An otter with dreams of being a surf champion shocked Santa Cruz beach-goers when it swam right up to a group of surfers, picked out a board and went for a ride, according to reporting from SFGATE.The incredibly anthropomorphic encounter happened on Sunday at Cowell Beach near the boardwalk. Mark Woodward, who goes by Native Santa Cruz on Twitter, posted photos and video of the moment. Woodward wrote that the otter sniffed around a number of boards before settling on its favorite, a blue one.“He was going from board to board and seemed calm and friendly even as he was a few feet from surfers,” he wrote on Twitter.It’s possible this is the same otter who caught the recreational sports bug last year. Back in November, a female otter who was born in captivity was seen trying to bum a ride from a Santa Cruz surfer. That otter, who was four years old at the time, also picked out a blue surfboard as its preferred ride."The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been keeping a watchful eye on the otter since the incident," Bay Nature wrote at the time. "A spokesperson for the agency said that while this sea otter’s behavior hasn’t yet warranted her removal from the wild, they did try to relocate her a little ahead of schedule to her wintering grounds down south, where there are far fewer surfers. That attempt, however, failed—the otter got away."As cute as the encounters are, it’s important to give wild animals space. If they grow too accustomed to human contact, the ocean will no longer be safe for them and they may end up back in captivity. Only about 3,000 southern sea otters live off California's coast. Related: Sister station KCRA recently reported about a baby seal in San Diego that was hanging out on surfboards.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (Video above from Mark Woodward / @Native Santa Cruz via KSBW) —

An otter with dreams of being a surf champion shocked Santa Cruz beach-goers when it swam right up to a group of surfers, picked out a board and went for a ride, according to reporting from SFGATE.

The incredibly anthropomorphic encounter happened on Sunday at Cowell Beach near the boardwalk. Mark Woodward, who goes by Native Santa Cruz on Twitter, posted photos and video of the moment. Woodward wrote that the otter sniffed around a number of boards before settling on its favorite, a blue one.

“He was going from board to board and seemed calm and friendly even as he was a few feet from surfers,” he wrote on Twitter.

It’s possible this is the same otter who caught the recreational sports bug last year. Back in November, a female otter who was born in captivity was seen trying to bum a ride from a Santa Cruz surfer. That otter, who was four years old at the time, also picked out a blue surfboard as its preferred ride.

Mark Woodward / @Native Santa Cruz

"The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been keeping a watchful eye on the otter since the incident," Bay Nature wrote at the time. "A spokesperson for the agency said that while this sea otter’s behavior hasn’t yet warranted her removal from the wild, they did try to relocate her a little ahead of schedule to her wintering grounds down south, where there are far fewer surfers. That attempt, however, failed—the otter got away."

As cute as the encounters are, it’s important to give wild animals space. If they grow too accustomed to human contact, the ocean will no longer be safe for them and they may end up back in captivity. Only about 3,000 southern sea otters live off California's coast.

Related: Sister station KCRA recently reported about a baby seal in San Diego that was hanging out on surfboards.