A family encounters a dolphin in the pool at Ocean Park Hong Kong. They are among the tourists enjoying the park's Get Closer to the Animals campaign. [Photo by Xu Lin/China Daily]

I was up to my waist in seals.

The trainer gestured. Lisa appeared.

She was among the dozen marine mammals we could interact with in the pool at Ocean Park Hong Kong.

And the friendliest.

We could gently stroke her back and belly.

She exhaled fishy breath in my face.

I was participating in the Seal Encounter Program, part of the park's Get Closer to the Animals campaign.

The park is getting into the Christmas spirit, along with the rest of Hong Kong. It's hosting a 21-meter-high Christmas tree and daily lighting ceremony until Jan 3.

Park visitors can enjoy ice-skating shows against the backdrop of a vibrant kaleidoscopic world rendered by installed mirrors.