An infamous surfboard-stealing sea otter, identified as 841, made headlines last year for chasing surfers and hijacking their boards, then disappeared in December 2023 when atmospheric storms came through the area. At the time, she had a baby with her. Then over the recent Memorial Day weekend, Santa Cruz residents spotted her again.
During a longboard contest in Santa Cruz over the weekend, social media photos showed her hopping on at least one surfboard, notes Susanne Rust, an investigative reporter covering the environment for the LA Times. “She seems back to her old tricks.”
Why is 841 so aggressive? Rust says she was born to a mom already in captivity.
“That mom was a little too friendly with boats, so [she] hopped on surfboards, chased kayaks. And they think the mom started that behavior when she was fed by people who wanted to get the otter nearby, so [they] reached out and gave the otter food. And that may have cemented a behavior. But how otter 841 picked it up is not entirely clear because the mom stayed in captivity when 841 was put back in the wild.”
This otter has captured people’s attention much like Los Angeles’ mountain lion P-22 did. It largely has to do with her outlandish personality. Rust calls her a “complete rascal.”
“Here she is in Santa Cruz, which is known for its … offbeat folk people who don't like the law. Federal officials and state officials tried several times last year to capture her, and they couldn't do it. So just everything she does, I think, has really tapped into the Santa Cruz psyche. I mean, she's a she's a celebrity. .. They've named ice cream flavors out for her.”
Currently, about 3000 otters exist along the California coast, from Point Conception to Monterey Bay, and others exist Alaska and Russia, Rust points out.
For people who may be surfing or paddle-boarding in the water and then encounter an otter, wildlife officials ask that you ignore the animal and try to move away. If the otter comes closer, splash her, make noise, rock a kayak or row boat if you’re on one. And if none of that works, just swim to shore, Rust suggests.
Definitely don’t touch an otter because that could lead to the transmission of diseases — and it’s against the law. “Apparently it's illegal to be within 50 feet of an otter out there. But sometimes you can't control how far away you can be,” Rust says.