Otter 841, seen back at Steamer Lane. Photo: Mark Woodward // Instagram
Otter 841 is back! It’s been a few months since we last had a sighting of the rogue sea mammal, but recently Santa Cruz photographer Mark Woodward spotted the surfboard-stealing terror in her old stomping grounds of Steamer Lane.
Woodward has been documenting Otter 841 since the very beginning. The photographer, who goes by the Instagram handle Nativesantacruz, first posted about her on June 18, 2023, writing, “A surfing sea otter at Cowells. This sea otter was putting on quite a show checking out and climbing on multiple boards, but it chose the blue one as its preferred ride. At one point, it was swimming after the board as the surfer was heading in.”
In the ensuing weeks, interactions between surfers and Otter 841 became more frequent and more aggressive. As 841 snatched foam boards, overturned kayaks and chased swimmers, she also began to amass a devoted online following. When wildlife officials were sent in to capture the critter and she eluded them at every turn, Otter 841 rose to the status of local legend.
Then, 841 was seen with a new pup. The development warmed the hearts of fans and may have explained the cause of her aggressive behavior. Other theories pointed to 841’s own parentage – an otter that was captured after aggressively approaching kayaks in Monterey Bay, then gave birth in captivity. Whatever the cause of the original aggression, news about Otter 841 started to die down at that point.
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Now, after four months away from the spotlight, 841 is back. “I hadn’t seen her since the end of December, right before the big storms when huge waves started rolling in, even though I kept scanning the waters for her,” wrote Woodward on Instagram. “Last night and today, I received some photos and messages that she’d been spotted, but no one I spoke with was able to confirm that they saw her ID tag. So I went down there for myself and there she was. Honestly, I was worried about her, even though she did about the same thing before, she left our local waters at the end or 2022 and returned in June of 2023.
“I understand she did get on a surfboard yesterday afternoon and I’d like to remind surfers to avoid that if at all possible. For their safety, stay at least 50 feet away from sea otters and all marine life. It’s the law and also common sense, so please help keep them safe.”
