives you the best chance of seeing them on the sand. Even at high tide, you'll spot heads bobbing in the water around the harbor — gray seals sometimes "bottle," hanging vertically with just their faces above the surface while they rest.
Federal law requires staying at least 50 yards from hauled-out seals. The best views come from a respectful distance on the water, where the seals will often watch your boat with curiosity rather than alarm.
About The Packet Boat
The Packet Boat operates out of Wellfleet Harbor on Cape Cod's Outer Cape. Our boat tours pass through prime seal habitat around Billingsgate Shoal and the surrounding flats — one of the best places to watch gray seals on Cape Cod, without the crowds of Chatham.
Book a trip at thepacketboat.com
Gray seals haul out year-round on Billingsgate Shoal off Wellfleet. The shoal — once a 60-acre island with a lighthouse and fishing village — is only accessible by boat and draws some of the largest seal gatherings on the Outer Cape.
