Sea lion hitches ride on kayak

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Last week, an Orange County family went kayaking in Santa Barbara, California.

Rodney Gist and two of his children were in one kayak, his wife and third child were in another.

As they paddled around for over an hour, Gist’s kayak welcomed an unexpected guest: A sea lion pup hopped aboard and rode with them, enjoying the California sunshine from the back of the kayak.

Fortunately for the family, the sea lion showed no signs of aggression.

"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," Gist told KEYT of the friendly creature.

"I could tell he was kind of playful, like a dog," he told KTLA.

The family named their flippered friend “Cecil.”

“Maybe he just was tired of swimming. Maybe he was wanting to interact with people. Maybe he just wanted to snuggle,” said Gist’s 10-year-old daughter Lee Lee.

Joe Buttita of KEYT NewsChannel 3, who spotted the family and their “unexpected hitchhiker” paddling by, captured the once-in-a-lifetime ride from Sterns Wharf.

"We finally brought him into shore. We brought the kayaks back, he rode with us all the way in," Gist told KABC TV Los Angeles. “It was absolutely incredible we had a great time with the family. It was an experience we couldn’t ever duplicate. Incredible.”

At the end of the free ride, Cecil slipped off the kayak, back into the water. He swam off with other sea lions.

Marine mammal experts do not encourage members of the public to get that close to sea lions due to their unpredictable behaviour.

In recent months, there has been a surge in sea lion sightings — many of them appearing underweight — along the coastline, likely because the food supply has shifted to another area, KEYT reported.