A large oarfish was filmed swimming near the surface off the coast of La Paz on April 15, the third time the rare deep-sea species has appeared in shallow waters along Baja California Sur’s coastline in a single month. Tourists and fishermen aboard a nearby boat recorded the animal for several minutes as it moved through clear coastal waters before the boat pulled away, leaving the fish undisturbed.
The footage spread quickly on social media, where it revived a persistent folk belief: that oarfish surface before earthquakes. No seismic activity has been recorded in connection with any of the three April sightings, and authorities in La Paz have reported no related incidents.
Oarfish Rarely Surface, and Science Does Not Support the Earthquake Link
The oarfish (Regalecus glesne) is the longest bony fish in the ocean. Adults commonly reach 10 to 11 meters (roughly 33 to 36 feet), and unconfirmed reports describe specimens beyond 15 meters. The species lives at depths between 200 and 1,000 meters, feeding on tiny crustaceans, squid, and other zooplankton. Because they spend their lives in the mesopelagic zone, where sunlight barely penetrates, live sightings near the surface are genuinely unusual.
The earthquake myth traces back centuries in Japan, where the fish is called ryugu no tsukai, or “messenger from the sea god’s palace.” Japanese folklore held that the serpent-like creature rose to warn coastal communities before tsunamis and temblors. The belief gained modern traction after about 20 oarfish washed ashore on Japanese beaches in late 2009 and early 2010, months before the devastating March 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
Yet a 2019 study published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America examined 336 years of Japanese earthquake records alongside documented oarfish strandings. Researchers found no statistically significant correlation between the two. The study concluded that confirmation bias, remembering the hits and forgetting the misses, sustained the myth.
Marine biologists offer more mundane explanations for surface appearances. Changes in deep-ocean currents can push oarfish into warmer, shallower water. Illness, parasitic infection, or simple disorientation can also drive individual fish upward. Some researchers have noted that oarfish are weak swimmers despite their size, relying on an undulating dorsal fin rather than a powerful tail. Once displaced from their preferred depth, they may struggle to return.
Three Sightings in Baja California Sur in April 2026
One oarfish surfacing near La Paz would be noteworthy on its own. Three sightings across Baja California Sur in roughly four weeks is a cluster that marine scientists will want to examine. The Sea of Cortez, also called the Gulf of California, is one of the most biodiverse marine environments on earth. Jacques Cousteau famously called it “the world’s aquarium.” Its deep trenches, some exceeding 3,000 meters, provide habitat for mesopelagic species like the oarfish.
Oceanographic conditions in the gulf can shift rapidly. El Niño and La Niña cycles alter water temperatures and current patterns throughout the Pacific, and localized upwelling events can change conditions along the Baja California Sur coast within days. Researchers at the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), a federal marine research institute based in La Paz, have previously documented how unusual ocean temperatures affect species distribution in the gulf. Whether April’s oarfish cluster reflects a broader oceanographic shift remains an open question.
La Paz sits at the southern end of the Sea of Cortez, where the gulf meets the open Pacific. The city’s malecón waterfront and nearby beaches draw snorkelers, divers, and kayakers year-round. Encounters with whale sharks, mobula rays, and sea lions are common between October and April. An oarfish sighting, while far rarer, fits into a pattern of unusual marine life encounters that make La Paz a destination for wildlife tourism.
No Seismic Warnings Issued for Baja California Sur
Mexico’s Servicio Sismológico Nacional, the national seismological service operated by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), has not issued any elevated seismic warnings for Baja California Sur. The peninsula sits along the boundary of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, and small earthquakes occur regularly. But the agency’s monitoring network has detected no unusual activity coinciding with any of the three oarfish sightings.
For anyone on the water in La Paz, the practical takeaway is straightforward. If you encounter an oarfish, keep your distance. The animals are not dangerous to humans, but they are likely stressed or disoriented. Boat operators and tour guides in the area generally follow Mexico’s federal wildlife viewing guidelines, which call for maintaining at least 15 meters from marine species and avoiding pursuit.
CIBNOR researchers have not yet commented publicly on the April cluster. If the pattern continues, scientists may deploy monitoring equipment to study conditions in the deep channels east of La Paz. The next few weeks will determine whether three sightings in one month were coincidence or the beginning of something worth studying further. The original sighting was first reported by Uno TV.