Tourmaline Surf Park in San Diego, California, became more than just a surfing spot.
The place is often a treat to surfers who want to go along great waves, but they found another reason to enjoy being in the water.
An orphaned seal pup has graced nearby surfers with his presence.
Ed Hartel is a photographer and drone pilot who often flies his drone in Tourmaline Surf Park to capture video footage of the surfers in the area.
However, one day, he noticed something interesting – a seal went above a surfer’s board while at rest.
He came back the next day to see if the seal was still there, and he was right.
It’s a rare occurrence, and it caught Ed and the other surfers by surprise at how much the seal pup enjoyed being in their midst.
He noticed that the young animal would swim from board to board and jump on different surfers, enjoying their company.
Ed also learned how he ended up as an orphan from some eyewitnesses.
The baby animal used to swim nearby with his mother, but a Great White Shark swam into the area one day and feasted on his mother as the little seal swam away to safety.
Since then, he was left there alone in the water.
Authorities have been prompted by the incident, which was a Catch-22 situation.
People called the City of San Diego and SeaWorld to remove the mother seal’s carcass from the water and check on the orphaned seal.
However, they said that the seal pup was healthy, and since seals are protected animals, the best course of action was to leave him in that area and monitor his well-being occasionally.
That is, to ensure that he is and will not be harmed by the humans around.
And the surfers in Tourmaline Surf Park sure did leave him alone.
They let the seal pup swim among them and ensure they don’t hurt it with their surfboards.
They also let him be when he likes to hop on their boards, but they never forced him to do so.
This also means that when he is on their surfboards, they let him be, even if it means staying still for about half an hour.
But if I were the surfer, I wouldn’t mind. I can sit on the board in the presence of this seal pup the entire day!
It is a wholesome interaction between this seal pup and the humans, and it seems like he enjoys being around them.
As long as everyone cooperates with the authorities, the seal pup will be there – surfing and chilling – for a long time.
The crucial part now is if the seal would learn to fish independently.
If his enthusiasm around these surfers were a telling sign, it’s somehow telling us that he’s found a way to feed himself and has all the energy and time to be on those surfboards.
Watch this adorable interaction in the video below.
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