Snorkeller Sees Rare Oarfish

Snorkeller Sees Rare Oarfish

19 Oct 2013

A marine science instructor snorkelling off the southern California coast spotted something out of a fantasy novel: the silvery carcass of a five metre-long, serpent-like oarfish. Jasmine Santana of the Catalina Island Marine Institute needed more than 15 helpers to drag the giant sea creature with eyes the size of half dollars to shore on Sunday.

Staffers at the institute are calling it the discovery of a lifetime. "We've never seen a fish this big," said Mark Waddington, senior captain of the Tole Mour, CIMI's sail training ship. "The last oarfish we saw was three feet (90cm) long."

Nice little place they have down there by the water. Good place to go for a quick and fun outing. Interesting seeing all the various types of marine life they have in one building.

Archie

The Island Bay Marine Education Centre's Bait House Aquarium is an interactive marine experience based in Island Bay on Wellington's south coast.There are lots of different sea creatures on display including a couple of octupuses, sea horses, lobsters to name a few. You can also gently touch and handle starfish, sea cucumbers, sea anemones, crabs and other sea life found in the local rock pools outside.There's far more inside than you would expect. The volunteers and expert staff are very friendly and helpful. It is really reasonably priced and we were all entertained for ages. Really good fun and educational too. Definitely worth checking out with the family.

Haydn