A screenshot of the video.
A gobsmacking video of a seal slapping a kayaker with a live octopus, has gone viral.
The encounter was recorded during a kayaking event near the town of Kaikoura off the coast of New Zealand as part of the launch of a new GoPro camera.
The kayaker, Tyle Mulinder, told Yahoo: “It was like, mate, what just happened?”
The video shows the seal surfacing then slapping him with the octopus.
“After a few paddles around the peninsula catching waves, we spotted a giant male seal fighting an octopus,” Mulinder explained on his Instagram account.
“Before we knew it, the fight came to us,” he said.
“I’m not sure who got more of a surprise – the seal, the octopus or me. Either way, the octopus held onto the bottom of the kayak for some time before our guide was able to get it off with his paddle, then it swam away to fight another day.”
An expert told USA Today it was unlikely the seal intentionally slapped the kayaker. More likely Mulinder was just in the way as the seal threw the octopus to rip off a tentacle to eat.
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