Diving with seals can be fun and exciting, as the large mammals often become curious and will swim in for closer views of the bubble-blowing human intruders. But Ben Burville might be among the rare few to have held hands (OK, flippers) with a wild seal. The touching encounter occurred during a recent dive with grey seals off Northumberland in northeast England.

The seal not only grasps Burville’s hands, very gently, but seems to enjoy the sensation as much as the diver, in what appears to have been a wonderfully tranquil get-together.

Burville, who is nicknamed Seal Diver, clearly was inspired, having written this at the beginning of the video: “Time spent in the wild with nature can calm the restless soul.”