Sea lion pup hitched ride on family kayak

A sea lion pup jumped on to a kayak being paddled in Santa Barbara, California, by an Orange County family last weekend and the ride lasted over an hour. Ron Gist said they felt the kayak rocking and then saw the pup behind them. In a short time it was part of the family.



"About five, ten minutes in, I was able to touch him and pet him. He was able to put his head up under my arm trying to get in my lap," said Rodney Gist of Fullerton. He was with his 10-year-old daughter and five-year-old son, and nearby his wife and other daughter were in another kayak.

"My wife is somewhat freaking out, thinking about this experience, this wild animal on board with us," said Gist. The encounter was captured by Joe Buttita, who was on Stearns Wharf at the time the Gist family paddled by with the friendly new passenger. Marine mammal experts do not encourage the public to be this close to the animals or feed them.

Raw video.

YouTube video.

The sea lions can be unpredictable. In this case, however, the pup looked fine and was not aggressive. "We finally brought him into shore. We brought the kayak backs, he rode with us all the way in," said Gist. "It was absolutely incredible we had a great time with the family. It was an experience we couldn't ever duplicate. Incredible."

There's a news video here.