A baby fur seal is making waves in Tauranga with visitors to Tauranga Bridge Marina lining up to take photos of the marine mammal.

The seal named Sammy by a Tauranga Bridge Marina staff member is starting to become a regular customer at the restaurant.

 “He’s been here almost a week- he’s a baby- and he’s got a fish friend that’s got its head chopped off that he carries and throws around,” says Tony Arnold from Tauranga Bridge Marina.

“There’s also a cheeky little seagull that follows him around trying to pitch the fish when he throws it around.”

He often comes into the wharf to play around or sun bath on the rocks nearby.

The Department of Conservation website states that from July to September each year there’s an influx in adolescent seals appearing on our shores and further inland.

This is because seal pups begin to wean as their mothers prepare for new pups.

Seals are wild animals and will defend themselves if they feel threatened. Adult seals can move surprisingly quickly on land.

While they can look harmless, seals can inflict serious injuries to dogs or people and can carry infectious diseases.