Deer interrupts surfing tryouts in Southern California

SANTA ANA - Surfing team tryouts in California were interrupted by a four-legged friend who apparently wanted to get in on the fun.

Surfers at Southern California's Dana Point were shocked when a deer rushed into the ocean Thursday morning. One surfer had to kick his board out and bail out of a wave when the animal suddenly appeared in front of him.

"They were just getting midway thru their surf heat and out of nowhere this deer comes trotting down the shoreline," Mike Foudy, whose son Cole was the surfer with the near-deer experience, told The Associated Press.

Foudy posted video of the dogpaddling deer, which he said appeared spooked, on his Facebook page.

Tryout judge Sheri Crummer told the Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/2bHR5lF) that no one knew where the deer came from. It hopped over rocks and then went off to sea.

Surf team coach Tim Samson paddled out about a quarter of a mile and herded the deer back to shore, where it took off toward a hotel.

Lifeguard Capt. Brad Herzog says deer occasionally come for a swim, but it's rare.

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This story has been corrected to fix a typo in the spelling of Mike Foudy's name.

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Information from: The Orange County Register, http://www.ocregister.com