Oct. 20 (UPI) — Visitors to a California beach are warning of an aggressive otter with a habit of stealing surfboards — and it isn’t the first time.
Isabella Orduna said she was surfing Wednesday evening at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz when a sea otter bit her foot and climbed atop her surfboard.
“I’d call it an exploratory nip,” Orduna told The New York Times. “It didn’t puncture my skin or anything.”
She said the otter remained on her board for about 20 minutes before being driven away with help from other beach-goers.
Mark Woodward, a local photographer who captured photos of Orduna’s encounter, returned to the same area on Thursday and witnessed an otter commandeering another surfer’s board.
Woodward said the surfer was a teenage boy who attempted to paddle away from the animal, but the otter grabbed onto the leash connecting the surfer’s leg to his board and pulled him backward.
A sign was posted at the beach Thursday, reading: “Warning. Aggressive sea otter in this area. Enter the water at your own risk. Keep away from marine wildlife.”
An otter dubbed Otter 841 became infamous in 2023 for a string of incidents where the female otter attacked surfers and stole their boards. It was not known whether the same otter is responsible for the most recent incidents, as Otter 841 is no longer tagged.