A surfer at Steamer Lane says a sea otter bit her foot and then climbed onto her board Tuesday evening, holding it hostage for roughly 20 minutes as rescuers rushed in. Isabella Orduna was paddling out when she felt "a nip" on her foot. She rolled off and turned to see an otter perched on her board. Orduna says that after biting her, the otter took over her board for at least 20 minutes and, in the moment, she didn't know what to do.
Around 5:06 p.m., emergency responders were dispatched for a report of a surfer who was possibly bitten by an otter. Lifeguards arrived to find a group of surfers surrounding another surfer in the water, as well as an otter who appeared to be sitting on the victim's board, the fire department said. The surfer was pulled from the water and evaluated by medical personnel.