Murdock Sea Otter

I grew up on the California coast and was already surfing when my brothers and sisters were just paddling along. Sea otters can live entirely in the water but, once in awhile, I hang out on land, mostly the beach. You never know when the next big wave is going to come in so I don’t like to be too far from the ocean. Good thing, too! When Nicky Nautlius found me cruising into shore, I was getting ready for a little sun-bathing that message from King Neptune totally grabbed me!

Do you usually surf with other otters?

No way. They’re cool with floating and swimming on their backs. I tried to get my cousin, Willy Weasel, to give it a try but weasels don’t like the ocean. I hang with the surfers, man.

Sea otters were once endangered. Do you worry about that?

I think any creature that lives in the water is worried about making the endangered species list. The only list I want to make is the World’s Top Surfers!

Isn’t it unusual for a sea otter to be apart from other otters?

Yeah, we usually hang in groups, like 10 or 20, or like, maybe a hundred. We call those “rafts”. But I consider my friends, the Ocean Protectors, to be floating with me and my raft.

You’re also quite a swimmer, Murdock. What do you think of Michael Phelps?

I think he’s an otter at heart. Check out those big feet! But I think I could coach him a little on the backstroke. He’s fast, yeah, but who wants to work that hard??

You were the only one of the Ocean Protectors who could speak to the humans. How did you learn their language?

I learned from hanging with the surfer dudes in California. In fact, my mom says my first word was “dude”.

What did you learn most from your recent adventure with the Diamond of the Seas?

First of all, the Ocean Protectors totally rock. And, like, all those people who laughed at my surfboard should have seen the magic it had out in the ocean. I was stoked! The motto of the Ocean Protectors is “Believe It. Achieve It.” And that is so right on.