A second ‘doomsday’ oarfish has been found on the same coast in a fortnight – sparking fears of an impending natural disaster.
The marine beasts, considered one of the longest fish in the ocean, were spotted days apart.
Both oarfish were found alive and were returned to the sea.
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The first sighting took place on the coast of Isla Espíritu Santo in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.
Footage showed the oarfish’s head on the rocks as it frantically flapped its tail in the water, desperately trying to get back out to sea.
A kind-hearted local was seen helping the long fish back into the water before it eventually swam away.
The second oarfish was discovered by two surfers about 110 miles away in Cabo San Lucas in Baja California Sur.
Despite taking place after the Isla Espíritu Santo sighting, the video of the second oarfish went viral on social media first.
The clip showed the young lads shifting the animal, which apparently had part of its tail missing, towards the sea with their surfboards.
The sighting of two oarfish in the same region – on 2 and 17 January – has sparked fears of an impending natural disaster.
One local said: “This is not good, something bad coming.”
Another added: “Be careful, it’s a sign of bad luck.”
Alejandra said: “They say oarfish only rise to the surface when a natural disaster is on its way…”
Due to their size and shape, oarfish resemble sea serpents and are considered harbingers of earthquakes and misfortune in Japanese mythology.
The myth was rekindled in 2011 after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
On 10 August, a dead oarfish was found on Grandview Surf Beach in Encinitas near San Diego, California, US.
It was only the 21st reported sighting of an oarfish on a Californian beach since 1901, as reported by Need To Know.
Two days later, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck Los Angeles and the wider southern California region.
According to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a 2019 study found that there was no correlation between oarfish sightings and earthquakes.
They live at depths of up to 1,000m (3,280ft) and sightings are not very common.
Oarfish sometimes wash up on beaches after a storm or when they suffer a serious injury.
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