Justin, a family friend, worked for several years at the Catalina Maritime Institute but was no longer there, alas, when a giant mystery fish turned up last week.
Melissa Locker has the story at Time, “It sounds like something out of a horror story: Jasmine Santana was snorkeling off the coast of Southern California’s Catalina Island when she spotted a half-dollar sized eye staring up at her.
“It wasn’t a Halloween prank, though, but the body of a giant oarfish resting on the sandy bottom in about 20 feet of water. Instead of panicking at the sight of the sea creature, Santana called in the troops. After all, she is a marine science instructor at the Catalina Island Marine Institute. Even as such, she had probably never seen anything like this 18-foot oarfish before. The elusive sea creatures live thousands of feet deep in the ocean and are rarely seen alive or dead. …
“The creatures are the longest bony fish in the world, known to reach 56 feet in length.” More.
Justin’s father answered an e-mail I sent: “The photo on the beach with all of the kids holding the oarfish was at one of the two camps that Catalina Island Maritime Institute operates. That one in the photo was Toyon Bay. Justin worked at Camp Fox, about 10 minutes away by boat. … I just read in today’s Providence Journal that a 2nd dead oarfish was found Friday in the water near Oceanside, CA.”
What can it all mean? What will turn up next? A giant squid? The Loch Ness Monster?
If you see the Loch Ness Monster, be sure to let me know and I’ll come running. So disappointed Bigfoot turned out to be a brown polar bear, even an ancient one. I was hoping he would be more human.
Photo: Catalina Island Marine Institute/Reuters
The crew of sailing school vessel Tole Mour and Catalina Island Marine Institute instructors hold an 18-foot-long oarfish that was found in the waters of Toyon Bay on Santa Catalina Island, Calif., Oct. 13, 2013.
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