A giant oarfish was spotted swimming past a tourist boat in a rare sighting a day before an earthquake hit.
The species – subbed the harbinger of doom – live at depths of between 656 and 3,280 feet (200 and 1,000 metres).
They usually wash up on beaches after a storm or when they suffer a serious injury and it is considered very rare to see them alive and swimming in shallow water.
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When they do appear, many locals take it as a sign that a natural disaster is about to strike.
A group of tourists were stunned to encounter a live oarfish in shallow water last Wednesday (17 Jul).
On the afternoon of 18 July, a quake that measured 3.8 on the Richter scale was reported by the National Seismological Service (SSN).
The clip shows the long sea beast swimming past the tourist boat as onlookers gasp and film with their phones.
The oarfish suddenly turns around and swims past the vessel’s bow.
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The incredible footage was filmed by a tour guide with the excursion company Pita’s Tour based in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
A spokesperson told What’s the Jam: “It was an incredible experience!”
Due to their size and shape, oarfish resemble ‘sea serpents’ and can measure up to 55 feet in length and weigh over 440 lbs.
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Although this was the fourth time an oarfish has been spotted in Baja California Sur this year, there has never been a record of one being sighted at low tide.
And as the myth predicts, an earthquake duly followed the sighting the next day.
The SSN said the earthquake’s epicentre was located 6 miles southeast of San José del Cabo on the southern tip of Baja California Sur.
Although the tremor was felt by many in the community, it only lasted a couple of seconds and the authorities have not reported any deaths or significant damage to buildings.
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