Vilsandi Seal Webcam – Watch Gray Seals in Estonia

The Vilsandi Seal Webcam looks along the shore of Innarahu, a small protected islet in Vilsandi National Park off the west coast of Saaremaa, Estonia. Baltic gray seals use the islet as a calving ground. The camera faces a beach of pale shingle and scattered boulders, with the shallows and open water beyond and a low wooded shoreline on the horizon to the right. When seals haul out, they lie on the stones or wallow in the shallows, dark rounded shapes that are easy to mistake for rocks until one lifts its head. The scene shifts hard with the seasons, from snow and sea ice in a cold February to green scrub and calm water in summer and whitecaps in autumn. Looduskalender, an Estonian nature portal running since 2002, carries the feed.

About Innarahu and Vilsandi National Park

Innarahu is an uninhabited islet off the western coast of Saaremaa, the largest island in Estonia at 2,673 square kilometers (1,032 square miles). It belongs administratively to Atla, the westernmost settlement in the country, along with a string of other islets that includes Loonalaid, Salavamaa and Nootamaa, the westernmost point of Estonia. Innarahu lies about 15.5 kilometers (9.6 miles) southwest of the borough of Kihelkonna and 38.7 kilometers (24.1 miles) west of Kuressaare, the island’s main town.

The national park grew from a bird reserve founded in 1910. Its roots go back to Artur Toom, who became keeper of the Vilsandi lighthouse in 1907 and set up the first protected area on the small island of Vaika. The park now takes in part of Vilsandi, a number of smaller islands and adjacent parts of western Saaremaa, including the Harilaid peninsula. More than 247 bird species breed and nest here, the common eider most numerous among them, while barnacle geese and Steller’s eiders stop over on migration. A third of all protected plant species in Estonia grow inside the park, and hunting is banned outright.

The seals on screen belong to the Baltic subspecies of the gray seal, Halichoerus grypus grypus. Keeping a camera running out here is hard work. It runs on solar power, a storm destroyed the earlier system on April 1, 2022, and the camera was rebuilt with help from the non-profit Pro Mare. Technicians from Teetormaja, which streams the feed, can reach the islet only together with seal researchers when the sea is calm.

Weather and Climate in Vilsandi National Park

Averages for the islet’s area from 2015 to 2024 put January and February highs near 2 C (36 F) and lows near -2 C (28 F). The sea warms slowly, so spring runs cold: March highs reach only about 4 C (39 F) and April about 8 C (46 F). A cold spell can freeze the shore solid. In February 2026 the camera showed the beach under snow with ice along the water’s edge, while a white-tailed eagle fed on the snow inside a ring of hooded crows. Around the December solstice, daylight lasts under six and a half hours.

June highs average about 19 C (66 F), and July and August both reach around 20 C (68 F) by day and 15 C (59 F) at night. At the June solstice the sun is up for more than 18 hours, so the camera has light from early morning until late evening. September averages highs near 17 C (62 F), October about 11 C (52 F), still warmer than April, and November around 7 C (44 F). On a windy October day, whitecaps cover the water and lines of breakers run the full length of the beach.

Things to Do Near Vilsandi National Park

Innarahu itself is a protected seal islet, so the natural place to explore is Vilsandi, an island of about 9 square kilometers (3.5 square miles) and the westernmost populated island in Estonia. It can be reached by boat, by a truck with enough ground clearance, or on foot by wading across from Saaremaa. RMK, the Estonian state forest agency, marks the Vilsandi hiking trail in 6 kilometer (3.7 mile) and 8 kilometer (5 mile) versions. The Vilsandi lighthouse, built in 1809, is the oldest on the Baltic coast of Saare County, and the shallow, rocky waters around the island have wrecked many ships.

On the Saaremaa side, the Harilaid peninsula ends at Kiipsaare lighthouse, a 25 meter (82 foot) concrete tower built in 1933 about 150 meters (490 feet) inland. Erosion has since left it more than 50 meters (160 feet) offshore, and with the ground gone from beneath it, the tower now leans. It served as a daymark until 2009 and plays a prominent part in the 2003 Estonian film Somnambuul. Farther east, Kuressaare, the westernmost town in Estonia with 13,185 residents at the start of 2024, faces the Gulf of Riga on the south coast of Saaremaa and is home to Kuressaare Episcopal Castle.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More seal, wildlife and Estonian cameras to try next:

• Seal Island Webcam
• Kuressaare Webcam
• Karula National Park Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Vilsandi Seal Webcam located?

On Innarahu, a protected islet in Vilsandi National Park off the west coast of Saaremaa, Estonia, about 38.7 kilometers (24.1 miles) west of Kuressaare.

What can you see on the Vilsandi Seal Webcam?

A shingle beach with boulders and low scrub in the foreground, waves breaking in the shallows, open water and a wooded shoreline on the horizon. Gray seals haul out on the stones when they come ashore, and birds visit too: the operator’s past clips include swans, and a winter broadcast showed a white-tailed eagle with hooded crows.

What kind of seals live around Vilsandi?

Baltic gray seals, the subspecies of the gray seal found in the Baltic Sea. The species is also called the horsehead seal for its large head, and its Latin name, Halichoerus grypus, means hook-nosed sea pig.

When does the seal season start on the camera?

Teetormaja opened its 2026 season with a broadcast titled “SealCam: the season has started” in February, when snow still covered the beach. Seals are not ashore at every moment, so an empty beach between haul-outs is normal.

What is the weather like in Vilsandi National Park?

Cool and maritime. Winter highs hover around 2 C (36 F) with lows near -2 C (28 F), while July and August average around 20 C (68 F) by day and 15 C (59 F) at night.

Why is the seal camera not showing anything right now?

The camera runs on solar power on a remote islet, so long spells of cloud, storms and equipment faults can take it off air, and repairs wait for calm seas and a boat trip with seal researchers. If the player is running but the beach is empty, the seals are simply away or out in the water.

Can you visit Vilsandi National Park?

Yes. Vilsandi island can be reached by boat, by high-clearance truck or by wading across from Saaremaa, and RMK marks a hiking trail there. Hunting is prohibited throughout, and Innarahu itself is a protected islet.

Source: Looduskalender