A diver has filmed an extremely rare encounter with an “earthquake fish” off the coast of Taiwan. The footage was captured by diving instructor Wang Cheng-ru near New Taipei’s Ruifang District.
The earthquake fish is actually called an oarfish but gets its nickname from the fact that it often lives in extremely deep waters, with legends and local traditions saying it only rises from the deep before or after an earthquake.
It is very rare to see one in the wild because of its preference for waters ranging from about 650 feet to 3,300 feet deep. Very occasionally, it will make its way towards the surface, which is when sightings may occur.
“Many amazing animals can be found off Taiwan’s northeast coast, and the views underwater are very beautiful, but it was my first encounter with a giant oarfish,” Wang, who has been diving for 15 years, told Newsweek.
The footage shows the oarfish, which seems to have suffered wounds, floating in clear blue water. In fact a large hole can be seen in the middle of its body.
“The wounds on the giant oarfish may have been the result of a cookiecutter shark [or cigar shark] attack,” Wang said.
Despite the legends, Wang does not think this oarfish rose to the surface because of earthquake activity. “It must have been dying, so it swam into shallower waters,” he said.
It is not clear how big this particular oarfish was but they can grow up to 26 feet long. There have been unofficial reports of oarfish that are much larger though, unconfirmed sightings reporting some up to 50 feet long.
Because of the fish’s unusual appearance and great size, it is possibly the source of many sea-monster legends.
Most encounters with the unusual fish occur when it washes ashore on beaches or is caught as accidental bycatch and it has rarely been observed swimming in the deep waters of its natural habitat.
In July 2022, an oarfish was fished out of the ocean off the coast of Chile, with footage showing the 20-foot long creature being removed from the water.
When it was caught, many believed it was an omen of a disaster to come but the fears proved unfounded.
