Warm rock at Albany Waterfront Marina seals the deal for a surprise visit from an adorable marine mammal

An adorable seal made an appearance at the Albany Waterfront Marina on Tuesday, surprising and delighting locals as it hauled itself onto the rocks.

The subantarctic fur seal stopped for a snooze at the marina to rest and recover before continuing on its journey to the Antarctic region.

Parks and Wildlife Service regional nature conservation leader Deon Ubter said it was unusual to see this breed of seal in Albany.

“It is relatively uncommon to see a subantarctic seal in Albany compared to other breeds,” he said.

“We do get a number of seals in the Southern Ocean like leopard seals and occasionally some penguin species.”

Mr Ubter said people should give such animals space and not try to touch or feed them. In response to a report about someone attempting to place a child on the fur seal’s back, Mr Ubter said this type of behaviour was not on.

“It’s pretty silly ... any wild animal, you shouldn’t do it,” he said.