Tourmaline Surf Park is a popular surfing beach in San Diego.
Every day, surfers go out into the beautiful ocean to enjoy the gentle waves. Spotting a dolphin or a seal while surfing is common. However, what’s not common is when an animal actually hops onto a surfer’s board.
Recently, an adorable seal pup has been joining surfers at Tourmaline Surf Park.
The pup is not just swimming near and around the surfers, but hopping onto the boards.
“Four days ago, a baby seal appeared. So I came out three days ago to see if he was still around,” said Ed Hartel, a videographer and drone operator shared.
What he saw was extraordinary – a baby seal swimming board to board, jumping on different surfers’ boards.
“He’ll sit there for five or ten minutes and then paddle out to another surfboard, and he just does it all morning long,” Hartel shared.
Hartel’s camera has caught the adorable seal making the rounds, hopping onto different surfer’s longboards.
There have been eyewitness accounts of why the seal was orphaned. Some surfers reported that they saw a great white shark eat the pup’s mom. Since then, the pup has been stuck at the beach.
Fortunately, the seal seems to be happy and healthy, despite losing its mom a few days ago.
Concerned parties have contacted the city of San Diego and Sea World to report the orphaned seal pup. Authorities have sent out teams to check on the pup. However, they have decided to leave the seal as it is.
If a seal is not stranded on the beach and not injured, regulations state that it must be left alone.
The surfers are also respectful towards the seal and don’t touch it. Even when the pup jumps on a board, they allow it to stay for as long or as short as it likes.
CBS 8 San Diego reminds surfers that if they do encounter the seal in the water, do not pet or encourage it to get on their surfboard as seals are protected animals.
For now, the pup is on its own. Fortunately, the baby seal looks happy, interacting with the surfers and making the rounds on surfboards.
Who knows how long the pup will keep up its unique habit of jumping on surfer’s boards?
Soon, it might be too big to jump on the boards. In the meantime, we hope the surfers continue to keep a safe distance from the pup and allow it to thrive on its own.
Netizens are also showing their love the orphaned pup. “So awesome he is making new friends,” said one comment.
Another said, “He or she feels safe being with them. It’s protection!”
We hope the baby seal continues to stay safe and healthy as it grows up and gets bigger.
While his mom being eaten by a shark is sad, we should also understand that this is a natural occurrence in the wild. Hopefully, the pup grows up independent and learns how to fend for itself.
Watch the video of the cute seal jumping on boards below!
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