Kayakers and paddleboarders on the north Norfolk coast have again been warned against rowing too close to seals, which may perceive such approaches as a "threat".
Jason Bean, who runs Beans Seal Trips on boats off Blakeney Point, said: "Our biggest problem at the moment is kayaks and paddleboards.
"The seals cannot stand them when they're on land. If a kayak comes even within 100 yards, all their heads go up and they start to get edgy, they shoot off into the water in a panic and won't come back for a day or two to the same place.
"We can only presume they think it's a predator."
Over the past couple of years, the use of paddleboards and kayaks has increased on both offshore and inshore waters across the country. Mr Bean's warning follows a similar message put out by Jane Temple of Temple Seal Trips in early July.
"People think it's safe to paddle close to the seals," Mr Bean said. "But if you want to see them up close, come with us or go on another boat."
He said they currently talk to three or four people everyday about the issue.
"It's slowly making a difference," he said.
Hanne Siebers, volunteer seal warden at Blakeney Point, said: "The seals are so used to the boats passing by, they don't move or run away, but anything with paddles, this is seen as a threat and they start running, and when they start running, this can result in a panic and they get hurt."
Beans Seal Trips began as a small ferry service taking passengers across the harbour when it was set up by Jason's grandfather William 'Trip' Bean in 1938.
In those days it was known as Eels and Bean, after Teddy Eels, who used to be the warden on the point
The business was later taken over by Jason's father Graham and his uncle John.
Jason, who is now 52, got his licence when he was 18 - but he had been on the boats since he was a boy.
"I've been brought up with the water," he said.
He trained as a chef and used to work on the boats at weekends.
Tourism to Blakeney Point picked up in the late 1980s and has not let up since then, especially during the summers of 2020 and 2021, when the coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions on international travel gave the local industry a massive boost.
"It was manic," Mr Bean said. "There were more and more people wanting to go see the seals.
"This year has quietened down a bit. It's more like a normal summer before Covid.
"What's strange is that weekdays are busier than weekends.
"But a lot of people who visited for the first time during the pandemic have returned."
The season starts at Easter and ends after the October half-term.
According to Mr Bean, seal numbers along the coast have generally been down this year but every year is different.
There are more grey seals every winter, he said.
A typical day for a seal boat operator begins in the morning with checking the engines are dieseled up and ready to go.
An hour before a trip, they go to the quay side at Morston, where Mr Bean's wife sells tickets and they then herd the tourists onto the boats.
A trip lasts about an hour. On a normal day during summer they can take two to three trips on the tide, but sometimes only one, depending on the weather.
"Every trip is different," Mr Bean said. "Every day is different. You get some lovely people. Some are very quiet, some are loud and laughing."
In the evening they clean up the boats and get them ready for the next day.
"It's very full on. There's always something to think about. You can't just switch off," Mr Bean said.
But he wouldn't swap it for anything else.
"I've been brought up with the water," he said.
"I couldn't move too far away from the sea."
He currently lives a mile away from the coast in Langham.
"I couldn't live any further away," he said.
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