A couple of thick-skinned surfers in Alaska were caught on camera as they went head to head with the local pros ; sea lions . The two unidentified men were spotted of the rocky coast of Shrine of St. Therese in Juneau as they paddled alongside the large creatures in near freezing conditions . In one shot a surfer leads the way as the seals trail behind him and in another the animals inquisitively watch as the humans pass them by . The unusual scene was captured by 55-year-old Danish photographer , Birger Baastrup . After noticing the surfers braving the extreme weather , Baastrup decided to use the opportunity to get some shots of them in action . Playtime : A couple of thick-skinned surfers in Alaska were caught on camera as they went head to head with the local pros ; sea lions . Dressed for the weather : The two unidentified men were spotted of the rocky coast of Shrine of St. Therese in Juneau as they paddled alongside the large creatures in near freezing conditions . Catch me if you can : In one shot a surfer leads the way as the seals trail behind him and in another the animals inquisitively watch as the humans pass them by . Picture pro : The unusual scene was captured by 55-year-old Danish photographer , Birger Baastrup . Career high : The cameraman says in Alaska he sees a lot of wildlife , but spotting the sea lions was 'extra special ' But it was only when he ’ d zoomed in on his camera that he noticed the unlikely panel of spectators bobbing in the water . Incredibly , the sea lions seemed to enjoy the show so much that they stayed nearly two hours but decided to keep their distance . Recalling the incident Baastrup said : 'When I got there the surfers and sea lions were already there . 'The sea lions repeatedly stuck their heads or large part of their body out of the water to watch these surfers and what they were doing . ' I have observed surfers at this location many times before but never with this amount of sea lions and around and I ’ ve never seen them this curious . ' I think the surfers were trying to ignore the sea lions but we were also just careful that they did not come too close . 'The sea lions didn ’ t interact with the surfers from what I saw , they can get quite territorial so that could potentially not be a good thing . 'Here in Alaska we see a lot of wildlife , which is one of the reasons I love living here , so it ’ s not a surprise to see sea lions , however , these were extra special . ' Snapped : After noticing the surfers braving the extreme weather , Birger decided to use the opportunity to get some shots of them in action . Close up : But it was only when he ’ d zoomed in on his camera that he noticed the unlikely panel of spectators bobbing in the water . Unusual event : Recalling the incident Baastrup said : 'When I got there the surfers and sea lions were already there . The sea lions repeatedly stuck their heads or large part of their body out of the water to watch these surfers and what they were doing '
Two unidentified surfers were spotted of the rocky coast of Shrine of St. Therese in Juneau as they paddled alongside the large creatures in near freezing conditions . The unusual scene was captured by 55-year-old Danish photographer , Birger Baastrup . He said the sea lions played near the sportsmen for nearly two hours but maintained a safe distance .