Most people I've talked to, or overheard, think that the river otters they see in the water, on floats, boats, or beaches along our coast are "sea otters", just because they're in the sea. As Adamcu280 wrote, sea otters very rarely leave the ocean. And they mostly live in exposed outer shores, away from civilization.They had a similar issue at the Friday Harbor labs some years ago. A sea otter took up residence under the deck of the student accommodation. The smell was not the most pleasant thing, but he didn’t attack anybody.

