A GROUP of paddle boarders were greeted by an unexpected guest as they made their way down a river.

Daren Ford and Kerrie Rocket were among those paddling along the River Arun when a curious seal appeared behind them.

The mammal is known in the area as Gavin the Littlehampton Harbour Seal as he is often spotted in the harbour and several miles up the river. He even has his own Facebook page.

But Gavin surprised the paddle boarders, who were visiting Sussex, by swimming up to them and climbing on to their boards.

The Argus:

Daren, 52, from Hampshire, was able to capture the incredible encounter on film.

The roofing company manager said: “It happened when we were five miles or so up the River Arun, which is where I think Gavin the seal has been spotted before.

“It was our first visit to the area and only my third time on a paddle board,

“We checked the tide times and were going upstream initially, then when the tide turns we were going to ride back on the opposite tide.

“We dropped our boards in from the pontoon and had been paddling for an hour or so.

The Argus:

“The sun was shining and we were chatting away, oblivious that we were being followed by a seal.”

Daren said he was “amazed” to see Gavin the seal crawl up on to the paddle boards and catch a ride down the river.

He said: “The seal just started going from one board to another, jumping on and relaxing.

“We had no food out and we never encouraged him in any way and kept our distance as far as possible.

“At first we were really worried that the seal was in trouble or maybe aggressive but we soon realised he was being curious and was in good health. It was an amazing experience but it never really sank in until we got home and realised how rarely this actually happens.”