SANTA CRUZ HARBOR WITH AN UPDATE. FELIX… ERIN.. THAT SNEAKY SEA OTTER AGAIN EVADING CAPTURE TODAY.. SHE NOW POSES A PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD.. AND WILDLIFE EXPERTS ARE GOING TO GIVE UP UNTIL SHE’S CAPTURED.. ANOTHER DAY AND ANOTHER FAILED ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE THE SEA OTTER KNOWN AS OTTER 341.. DESPITE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO CAPTURE HER.. WILDLIFE EXPERTS ARE NOW THINKING OF PLAN B (2:17 WE HAVE BEEN BRAINSTORMING AND WE’VE GOT SOME VERY GREAT TECHNIQUES THAT WE’VE USED IN THE PAST THAT HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL BUT A NUMBER OF FACTORS HAVE COME INTO PLAY IN THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION THAT HAVEN’T ALLOWED US THAT OPPORTUNITY :32 TO ROLL OUT THOSE METHODS :35) THE GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE BETWEEN THE OTTER AND WILDLIFE EXPERTS NOW GOING ON A MONTH SINCE IT WAS SEEN JUMPING ON SURFBOARDS.. EVEN BITING THEM NEAR STEAMERS LANE IN SANTA CRUZ.. THE CONCERN.. SHE MIGHT ACTUALLY BITE SOMEONE.. BUT THE OTTER’S EFFORT TO EVADE CAPTURE.. JUST SEEMS TO PUT HER IN THE SPOTLIGHT EVEN MORE.. (WOMAN :06 I’M FROM THE MIDWEST SO A BUNCH OF MY MIDWEST FOLK ARE LIKE HAVE YOU SEEN THE OTTER AND IT’S PRETTY FUNNY I THINK IT’S HYSTERICAL :14 ) THE OTTER IS NEWS NOT JUST ACROSS THE COUNTRY BUT AROUND THE WORLD.. PHOTOJOURNALIST MARK WOODWARD HAS BEEN TRACKING THE OTTER.. HIS PHOTOS MAKING THE NEW YORK TIMES AND LOS ANGELES TIMES… (PHOTOG 2:16 I’M AMAZED HOW QUICKLY THIS STORY HAS GROWN THE ATTENTION IT’S GOTTEN BUT I UNDERSTAND IT EVERYBODY’S INTERESTED IN OTTERS PEOPLE THINK OF THEM AS CUTE AND CUDDLY THEY’RE DAMN CUTE I’M FOLLOWING IN LOVE WITH OTTER 841) SURFING HAS BEEN KNOWN TO BE TERRITORIAL.. BUT OTTER 841 SEEMS TO BE ADDING NEW MEANING TO THAT.. WHEN SHE’S NOT CHEWING OR JUMPING ON BOARDS.. SHE’S CHOWING DOWN ON CRABS.. MAX CHUN HAS BEEN REPORTING ON THE OTTER’S ADVENTURERS.. HE’S NOT SURPRISED THE OTTER’S GETTING SO MUCH MEDIA ATTENTION.. (REPORTER 8: 33 IT IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN MUCH I MEAN PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE I’M SURE BOTH YOU AND I HAVE BOTH TALKED TO PEOPLE THAT ARE SAYING NEVER SEEN ANTYING LIKE THIS SO GIVEN THAT CONTEXT IT’S A LITTLE MORE LIKELLY IT GETS PICKED UP :44) WILDLIFE EXPERTS WILL BE BACK OUT IN THE WATER TOMORROW MORNING.. IF SHE’S CAPTURED SHE WILL BE EVALUATED AND THEN RE-HOMED IN ANOTHER AREA.. AT THIS POINT WILDLIFE EXPERTS MAKING IT VERY CLEAR.. EUTHANIZING OTTE
Sea otter steals surfer’s board in Santa Cruz; woman uninjured
Updated: 6:06 PM PDT Oct 15, 2025
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a sea otter stole a surfboard in the waters off Santa Cruz.Video above from past surfboard-stealing otter incident in Santa Cruz.It happened on Wednesday, when calls for a water rescue came in for the area of 550 West Cliff Drive.Santa Cruz firefighters tell KSBW 8 that a sea otter took a woman’s surfboard around 5:07 p.m. and may have nipped at her, but did not break the skin. Firefighters pulled her to shore.They say she was uninjured, and they later recovered her board from the otter. She did not have to be transported to the hospital.The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be notified.This comes two years after Otter 841 captured national attention for stealing surfboards, inspiring merchandise—and even an ice cream flavor—named after her.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a sea otter stole a surfboard in the waters off Santa Cruz.
Video above from past surfboard-stealing otter incident in Santa Cruz.
It happened on Wednesday, when calls for a water rescue came in for the area of 550 West Cliff Drive.
Mark Woodward / @Native Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz firefighters tell KSBW 8 that a sea otter took a woman’s surfboard around 5:07 p.m. and may have nipped at her, but did not break the skin. Firefighters pulled her to shore.
They say she was uninjured, and they later recovered her board from the otter. She did not have to be transported to the hospital.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will be notified.
This comes two years after Otter 841 captured national attention for stealing surfboards, inspiring merchandise—and even an ice cream flavor—named after her.