In a heart-warming display of marine camaraderie, an adventurous and charismatic seal has captivated a Mount Maunganui boy and his mate as it snatched their catch on Salisbury Wharf on Saturday.

The playful and sociable marine mammal had been quietly swimming in the water near the wharf, while eyeing up the tantalizing mullet Ari Halpin, age 12, had pulled in on his fishing line.

'The seal came up onto the wharf before any of us noticed,” says Ari, who was caught by surprise as he hadn't seen the seal until it took the fish from him.

'He came up the stairs, after I caught a mullet. I was holding it my hand and it was alive. The seal came up to me, I didn't notice it and ate the mullet out of my hand.”

Ari, who attends Tauranga Intermediate and plays guitar in the school band, says he goes fishing every day after school. He was fishing with his mate Oli on Saturday when the seal clambered onto the wharf to help itself to any fishy delights within reach.

The boys had arrived at Salisbury Wharf about 7.30am and were fishing for over three hours before the seal arrived.

'It was pretty cool.”

The seal, seemingly posing for a photograph on Salisbury Wharf. Photo: Chris Taylor Photography.

During the morning, local photographer Chris Taylor had taken hold of the opportunity that the day presented to go capture some scenes of the beach on his camera.

'I was just going around Pilot Bay looking for a landscape/seascape possibility,” says Chris.

'But the weather packed up and I gave up on that idea and went out on the wharf to have a look and realised there was a photo there after all.”

On arriving about 11am, he left his camera gear behind due to the rain, just taking his mobile phone, and walked out to the end of the wharf.

'I didn't know the seal was there. There were a lot of people down there on the wharf and quite a number fishing, cos of course it's school holidays.”

He saw the seal making itself at home amongst those fishing.

'The seal didn't look aggressive at all. I took some photos on my cell phone. I wish I'd been carrying the bigger camera because there was a fantastic scene where the seal went up to the boy and grabbed the fish out of his bait bin and swallowed it.”

The seal avidly watching for any fish that may be caught by a fisher wearing pink crocs. Photo: Chris Taylor Photography.

Chris posted the photos to his Facebook page after which Ari's mother contacted him to ask for copies.

He also posted captions for the photos, suggesting what the seal might be thinking.

'The guy wearing the pink crocs throwing the line with the seal behind him watching – he'd be saying ‘I'll just sit and watch. If you could reel me in a little kahawai or terakihi, that'd be nice',” wrote Chris on one post.

Chris says the seal wasn't aggressive but still was a bit close.

'It was after the fish bait.”

Ari says soon after his initial seal encounter, everybody left the wharf due to the rain, leaving the seal behind.

'Me and my mate Oli decided to come back about 45 minutes later after everybody else had left, to go back fishing. We didn't know the seal was still there.”

The seal was lying on the wharf, chilling out.

'We kept fishing and it just lay on the wharf. We also named it ‘Big Puppy'. It tried getting fish of other people but no one gave it any.”

Ari says the seal stayed for the rest of the day while he and Oli continued fishing.

'And then we fed it a bit more squid and it swam off. We left at 6pm, the seal went about 20 minutes before we left.”

While unlikely friendships between seals and a fishing community does create a delightful spectacle, those on the wharf were mindful that the cheeky seal is still a wild animal and took care to maintain a safe distance, although Ari discovered the seal wanted to get close to him, attempting to put his head into his lap expecting to be patted.

Ari's mother Veronika says he's very aware of being careful around seals, knowing they can bite.

'Ariel is fascinated with wildlife and nature, and has an interest in studying marine biology,” says Veronika.

'He's often found fishing, surfing, paddleboarding.”

The seal, dubbed 'Big Puppy' by Ari and his friend Oli, stayed for the rest of the day on the Salisbury Wharf while the boys continued fishing. Photo: Chris Taylor Photography.

The Department of Conservation website states that from July to September each year there's an influx in adolescent seals appearing on our shores and further inland. This is because seal pups begin to wean as their mothers prepare for new pups.

DOC recommends that on finding a New Zealand fur seal it's usually best to leave it alone, however, there are exceptions.

DOC takes a ‘hands off' approach to seals. Seals are capable and resilient and given time and space, they usually find their way home.

Seals are wild animals and will defend themselves if they feel threatened. Adult seals can move surprisingly quickly on land. While they can look harmless, seals can inflict serious injuries to dogs or people and can carry infectious diseases.

It is an offence under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 to disturb, harass, harm, injure or kill a seal. A dog owner whose dog attacks a seal could face prosecution.

DOC provide safety guidelines when watching seals. You should stay at least 20 m away, don't disturb seals by making loud noises or throwing things, keep dogs and children away, don't feed the seals, and never attempt to touch a seal.

More information on seals and what to do if you come across one can be found on the Department of Conservation website http://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/marine-mammals/seals/nz-fur-seal/what-to-do/