March 5, 2026, 4:15 p.m. ET
Video has surfaced showing two deep-sea oarfish moments after the “giant sea serpents” had stranded on a beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
The accompanying footage, shared Wednesday by We Love Animals, is narrated by Instagram user Monica and Company. It describes the encounter and shows an attempt to rescue the oarfish, although the result of that endeavor is unclear.
Oarfish are long, ribbon-like denizens with crimson dorsal fins, believed to have spawned tales of sea monsters among ancient mariners. The so-called “doomsday fish” – believed by some to strand in advance of tsunamis or earthquakes – can measure 30-plus feet.
ALSO: Surreal footage shows giant shark cruising shoreline off Costa Rica
Oarfish live at depths of about 3,000 feet and are rarely observed. Several standings have occurred in Cabo San Lucas and elsewhere in Baja California Sur over the years, mostly involving dead specimens.
The footage is posted above. (Click here if video player does not appear).
The YouTube description reads:
“A beach day in Cabo took an unexpected turn when two sisters spotted something strange flashing in the distance. At first they thought it couldn’t be real.
“As they got closer, they realized the creatures struggling in the shallow water were oarfish, a rare deep-sea species that almost never appears near the surface. One of the sisters quickly jumped in to help, working with people on the beach to push the fish back toward deeper water.
“But the moment got even stranger. Just as they finished helping the first one, they spotted another oarfish near the shore. Seeing even one is extremely rare. Seeing two in the same place is almost unheard of.
“Afterward, they learned there have only been a handful of sightings along that coastline over the past few hundred years. While some people call them ‘doomsday fish,’ scientists say there’s no evidence they’re linked to earthquakes or tsunamis.”