According to NBC News, the ominous creature lives in the depths of the ocean, making it a rare sight. There have been just 21 recorded oarfish sightings near California beaches since 1901. Two of those sightings occurred in 2024 —another oarfish washed up on a shore in La Jolla in August.

A rare oarfish, often referred to as a "doomsday fish," washed ashore on Grandview Beach in Encinitas, California, marking the second such occurrence in 2024. A doctorate candidate from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography made the discovery of the 9–10 foot deep-sea monster public on social media.

A rare deep sea fish, regarded as a harbinger of doom, has washed up on a southern California shore. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, said one of its PhD students discovered an oarfish on a beach in Encinitas last week that was around nine to ten feet long.

An elusive deep-water oarfish considered to be a harbinger of bad news was discovered on the shores of Encinitas, California last Friday.

SAN DIEGO ( KUSI) — Another oarfish has made its way from the deep sea to the coast of San Diego County in Southern California. Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers stumbled upon the rare fish, considered the largest vertebrate in the world’s oceans, at Grandview Beach in Encinitas last week.

Two incredibly rare - and incredibly strange - oarfish have washed up on California beaches this year. Before now, only 18 had been documented on beaches in the state since 1901. Scientists say changing ocean conditions could have something to do with it.

A member of the Scripps Oceanography team spotted the dead fish outside of San Diego, California. The fish was estimated to be 9 to 10 feet in length, which was much smaller than the one recovered in La Jolla in August.