Dandy the seal joins paddleboard lesson in Boston river

A cheeky seal has hitched a ride on a paddleboard, surprising a woman who was taking a beginner's lesson in a river in Lincolnshire.

The seal, known as Dandy, pulled itself onto the back of a paddleboard during a lesson led by Yellowbelly SUP School on the River Witham in Boston on Sunday.

Instructor Phil May caught the moment on camera and said he had never seen a seal in the river before.

"There have been rumours before of the Witham Seal, well here he is," he said.

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Dandy Dinmont appeared during the lesson on Sunday morning

Mr May later contacted Natureland Seal Sanctuary in Skegness, as he could see the seal had an orange tracking tag.

It said the seal was called Dandy Dinmont and was released by the RSPCA into the sea in 2017.

Mr May said: "It was very much a shock for Robyn, who was on the board.

"We are just over two miles from the salt side of the town, but I have been in touch with Natureland and they say they do come into the fresh water.

"It's cool to be able to put a bit of history to the seal and find out where it's come from."

My May said his students did really well and all managed to stay on their boards despite the extra visitor.

"He spent 10-15 minutes with the group, climbing on two different boards before swimming away," he said.

Instructor Phil May filmed the moment on his phone