A marine science instructor snorkeling at the Catalina Island Institute in California found an 18-foot oarfish while snorkeling this weekend.
The instructor, Jasmine Santana, was just 2 miles from Avalon, C.A. when she saw the oarfish, according to the Associated Press.
"We've never seen a fish this big," said Mark Waddington, captain of the Tole Mour, CIMI's sail training ship. "The last oarfish we saw was three feet long."
The oarfish died of natural causes, according to local scientists. It took 15 people to pick the fish up.
Though the recently discovered oarfish may be large, they can supposedly grow up to 50 feet long.
Oarfish sightings are so rare that a sighting in 2010 was covered by the Discovery Channel. Oarfish dive 3,000 feet deep, according to the Associated Press.
"The craziest thing we saw during our two day-journey at sea happened when we got home. These islands never cease to amaze," instructor Connor Gallagher said in a press statement.
The carcass was on display this week for kids studying at CIMI. It will then be buried in the sand until it decomposes.
Once it decomposes, its skeleton will be reconstituted for display.
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