Adorable! Sea lion and dog play fetch in the ocean off Santa Cruz

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KABC) -- A dog in Santa Cruz has made a new best friend in the ocean.

A photographer captured amazing video of a sea lion playing with his dog in the water.

Dave Nelson said he takes his dog Moe (Mokuleia) to the beach almost every morning. Recently they've spotted a sea lion watching them from the water, even swimming up and down the beach as Dave and Moe walk along the sand.

Finally on one recent day the sea lion - which he nicknamed Sammy - swam close to the shoreline to say hello.

"Moe dropped her ball (she never ever does that) and she waded out a few feet," Nelson wrote. "They ended up smelling each other and went nose to nose for a second, I was blown away. It was obvious they liked each other and Sammy even gave a couple soft barks saying hello."

Dave threw Moe's ball in the water to see if Sammy would bring it back. Sammy swam as fast as he could - but Moe was just a little quicker, jumping into the waves and retrieving the ball a second before the sea lion got there.