Baby seal rides the waves with California surfers in adorable video

A seal pup paid a surprise visit to a number of surfers at a California beach over the weekend as it jumped from board to board and floated on the waves with them.

The baby seal made its appearance in the waters off Tourmaline Beach just North of San Diego on Saturday to the delight of the surfers there.

Drone footage captured the pup clambering out of the water onto the ends of the surfers’ boards where it rested and sunned itself on its side.

The joy of the surfers was apparent on their shocked and smiling faces, but all appeared to keep their distance and give the seal its space.

Some of the surfers were unsure how to react and called the nearby SeaWorld for expert advice, according to FOX 5, and a crew was dispatched to the beach to check on the animal.

SeaWorld’s specialists said the seal was still playing in the water when they arrived, and that it appeared to be perfectly healthy and safe.

“There was no need to intervene as the pup also appeared to be old enough to care for itself,” SeaWorld told FOX 5.

Though some of the surfers speculated that the seal’s mother might have died, SeaWorld said they’d received no reports of deceased seals in the area.

Seal mothers often leave their young pups behind on beaches while they go off hunting.

Exceptionally social creatures, young seals often don’t get scared off by humans and will even try to interact.

Experts advise that people steer clear of the babies lest their irate mothers return.