LA JOLLA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — A kayaker in La Jolla Cove had a close encounter with a marine mammal, and the outcome was too cute for words.
*Watch the video above as the playful sea lion makes a seat for himself aboard the kayak.
A sea lion hopped onto a woman’s kayak while she was cruising through the cove and made himself comfortable next to her. The sea lion was seen getting close to the woman and sniffing her.
The woman, however, resisted the animal’s cute advances and did not pet it, which experts say is the correct thing to do.
Sea lion hops on woman’s kayak at the La Jolla Cove (photo credit Nick Nelson).
The San Diego Coast Keeper recommends staying at least 50 feet away from wild sea lions and not feeding or touching them for any reason.
The agency also notes that La Jolla is the only place on the California mainland where California Sea Lions still give birth, with other rookeries located on the Channel Islands. The Sea Lion pupping season in La Jolla takes place from May 15 through Oct. 31.
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