An affectionate white seal has captured hearts after becoming best buds with a Southern California diver.<\/p>\n
Rusty Hunter, 24, and the friendly seal nicknamed Waffles regularly meet off the shores of Laguna Beach<\/a> during Hunter\u2019s dives. For the past six months, he has encountered Waffles about 10 times, according to the Orange County Register<\/a>.<\/p>\n Each time Hunter meets with Waffles, the seal becomes more comfortable and playful. @rusty_hunter_ via Storyful<\/p>\n Marine mammals often show curiosity toward humans who venture into their territory. Each time Hunter meets with Waffles, the seal becomes more comfortable and playful \u2014 often tickling Hunter\u2019s face with its snout and resting its head on him.<\/p>\n Hunter guesses that the seal is a female based on its size and other features. @rusty_hunter_ via Storyful<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to deny there\u2019s some sort of connection between a seal that acts like that, and it\u2019s even harder to deny when you\u2019re in the water with it,\u201d Hunter told the Register.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s almost like asking if you and your dog have a bond. There\u2019s something there, I don\u2019t know what degree the relationship is, I don\u2019t know if we\u2019ll ever know. It\u2019s engaging and interacting.\u201d<\/p>\n Hunter is a longtime skimboarder, surfer and an amateur photographer. He started bringing a camera on his aquatic adventures to record and post his dives. Meeting seals is common, he said, as they\u2019re friendly and approachable<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are very curious, some are playful, some just want to see what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Hunter guesses that the seal is a female based on its size and other features.<\/p>\n Other divers gave her the \u201cWaffles\u201d nickname, but Hunter has avoided calling her that. @rusty_hunter_ via Storyful<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe California Post is here. Sign up for Morning Report.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet the perfect blend of news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Other divers gave her the \u201cWaffles\u201d nickname, but Hunter has avoided calling her that.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you put a name on it, it takes away some of the mystery. I don\u2019t have anything against the name itself, to me I let her be what she is, I guess,\u201d he told the Register.<\/p>\n He\u2019s also hesitant to post his videos of the seal on social media, not wanting people to start chasing the animals<\/a>. But he does hope the images will remind people of the natural beauty around us.<\/p>\n \u201cI really think in this day and age, it\u2019s so easy to go on our phones and kind of just forget about the raw, natural outside world around us,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t
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