A weekly newspaper reporter landed a splash with a difference when he went swimming with sea lions at a local wildlife park.

Combe Martin Wildlife Park is offering members of the public a 20-minute swim with the creatures at £49.50 and Joel Cooper, left, of the North Devon Journal, decided to give it a go.

During the watery encounter Joel was even kissed by one of the animals, which he described as “just like a dog touching you with its nose.”

The escapade was captured on video for the paper’s website and can be viewed here.

Said Joel: “It was a great experience and I would definitely do it again. The sea lions were just like dogs, if you treat them nicely they’ll come back to you.

“Touching the sea lions wasn’t what I expected. Their flippers were full of muscle, so powertful it was amazing.

“I was a bit concerned that things might go wrong, that I might get bitten or something but fortunately nothing happened.”

Joel’s full write-up of his experiences for the paper can be read here.