A SCUBA diver had a close encounter with a friendly seal during a weeklong holiday on the Isle of Scilly, Britain.

    Gary Grayson, 55, from Salford, Greater Manchester, went on his adventure with the Dive Life group.

    The seal was not nervous by the close attention and even allowed Grayson to tickle its stomach.

    The undersea encounter was videoed and uploaded to the Internet where it inevitably went viral.

    So far, more than 3,600 people have shared the clip after Grayson’s friend shared the footage asking “people ask why I love diving ... this is why.”

    Grayson is a very experienced scuba diver having explored the oceans off the coasts of Mexico, St. Lucia and Cuba.

    On his trips, he has swum with crocodiles, dolphins and sharks.

    But he insists that the almost three-minute-clip is the souvenir he treasures the most.

    He said: “I’m usually the one with the camera but when I saw everyone had taken a shine to this seal I said ‘you film, I want a go’.”

    “I have been diving with seals before and had them buzzing around you before but I’ve never had one that stayed so close for that amount of time and was so friendly.

    “It was amazing and something I’ll never forget — I have the video on my phone now and watch it all the time.

    “In fact, I’ve probably bored all my friends going on about it.”

    Grayson said he is now semi-retired after selling his haulage firm.

    Although, he has always been a bit of a thrill-seeker.

    “I first got into diving after skydiving — I even skydived into my own wedding back in the 1980s.

    “I’ve now been lucky to dive all over the world after I took semi-retirement and decided to have some fun.

    “It’s great to be able to relax and have unforgettable moments like the one off the Isle of Scilly with the seal.”

    (SD-Agencies)