Seal spotted surfing humpback whale in Australia

Australian photographer Robyn Malcolm managed to captured the remarkable moment when a seal hitched a ride on the back of a humpback whale.

Robyn Malcolm/ Diimex.com

New South Wales: Australian photographer Robyn Malcolm managed to captured a remarkable moment when a seal hitched a ride on the back of a humpback whale.

Malcolm captured the duo off the South Coast in New South Wales during a whale watching trip in Eden. He said at the time the picture was taken dolphins, seals, birds and whales were all feeding on bait fish.

"We'd seen some amazing whales coming out of the water, everything was happening so quickly," Malcom told the Sydney Morning Herald. "And it was when I went back through the photos that I realized I had actually captured the seal on top of the whale."

New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife whale expert Geoff Ross told The Sydney Morning Herald that although it is highly uncommon for a seal to hitch a ride on a whale, there is a practical explanation: The whales surround fish and force them into "bait balls."

"Anything that makes it easier to catch fish, seals will be involved," Ross said.