RNLI volunteers were preparing to head out to sea, when they were joined by a seal pup.
Hartlepool RNLI volunteer crew members were preparing to head out to sea for a training exercise from the Ferry Road boathouse when they were joined by a seal pup that hauled itself out the water and laid out on a nearby concrete block to watch the proceedings, whilst sunning itself.
Volunteer crewmember, Mark Barker said: "The seal pup just laid there watching us getting the boat ready for the exercise and was still there when we returned later that morning. We decided to call it 'Snowy' as it had been snowing earlier in the day.
"We see quite a few seal pups around the area and they usually swim off if we get too close but this one was obviously not too bothered about us. Despite its cuteness we kept our distance and left the pup to have a rest and soak up the sun before it returned to the sea."
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