A Deer Joins the Lineup: Mule Deer Swims Up to Surfers at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point
Doheny State Beach, in the city of Dana Point in Orange County, California, recently had an unusual visitor in the surf: a mule deer that swam out into the ocean and up to surfers waiting for waves. The footage, captured by Ryan Thompson, spread online after the local outdoors account Orange County Outdoors shared it on social media.
According to USA Today's For The Win, Doheny State Beach is a famous surfing spot just south of Dana Point Harbor. Dolphins often join the lineup there, sharks show up occasionally and even whales have appeared, but a deer is a rarity. Orange County Outdoors, which shared the clip, made a point of dispelling any notion of AI manipulation: "This is not AI, we don't post that crap on here." Its caption opened with a joke: "Ever had a deer snake your wave?"
At the outset of the footage, a kid's voice can be heard saying, "There's a deer in the water!" For The Win described the surfers in the video as seemingly unfazed by the deer's presence, while folks on the beach were surprised. A freeway runs nearby, expensive homes line the hills south of the harbor, and the corridors available to wildlife in the area are sparse.
Why the deer went into the water is not known. For The Win noted it could have been frightened into the water, or could have been enjoying a break from a heat wave caused by high pressure. It was not immediately clear whether the deer made it safely out of the water. GSM is not republishing the viral clip and reports only the sharing account's description and For The Win's coverage of the moment.
Source: Orange County Outdoors
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 加州骡鹿资料图（Sarah Stierch摄，CC0，经Wikimedia Commons；2025年摄于加州索诺马，非本次事件图，疯传视频未搬运）
