“Just Sat There On Deck.” Researchers Weren’t Expecting To See This Onboard When They Came Back From Their Dive

Researchers studying kelp forests around the Shetland Islands were greeted by a surprise visitor that had snuck onboard their boat.

“We walked out onto the deck of the boat and, to our surprise, there was a sea otter just sat on the deck,” says Dr Dan Smale, senior research fellow at the Marine Biological Association, which shared the footage on Instagram.

The crafty stowaway was probably looking for a snack, says Smale, and may be “used to going onto fishing boats and dive boats looking for fish.”

The scientists were in Shetland collecting data and samples of the region’s kelp forests. Through their research, they are hoping to find out more about these important habitats, how many there are around the UK and how kelp supports the ecosystem and stores carbon.

Diving in these cold waters is challenging work.

“Processing the kelp on the boat was minus one [degree] with wind chill,” says Smale, but the unexpected otter arrival was a wonderful surprise. “It was a really great moment,” he says.

Credit: Dr Dan Smale and the Marine Biological Association

This article by Melissa Hobson was first published by Discover Wildlife on 26 June 2026. Lead Image: Sea otter, British Columbia. Credit: KenCanning/Getty Images.