'Doomsday fish' washes up on Mexico beach
Oarfish are believed to be an omen of impending doom, and one was just spotted on a beach on Mexico's Pacific coast.
Beachgoers were shocked to find a rarely seen oarfish swimming in the shallow waters of a Baja California Sur beach in Mexico on Feb. 9. In Japanese folklore, an oarfish sighting is a symbol of impending doom.
A rare, shimmering oarfish was spotted at Baja California Sur beach in Mexico earlier this month, a fish that some believe is a signal of an impending disaster.
Oarfish are typically found in the depths of the ocean, living hundreds to thousands of feet below the surface. It is rare to spot them in shallow waters, especially alive, like the one that was seen in Mexico on Feb. 9.
“The fish swam straight at us, lifting its head above the water about two inches,” Robert Hayes told Storyful. “We redirected it three times out to the water, but it came back each time.”
Video of the encounter showed the oarfish was a few feet long, which is small for its species. They can grow to be up to 36 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds.
An oarfish was spotted on the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico, on Feb. 9, 2025. (Robert hayes via Storyful)
Oarfish are known as a "doomsday fish" and are thought to be a sign of an impending natural disaster.
"These creatures are seen as being harbingers of bad news, particularly disasters or destruction. The legend is that if you see an oarfish, it is a warning sign from higher powers that disasters such as earthquakes are soon to occur," Ocean Conservancy explained on its website.
Whether this suspicion is true is open for debate.
On Nov. 6, 2024, an oarfish was found on the shores of Grandview Beach in Southern California. One month later, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the West Coast, triggering tsunami warnings for parts of California and Oregon.
"While many legends may surround these creatures, it is unusual for humans to encounter oarfish," Ocean Conservancy explained on its website. "If one is spotted close to the surface, it typically indicates that the creature is sick, dying or at least disoriented."
Report a Typo
