A lucky tourist captured the moment a bird surfed across a dam in Kruger National Park, South Africa, on the back of a hippopotamus.

The hippo doesn’t seem to mind the cheeky stowaway on his back as he serenely surfs over the water.

At one point, like all good surfers, the heron even adopts a sideways stance, legs confidently astride.

“At first, the bird got a surprise when the hippo took off but the heron confidently managed to keep its balance and stay on. The hippo carried on moving right through the water for over five minutes. The bird was literally looking like it was surfing on the back of this hippo across the dam,” says the filmer.

During a recent safari in the Kruger National Park we stopped at a large water that’s very popular with all kinds of wildlife, especially during the dry season. Great variety of water birds, hippos and monster crocodiles were present when we arrived. We spend some time birding and one specific bird caught our attention. The video shows a large bird called a grey heron flying over the water and to our surprise the bird landed on the back of the hippo. We learned from other tourists that this bird has developed a unique fishing skill by using the hippos as a vantage point to get to prey out in the deeper waters. These herons normally feed around water edges and shallows looking for mainly fish. This specific heron was clearly no ordinary bird. Once the heron landed on the back of the hippo, it got much more than just a better vantage point for fishing opportunities. It was not long before the hippo started moving, showing no concern with the presence of the bird on its back. At first the bird got a surprise when the hippo took off but the heron confidently managed to keep its balance and stay on. The hippo carried on moving right through the whole dam for over five minutes. The bird was literally looking like it was surfing on the back of this hippo across the dam. There were moments it looked like the bird wouldn’t be able to stay on top for long when the hippo went down a little deeper. This heron was clearly no rookie in hippo surfing and managed to stay on top for the whole ride. Eventually the hippo stopped and the bird remained on top, patiently waiting for a meal