Beachgoers in Baja California Sur, Mexico, had a surprising encounter with a rarely seen oarfish. Robert Hayes captured the moment on video as the shimmering, silver fish swam in the shallows of Playa El Quemado beach.
“It swam directly towards us, its head rising a couple of inches above the water,” Hayes recounted to Storyful. Despite their efforts to guide it back to deeper waters, the oarfish persistently returned to the shore.
Before beachgoers intervened, the fish had even briefly stranded itself on the sand. Another individual in the video, recognizing the deep-sea dweller, attempted to return the struggling fish to the ocean, remarking, “This is incredible! It’s the tiniest oarfish I’ve ever witnessed.”
Oarfish typically inhabit depths of 650 to 3,200 feet, according to the Florida Museum, making this shallow water appearance unusual. Sometimes referred to as the “doomsday fish” due to folklore linking its presence to impending natural disasters, the oarfish’s emergence sparked curiosity and speculation.
The Florida Museum notes that oarfish are generally observed at the surface or in shallows only when injured or nearing the end of their life. While they can grow to impressive lengths of up to 36 feet, this particular oarfish was notably smaller. Its distinct features include a long, flattened, silver body, a continuous dorsal fin used for propulsion and maneuvering, and a toothless mouth adapted for filtering krill and other small crustaceans. The fish often floats vertically in the water column, using its elongated dorsal and pelvic fins for camouflage.
The man who identified the oarfish assisted its movement in the water and informed Hayes that he would take it to a marine biologist if it showed signs of injury, according to Storyful.
