A wee otter climbs on your board—now what?

It can happen to anyone, they say. So why doesn’t it ever happen to me?!

A surfer in Santa Cruz, California experienced an unusual encounter this week when a sea otter bit her foot and climbed onto her surfboard, holding it for nearly twenty minutes before lifeguards intervened. Why wasn’t it me?!

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, October 14, 2025, at Steamer Lane. The surfer, later identified as 21-year-old UC Santa Cruz student Isabella Orduna, reported that she was paddling back toward shore when she felt what she described as a small nip on her foot. When she turned around, she saw a sea otter perched on her surfboard.

Isabella said the otter remained on the board and would not leave, despite her attempts to scare it away. Nearby surfers assisted in calling for help. Lifeguards and marine safety officers from the Santa Cruz Fire Department responded to the scene. According to an incident report, two lifeguards paddled out with a rescue board and helped bring Isabella safely to shore, where medics examined her and found no bite wounds.

The otter, meanwhile, stayed on her board for approximately twenty minutes. After a short effort to reclaim it, lifeguards were able to chase the otter off and return the surfboard undamaged. 20 minutes?! Again, why not me?!

What to do when an otter flirts with you

In response to the event, the Santa Cruz Fire Department issued a PSA on social media advising surfers on how to handle sea otter encounters:

• Get off the board
• Clap hands
• Splash water toward the otter to encourage it to move away

If the otter does not retreat:

• Pull the board in by the leash
• Paddle toward shore
• Good luck!

When an otter is approaching from a distance, the same hand-clapping and splashing behavior is advised as a deterrent.

Orduna’s encounter is very similar a series of similar incidents in 2023 involving a sea otter known as Otter 841. That otter became widely recognized after multiple reports of her climbing onto surfboards and interacting with surfers in the same area. Otter 841 had previously been captured and tagged by wildlife authorities but was released after being identified as healthy. She was last seen in Santa Cruz in May 2024.

At this time, it is not confirmed whether the otter involved in this week’s incident is Otter 841. The tracking device originally placed on Otter 841 is no longer active, and her current location is unknown. I guess we will never know.

The Tuesday encounter is the first reported case of a sea otter commandeering a surfboard in Santa Cruz this year. Local officials and marine biologists are monitoring the situation and encouraging beachgoers to maintain a respectful distance. What is respectful distance again?!A photograph of the incident, taken by local photographer Mark Woodward of Native Santa Cruz, shows the otter perched calmly on the surfboard just offshore at Steamer Lane as rescue crews approached. Chilling, just chilling.

I may as well introduce you to The Wipeout Weekly‘s own Otter-In-Chief and founder of Red Paisley Bandana Crew—Wee Fatty.

Don’t call her a surfboard thief—
No one should surf alone.
Found an old red paisley kerchief once,
Bandana Crew—all her idea.
The best surf buddy you could wish for.
Ridic cute. Floatsalot. Will hold hands.

Available soon in a sticker and hat form.