US EditionMischievous CA Sea Otters Are Stealing Surfboards Again: Report
Sea otters at Steamer Lane have resumed surfboard takeovers, with experts linking increased human interaction to up to six daily disturbances, raising safety concerns for both surfers and otters.
- On Wednesday, 21-year-old college student Isabella Orduna was surfing at Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, California when she felt a small nip on her foot and marine safety officials helped her back to shore.
- About 3,000 sea otters inhabit waters off California, and otters in populated areas face harassment up to six times a day, making them less afraid and more curious at Steamer Lane.
- At least four otters were swimming in the lineup on Thursday, with photographer Mark Woodward and bystanders reporting otters pursuing surfers and grabbing leashes during multiple skirmishes.
- Warning signs were posted at the top of the stairs to Steamer Lane, and a PSA was posted Friday by a Santa Cruz Fire Department lifeguard, urging people to keep away and report interactions to the Monterey Bay Aquarium reporting line 831-648-4840.
- Amid questions about Otter 841's involvement, wildlife experts note otters learn from each other, and federal agencies and Monterey Bay Aquarium cite staffing limits and no capture efforts beyond warnings.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Sea Otters Are Swiping Surfboards Again
It appears the "surfboard-stealing otter" has returned to Santa Cruz. A 21-year-old surfer named Isabella Orduna felt a "nip" on the foot Wednesday at the surf spot Steamer Lane and emerged from the water to see a "big, fuzzy, chunky bear of an otter" atop her board, refusing to budge,...
Aggressive Sea Otter Possibly Back At It Stealing Surfboards In Santa Cruz
A surfer had a run-in with a sea otter last week in the same vicinity that the infamous Otter 841 was menacing surfers and kayakers two years ago, in what turned out to be a hormonal reaction to being pregnant.Do we all remember Otter 841, the aggressive, then-five-year-old female sea otter who became a social media sensation in the summer of 2023 after she was documented menacing surfers and kayakers, and even chasing people off their own surfb…
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