Elusive Oarfish Filmed by Tourists: Sea Serpents Revealed in Rare, New Footage (VIDEO)

Oarfish, the massive fish that reside deep within the ocean, are some of the most elusive creatures in the sea. Now, though, a group of tourists has filmed two of these creatures within the shallow, coastal waters of Baja, Mexico. The new footage is huge for scientists studying the fish that were once considered sea serpents by sailors.

Oarfish usually live in deep water in oceans worldwide between 1,500 to 3,300 feet beneath the surface, according to Tech Times. This makes them extremely difficult to study since they largely remain elusive to scientists' cameras. The fact that this pair of oarfish was spotted in such shallow water is highly unusual.

The giant oarfish actually sets the world record for the largest bony fish, according to Discovery News. With their scale-less, silver, ribbon-like bodies and head crest, these creatures can reach up to 56 feet in length and weight as much as 600 pounds. Fist discovered in 1772, the oarfish is usually spotted when it washes up dead on beaches, according to Tech Times.

In this case, the two oarfish spotted by kayakers in Baja were a mere 15 feet, according to IB Times. The pair of fish circled for almost an hour before disappearing into the depths once more. At one point, one of the fish almost moved onshore, though one of the kayakers scooted it back toward deeper water with his paddle.

So why did these fish could so close to the surface? That's a good question. It's possible that the deep-sea fish were more sensitive to the movements of active faults, and a shift could explain why the fish headed for shallower water. It could also be that the fish were sick or were disturbed by other forces. That said, it's unlikely that researchers will ever find out exactly why these fish appeared when they did.

Want to see the video of the oarfish? You can check it out below, courtesy of YouTube.