Mischievous CA Sea Otters Are Stealing Surfboards Again: Report

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Two years after a mischievous female otter named 841 made international headlines for hijacking surfboards off the Santa Cruz coast, the incident is being reported again, though its unclear if it is the same culprit.

On Wednesday, 21-year-old college student Isabella Orduna was surfing at the popular Steamer Lane break when she suddenly felt a small nip on her foot. Startled, she rolled offer board into the water, only to resurface and find her board occupied by what she described as a “big, fuzzy, chunky bear of an otter.”

“I was like, wow, what do I do now?” Orduna told the New York Times.

Her encounter marked the first of two such incidents reported at Steamer Lane this week. Just a day later, another surfer’s board was commandeered by a sea otter in what locals say feels like déjà vu.

In 2023, a female otter identified by wildlife officials as Otter 841 became a statewide sensation after repeatedly commandeering surfboards and eluding wildlife rescuers. Videos of her antics spread rapidly online, turning her into an internet folk hero.

The sea otter was called an “outlaw” in the headlines. Her actions have been described as “nefarious.” She hadn't bitten anyone. But on at least one occasion, 841 chewed up a surfboard.

Wildlife experts have not confirmed whether this week’s otter encounters involve 841 or a new culprit, but the return of surfboard “heists” has reignited fascination, and a touch of caution, among local surfers.

Surfers are being urged to keep their distance from otters for their own safety and for the otters.

Orduna told the Times that the otter was quite bold but it wasn't necessarily violent.

“I’d call it an exploratory nip,” she told the newspaper. “It didn’t puncture my skin or anything.”

While Orduna tried to tip the board over and "shoo" it away, the sea otter remained on her board.

Marine safety officials were called to the area and helped Orduna back to shore before paddling back out to retrieve her board. After "a brief struggle," the Times reported that the otter eventually let go. Neither Orduna nor her board were injured.

For those wondering what happened to 841, authorities stopped trying to capture her after determining that she was pregnant. After she gave birth, it was reported that she stopped trying to steal surfboards.

Wildlife officials say her behavior could have been the result of pregnancy related hormones.

“Hell yeah 841,” someone tweeted in response to that speculation back in 2023, “you go girl.”

Otter 841 was born in captivity after her mom, the similarly sassy Otter 723, was captured and later determined to be unfit for the ocean because of her aggression. Her daughter, 841, was given a chance to live free outside the Monterey Bay Aquarium after she was weaned. The first year in the bay was uneventful, but reports of sea otter aggression started mounting up the following year, aquarium spokesperson Kevin Conner told KGO-TV in San Francisco.

Read more from the New York Times: Sea Otters Are Stealing Surfboards in California. Again.