On October 15, 2025, amidst the rolling waves of Steamer Lane, a renowned surf break in Santa Cruz, California, 21-year-old college student Isabella Orduna was wrapping up a surf session when she felt something pinch her foot. She ditched her board and jumped into the chilly Pacific, only to find “a big, fuzzy, chunky bear of an otter” lounging on her surfboard. Orduna recounted, “I was like, wow, what do I do now?”, as her board had been seized by an uninvited otter.

This is not the first incident involving a sea otter latching on and refusing to let go of a surfboard. In 2023, the notorious Otter 841 went viral for escaping capture while “surfing” on stolen boards. Authorities called off their efforts to capture her when they discovered she was pregnant, connecting her behavior to hormonal changes. She later gave birth and stopped her tricks, but experts suspect that she or other otters may be back.

Human interaction with otters has been increasing because sea otters are coming back in big numbers along the central coast of California. Gena Bentall, the founder of Sea Otter Savvy, said otters in places with lots of people get disturbed by humans up to six times every day. This makes them lose their natural fear, and that causes dangerous interactions. These otters have nowhere to go that isn’t absolutely packed with humans,” Bentall said. She predicts that otters may learn from each other’s interactions, so one otter’s weird habit can diffuse to create a larger group. She thinks the best choice is to leave the otters alone instead of moving them or killing them.

Orduna is a new surfer who escaped uninjured after safety officer Ben Coffey got her undamaged board back after they waited 20 minutes. Now, Orduna has learned to respect the ocean more. “We’re guests out there,” she said, planning to surf somewhere else for now. A local photographer, Mark Woodward, took photos of the scenes, including the rescue, to show how these encounters can be dangerous for otters and people.

As Halloween approaches, no new incidents have been reported. Communities are posting “aggressive sea otter” signs and warnings to stay cautious. For surfers and animal lovers, this story shows that in the ocean, sharing the waves means respecting the local animals.