Rare 'Doomsday fish' sighting by US tourists sparks fears of disaster

"Oarfish, also known as sea serpents, have been referred to in Japanese folklore as 'Doomsday fish' because they are said to be the messengers from the sea god's palace. The ancient belief cautions that when a Doomsday fish washes ashore, it is a warning sign of impending cataclysms, such as deadly earthquakes or tsunamis."

"Seeing two oarfish at the same time is considered almost unheard of because the species lives in the deep ocean, typically at depths greater than 3,000 feet in the so-called 'Twilight zone' - one of the least explored parts of the planet. In fact, a 2018 study published in the Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences had found that there were only 19 oarfish strandings or sightings along the California coast over the last century."

"One example, in modern times, cited the appearance of nearly two dozen Doomsday fish washing ashore just months before the magnitude 9.1 megaearthquake near Japan's Tōhoku region in 2011. The historic quake triggered a massive tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people."

American tourists Monica Pittenger and her sister Katie encountered two massive oarfish, approximately 30 feet long, washing ashore in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Oarfish, known as 'Doomsday fish' in Japanese folklore, are deep-ocean creatures rarely seen by humans, living at depths exceeding 3,000 feet. According to ancient Japanese beliefs, oarfish strandings signal impending cataclysms such as earthquakes or tsunamis. Witnessing two oarfish simultaneously is extraordinarily rare; only 19 oarfish strandings occurred along the California coast over a century. Historical records link oarfish appearances to major disasters, including nearly two dozen sightings before Japan's 2011 magnitude 9.1 earthquake that killed approximately 20,000 people. The sisters helped return the living creatures to the ocean.

Read at Mail Online