What began as an overcast and chilly day for a group to go kayaking ended up becoming the most memorable day of their lives. Kayaking is an exhilarating watersport that originally was used as a way to hunt by the Eskimos but the shadow that began following these kayakers seemed to be quite friendly and curious.
One kayaker named Alistair Forrest noticed a gray seal up trailing behind them. He whipped out his camera and began recording their adventure as it unfolded before their very eyes.
Gray seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and can weigh between 550 and 880 pounds. This sweet seal obviously is a young one or it would’ve left a giant wake behind it and sunk the kayaks it keeps messing with.
As Alistair and his friend paddle along, the cute seal pup trails behind them, disappearing under the water for brief periods of time. They were tooling along in the Scotland’s Forth Estuary, an arm of the North Sea near Edinburgh.
Apparently, the seal pup was incredibly tired after swimming along for a mile or so with his newfound friends, because it tuned in to Alistair as he coaxed it closer, then pulled its upper half onto the tail-end of the kayak, only to be a bit ornery.
“Come here. Hello! … Leave my kayak. No. Be good.”
The seal pup holds on for a free ride for a bit and seems to listen to Alistair.
“Don’t chew anything. No, get off.”
After the seal makes a whole-hearted effort to climb on, Alistair warns him to “be nice.”
But the sweet seal puppy turns his big dark eyes toward Alistair as if his feelings are hurt, then slips below the water.
But the next thing you know, the seal pup has swum around to the front of their kayaks! Alistair’s companion comments on how playful the seal pup is, showing that he’s definitely still a wee one as he doesn’t seem to be fearful of them or want to attack them.
Undeterred, the seal pup attempts to slither onto the front of the kayak this time.
“Come on, hang on, come on. And…you come.”
He wiggles his body right on top of the kayak and turns to look at the kayakers as if to say, “Hey! What’s up guys?”
Alistair and his companion are stunned at what’s happening during a routine kayaking outing.
“I’ve got a seal on my boat!”
The beautiful spotted gray seal pup stares at them, his huge dark eyes seemingly boring into their souls.
They are still recording this wild adventure and we can’t help but admire how they hang on and don’t flip over! Even though kayaks are pretty low, a seal wallowing around on one poses a hazard.
“He’s got amazing balance ‘cuz I’m holding on to your dear life.”
Alistair’s companion reaches out her hand and the seal pup sniffs it, then suddenly dives off the kayak into the dark, murky water. But he pops up on the other side and climbs aboard the front of the other one!
How cute is this friendly seal pup? Watch its playful antics in the video below. What an incredible chance of a lifetime to be this close to a wild seal pup!
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