Manatee Drops By To Say Hi To Girl On A Paddleboard

He's not sure how to say this, but around these parts, he's kind of a big deal.

Celine Chasteen was out paddleboarding with a friend in Jupiter, Florida, this week when she had a rather surprise encounter with a local celebrity of sorts - a manatee, who seemed more than eager to make her acquaintance. Evidently, he'd seen her passing by and decided to drop by to, you know, say hello.

"We were going along the coast and I saw what I thought were rocks, but then they started moving," Chasteen told The Dodo. "The next thing I know, there's a manatee putting his flippers on my board."

The memorable little encounter lasted only about 30 seconds, but that's all it took for the manatee to win her over with his charm.

"At first, I was like, 'What is going on?' But honestly, it was so cool. I've never experienced anything like that before," Chasteen said, adding: "I thought he was really cute. He was really nice and stuff. I hope he drops by again."