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A family of paddleboarders received a seal of approval from an actual seal in the U.K.
The curious aquatic mammal made its way to the group and hopped on their boards while they were paddling through the River Arun in Littlehampton, a seaside town in West Sussex, according to local news outlet South West News Service.
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“This was our first visit to this area and only my third time on a board,” Darren Ford, a family member who captured a video of the playful seal told SWNS. “We checked the tide times and [were] going upstream initial the tide turns and then ride back on the opposite tide.”
“We dropped our boards in from the pontoon and had been paddling for an hour or so the sun was shining and we were chatting away oblivious that we were being followed by a seal,” Ford added. “To our amazement, the seal just started going from one board to another jumping on and relaxing!”
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It’s not the first time this seal has gone viral over his interactions with humans, either. In fact, the seal’s name is Gavin and he is somewhat of a local celebrity with a dedicated Facebook page, Gavin the Littlehampton Harbour Seal, which has more than 1,790 likes and 1,870 followers.
''We had no food out, we never encouraged him in anyway and kept our distance as far as possible,” Ford said regarding the brief interaction. ''At first, we were really worried that the seal was in trouble or maybe aggressive but soon realized he was being curious and was in good health.”
He added, “It was an amazing experience but it never really sank in until we got home and realized how rare this actually happens.”
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Despite this family’s positive experience, managers of Gavin’s Facebook page issued a reminder on Thursday that visitors should not go out of their way to interact with him since he “is a wild animal after all.”
A man who was vacationing in Devon County was bit by a seal after he tried to pet the creature, according to ITV.
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“Seals have a nasty bite and can carry some very harmful diseases to humans and dogs if bitten, so please also keep them on a lead and at a safe distance if you see Gavin or one of his friends,” Gavin the Littlehampton Harbour Seal team wrote in their warning post, which used the situation in Devon as an example. “Don't risk getting bitten like the poor fella here in Devon was... it’s not cool or fun we imagine.”