She's Otter Here

Search for Cindy 841 attracts kayakers into kelp beds with official search boat in background. PHOTO:KCS

Surf is where you find it, according to legendary wave master Gerry Lopez. And there have been no waves breaking higher than an ankle snapper in Santa Cruz for more than a week, which has resulted in no sea otter seen riding waves.

It has been as flat as a linoleum floor, according to a local human surfer.

Does this mean Cindy 841, my name for the famous sea otter, has gone searching for better surf breaks?

Hardly. In fact, not only has the 5-year-old sea otter been openly recognized in local waters, but a new line up of sea otters has appeared to join her. 

"I've never seen this many sea otters together," said Mark Woodward, local photographer and a primary source of news and photos for media from around world. Woodward has been in close contact with scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA), where Cindy was born. Her oddly aggressive behavior of jumping on surfboards, and nibbling on them, has made her a world-wide sensation, including a deep trove of merchandise being sold on social media haling her as a water-borne heroine.

"Otter my way, Dude!" says one.

Yesterday a group of marine biology students from UC Santa Barbara arrived to observe the surfing otter. "They're making a documentary film about sea otters," said Woodward. "I've never seen so much equipment." But alas, no waves. 

Lack of surf seems to keep Cindy 841 at bay and away from humans. And there have been an inordinate number of lookie-loo kayakers paddling through the kelp beds to get an up close look at the furry surfer with flippers.

The authorities call it harassment of wild life, yet many of Cindy 841's fans believe they (the scientists with nets and cages) are the harassers.

An attempt this week by divers from U.S. Fish and Wildlife to catch her with a cage was near a joke, according to Woodward. 

Fascinating information about sea otters has emerged from the experts, such as a sea otter's bite is as strong as a 600-lb bear. And those otter choppers are nothing to scoff at.

In the meantime, as we wait and pray for surf -- although summer is not the surfing season in Santa Cruz -- attempts at catching Cindy will continue, as no doubt will the cries of "let her swim free." 

The good news, according to Woodward who gets his info from the MBA, once she is caught and tested she will be released into untamed waters, not kept in an aquarium. They'll just need to find a location with plenty of kelp, where she'll find food, but no surf.

Try telling that to a sea otter who has experienced the thrill of riding a surfboard. If you can catch her.