Jay nazz

I plugged my hot tub in and water came out of the motor. I had somebody come over and they ran the motor with the water just above the base of the hot tub and well below the Jets. They said the motor kept going out which might indicate it’s more than the seal and possibly just get a new motor. I’m curious if any damage was done if the hot tub was ran with the water below the Jets. Does anybody recommend getting a new seal first or just replacing the whole motor?