A noncontacting face seal has a stationary sealing ring and a rotating sealing ring with opposed radially extending sealing surfaces for restricting a fluid flow from a high pressure fluid side to a low pressure fluid side. The rotating sealing ring is moved out of contact with the stationary sealing ring due to hydrostatic force from the fluid. The noncontacting face seal comprises spiral grooves formed in one of the sealing surfaces and extending from a low pressure fluid side to a high pressure fluid side in a radial direction so as to pump fluid from the low pressure fluid side towards the high pressure fluid side, and a spaced portion formed in one of the sealing surfaces and extending inwardly from one circumference of the sealing surface at the high pressure fluid side so as to introduce fluid in the high pressure fluid side between the sealing surfaces.