Sea lion pup hitches ride with kayaking family

A family of kayakers in the US have had an unexpected addition to their crew, with a baby sea lion hitching a ride on their vessel.

The family of three was kayaking near Santa Barbara, California, on Valentine's Day when they picked up the well-behaved passenger.

The incident was caught on camera by a local news broadcaster who happened to be nearby.

"It just jumped up from behind the dad," Joe Buttitta, told US ABC News.

"I went over and just started filming," Mr Buttitta said. "The dad was petting it and rubbing its neck."

The pup sat still and didn't rock the boat. Mr Buttitta said it remained on the stern for around 20 minutes.

"You see sea lions a lot, always up on the buoy, but I've never seen anything like this before," he said.