These Rare, Giant Oarfish In Mexico Have No Idea How Happy They Just Made Everyone

WATCH: Rare 'Sea Monster' Sighting Thrills Tourists

When an oarfish washes up on the beach, it's big news. The elusive fish, one of the world's largest, rarely strays from the ocean depths, and when it does, it's often dead.

So when not one, but two oarfish were caught on camera swimming through shallow water off the coast of Mexico, people were understandably excited.

The extremely rare footage was captured by a group from Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, while on an ecotourism trip in southern Baja California.

"It was one of the most stunningly beautiful fish I've ever seen," Tim Binder, a vice president at the aquarium, told National Geographic about the encounter. "They had an undulating way of swimming; it was very graceful."

While the Smithsonian estimates the two oarfish in the video are around 15 feet long, other oarfish have been known to reach 55 feet in length and weigh up to 600 pounds.

In 2008, scientists filmed an oarfish in its natural habitat for the first time. The deepest sighting of the creature occurred in the Gulf of Mexico at a depth of around 1,500 feet.

Video credit: ©Shedd Aquarium/Un-Cruise Adventures

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