A giant deep-sea creature steeped in doomsday folklore washed up dead on an Indonesian beach on Tuesday.
The ribbon-like fish, known as an oarfish and measuring more than 13 feet, was discovered on Pink Beach along the southeastern coast of Komodo Island at around 7:30am Tuesday.
Beachgoers lifted the carcass from the sand and carried it inland, causing a stir among locals.
In Japanese folklore, oarfish are known as ‘doomsday fish’ and are believed to be messengers from the sea god’s palace.
The legend claims that one washing ashore can foreshadow a deadly earthquake, tsunami or other catastrophe.
Sahlan, head of Telone Hamlet in Sekaroh Village, told local outlet detikBali that the creature alarmed beachgoers because of its association with natural disasters.
There is no scientific evidence linking the oarfish to natural disasters, and marine authorities dismissed the omen as a myth.
However, some researchers have suggested that environmental factors surrounding its appearance warrant further investigation.
The ribbon-like fish, known as an oarfish and measuring more than 13 feet, was discovered on Pink Beach along the southeastern coast of Komodo Island at around 7:30am Tuesday
Sahlan told detikBali that a group of children and an adult man carried the fish off the beach on Tuesday.
‘It was discovered this morning. It wasn’t one of our residents who found it, but rather an outsider who had been camping since last night, a visitor,’ explained Sahlan.
The oarfish’s appearance quickly fueled ominous claims online that it was a warning of an impending natural disaster or other catastrophe.
But Sahlan insisted residents along the coast remained calm despite the frenzy.
‘Even though it’s gone viral and all sorts of things are being said, God willing, none of our residents are panicking. The situation here is calm,’ Sahlan added.
The oarfish legend dates back to at least the 17th century in Japan, with its rare appearances interpreted as warnings from mythical deities.
One example, in modern times, cited the appearance of nearly two dozen Doomsday fish washing ashore just months before the magnitude 9.1 megaearthquake near Japan’s Tōhoku region in 2011.
The historic quake triggered a massive tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people.
A group of children and an adult man carried the fish off the beach on Tuesday
The oarfish’s appearance quickly fueled ominous claims online that it was a warning of an impending natural disaster or other catastrophe
Other instances include oarfish sightings before a 2017 earthquake in the Philippines and smaller events in Tasmania, India and California in recent years.
A pair of American tourists encountered an oarfish while vacationing in Mexico in February.
Monica Pittenger and her sister, Katie, were on a beach in Cabo San Lucas when they spotted two massive oarfish washing ashore, to the shock of everyone in the area.
Monica told the YouTube channel We Love Animals: ‘It was something out of like a fiction movie. I had never seen anything like it before.’
The woman and her sister were relaxing at the popular vacation spot when they spotted something strange flashing brightly in the shallow waves from a distance.
As they got closer, Monica said they realized it was a massive, otherworldly creature. Then, they saw a second one nearby, struggling just like the first.
The two huge oarfish both had long, silvery, ribbon-like bodies with a wavy red sail along their backs. Although neither appeared to be severely injured, they were clearly in distress and trying desperately to get back into deeper water.
Tourists in Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas witnessed two oarfish wash ashore in late February 2026, triggering fears from folklore that a disaster is coming
‘My sister, she just cannot stand anything in pain. She throws me her phone, her drink and her bag. She’s like, “Hold this,” and she’s just diving on in. I think a lot of people were very hesitant because nobody really knew what it was,’ Monica said in an interview posted on March 4.
The Prosper, Texas resident kept recording as Katie and others carefully pushed the first oarfish back into the ocean as it continued to gasp for water.
Beachgoers then helped the second stranded Doomsday fish back into the water, where they both started swimming again and quickly disappeared.
The giant creatures were longer than the five people who were seen on video standing shoulder to shoulder, helping to return them to the ocean. It was also nearly two feet in height, which is typical for a normal oarfish.
An adult oarfish can grow to be approximately 36 feet long and weigh close to 600 pounds.
‘When we realized how rare it was, it was a pretty cool experience, but very surreal. From what we’ve researched, to see two was like a billion-to-one chance,’ Pittenger explained.
Normally, Doomsday fish only wash up on beaches when they are sick, injured, or dying, making the latest sighting a true mystery.
