Otter 841, who shot to international fame last year for her surfboard-stealing interactions with northern California surfers and kayakers, has been spotted recently after disappearing for several months. Over Memorial Day weekend, photos of the now six-year-old otter posted to social media showed her floating on her back at Steamer Lane, a popular surfing spot in Santa Cruz. She was identified by her signature blue tag attached to one of her flippers.
When you and a friend spot each other after a long absence 💙 #841 pic.twitter.com/nMO1PG3MLQ
— Native Santa Cruz (@NativeSantaCruz) May 27, 2024
Otter 841 began making waves last summer after Mark Woodward, a local photographer, began posting images and videos to social media of her biting and commandeering surfboards. People were captivated by her fearlessness when interacting with humans and quickly projected human motivations to her behavior.
When Dustin Mulvaney, a Santa Cruz resident who has also posted several photos of otter 841 to social media, heard about the most recent sighting from Woodward, he and his children biked over to the cliffside above her usual hangout and caught a glimpse and photo of 841.
“It wasn’t too surprising since it’s her usual spot,” Mulvaney said. “Last time I saw her was December or November.”
As her star rose last year, people began to fill the waters she frequented to get an up-close look at her. These actions, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said, were incredibly dangerous to both the otter and humans, since otters have sharp teeth that they use to bite through shellfish.
“They’re extremely charismatic animals, so it doesn’t surprise me that when you put one on a surfboard, it becomes meme-able,” Mulvaney, who is also an environmental studies professor at San Jose State University, said of 841’s notoriety. “I think it’s cool because people are surprised to hear the story of sea otters and how their population was driven down to nothing.”
Otter 841’s celebrity came amid growing acknowledgement of the role that sea otters can play in keeping kelp forests healthy. Before the fur trade drove them to near extinction, sea otters once roamed the waters of North America from Alaska to Baja California. They are the smallest marine mammal in North America at up to 4ft long and 70lbs, and play an integral role in the coastal ecosystem and are known to help keep sea urchin populations in check, which is vital to protect kelp forests.
Today, a small population of southern sea otters lives on California’s central coast and the threatened animal occupies just 13% of its historic range.
Soon after 841 came to national prominence, staff with the FWS and the Monterey Bay aquarium attempted to lure her into nets so they could take her in for a medical exam before transferring her to an aquarium. But 841 wasn’t having it. She managed to evade her captors time and time again.
In October 2023, 841 made headlines once more when she was spotted floating along with a pup lying on top of her. After the birth of her baby, she took a break from public life to raise her, according to the FWS. “Between October 2023 and April 2024, 841 gave birth to and successfully raised a pup. While she was caring for her pup, 841 largely avoided interactions with people,” the service said in a statement.
They also reiterated that people should avoid interacting with 841 and her marine mammal comrades. If approached, the service recommends moving as far away from them as possible, and if an otter decides to trail you, splashing water or making yourself big will help to scare it away.
