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The fearsome, surfer-hating otters of Santa Cruz, California have once again reared their tiny furred heads. A dustup between an oceanic mustelid and a surfer this week hearkened back to the antics of the infamous Otter 841.
The incident occurred Wednesday, when an otter stole a surfer’s board at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, as the Santa Cruz Fire Department Marine Division told The Mercury News. Emergency responders were dispatched for a report of a surfer who was possibly bitten by an otter around 5:06 p.m. When lifeguards arrived, they found a group of surfers gathered around the presumed victim in the water, with an otter sitting on a board nearby.
“Fire and Water Rescue was dispatched to a water rescue that came out as a surfer on a surfboard that was bitten by a sea otter and was yelling for help,” described local photographer Mark Woodward (who also famously documented Otter 841’s interactions with surfers). “Another surfer got the victim, a young woman, onto his board so she was out of the water and he stayed with her board and the otter. The first rescue swimmer on scene quickly got a wetsuit on and ran into the water. The victim got back on her board and they were both heading in when the sea otter started chasing them! The victim again abandoned her board and joined the rescue swimmer and they went to shore, where he dropped her off and went back for her board, which again had the otter on it.”
When the surfer was taken ashore and evaluated, it was found that she was not injured or bitten. Though, according to Woodward, she did receive a scratch to her foot that she may still have looked at. Lifeguards then proceeded to retrieve the board from the otter. “Once the equipment was given back to the owner, units were cleared from the incident,” said the fire department.
Woodward was also quick to note that the victim, Bella, was keenly aware of the risks of animal encounters in the ocean, and bore no ill will to the creature. “I want to add that Bella was very concerned that the sea otter could get in trouble and they may try to capture it,” he wrote. “Bella realizes that the water is home to sea otters and she places no blame on the otter and realizes this is a risk, but was willing to be in their water and will undoubtedly be out there again soon.”
On learning of a surfboard-stealing Santa Cruz otter, the first assumption would be that it was the return of Otter 841. For those who missed the era of Otter 841, she was a critter who took the internet by storm in 2023, when Woodward first spotted her pilfering boards at Cowells Beach. That was just the beginning of a reign of terror in which 841 snatched boards, overturned kayaks and chased swimmers, all while developing an increasingly large and devoted internet following. She was later seen with a pup, which some postulated may have explained her erratic behavior, although others have blamed it on learned behavior from humans, or the fact that she was the offspring of another otter that was known for accosting kayaks in Monterey Bay.
However, both a spokesperson for the Fire Department and Woodward have stated that this was a different otter, potentially signaling a new reign of terror. All hail the Queen.