In a typical lineup, seals keep their distance from surfers.
Aside from the occasional peak above the surface, or in rare cases a nibble on the toes of a surfer sitting on their board, seals stay away from surfers and swimmers…usually.
But one seal in San Diego has been breaking that norm, day after day.
As we previously reported, the same baby seal has been showing up in Pacific Beach, San Diego, plopping itself on surfers’ boards and appearing unfazed by human interaction.
The video above from CNN shows more footage and interviews with surfers who interacted with the seal, the drone videographer who captured it, and ocean experts from SeaWorld.
“A moment of pure happiness for me,” said San Diego surfer, Jenny Kim, who let the seal climb aboard her surfboard.
And it wasn’t a one-time experience; the seal kept showing up.
The unusual behavior led surfers and experts to wonder: Was there something else in the water that made the seal act so strangely?
“For some odd reason, it was hopping from surfboard to surfboard to surfboard,” said SeaWorld Rescue Supervisor, Jeni Smith. “Definitely not normal. My first instinct was, maybe there’s sharks in the water.”
Seals are a staple in sharks’ diets, especially great whites. And although there have been shark sightings and attacks in the area before, none were reported recently. According to the surfers who encountered it, and the SeaWorld rep, this seal appeared unafraid.
Since the seal kept showing up, local surfers decided to give it a name. They landed on “Sammy” after a children’s book depicting a seal.
“In a time of darkness,” said drone videographer Ed Hartel, “this has been a light.”
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