Surfing sea otter prompts warning in B.C.

A sea otter has been seen clambering onto a surfboard and following surfers off Vancouver Island, prompting reminders from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to avoid close interactions with the mammals.

A sea otter has been seen clambering onto a surfboard and following surfers off Vancouver Island, prompting reminders from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to avoid close interactions with the mammals.

Photos and videos on social media show the otter following a group of three surfers off Whiffen Spit in Sooke, B.C., about 40 kilometres west of Victoria on Saturday.

The otter is seen riding the swells among the surfers, clambering onto a surfboard with its rider and swimming after the group, despite their efforts to paddle away.

Paul Cottrell with Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Marine Mammal Response says the surfers did the right thing to try to avoid contact, since wild sea otters behave unpredictably and may carry diseases, and can be aggressive and bite if they feel threatened.

Cottrell says there’s a legal requirement to report any accidental interaction with wild sea mammals to ensure safety for all involved.

Photographer Doug Clement says the otter lingered around the surfers for more than an hour before leaving.

“I thought it was a seal at first,” Clement said. “The surfers, you can see, were like, ‘Get away from us! Don’t come near us!’

“You can see they’re trying to get away from it, he kept swimming towards them. And then when they’d stop, he’d sort of sit there about a foot or two away from them and float on his back — and just stare at them.