A curious sea on chews on a scuba diver's flippers off the coast of Mexico. Screenshot: Newsflare

LOS ISLOTES, Mexico, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A scuba diver off the coast of Mexico encountered a friendly and curious young sea lion that showed a particular fascination with his flippers.

Jared Hartman recorded video of a sea lion pup that approached him underwater during a dive off the coast of Los Islotes, a small rock island in the Sea of Cortez.


The sea lion swims curiously around Hartman before gnawing on the swimming flipper on his left foot. Hartman plays with the sea lion, which gives the other flipper a taste before swimming up to the man's diving companions.

The young sea lion taste tests the other divers' flippers, but doesn't damage anyone's diving equipment.

"Here, one juvenile sea lion pup takes turns chewing on my fins along with the fins of other divers in my group," Hartman wrote. "They are very playful just like puppy dogs."