9-Foot-Long Rare Sea Creature Swims Extremely Close To Paddlers [Photos]

A pair of paddlers were shocked when a massive rare sea creature came extremely close to them just a few hundred yards off California's Laguna Beach shoreline.

The creature was identified as a massive sunfish, believed to be at least 9-foot-long. Rich German and friend, Matt Wheaton, both of Laguna Beach, set out Thursday to enjoy the clear waters off the coast when they came across the sunfish. Also known as mola mola, these are one of the two heaviest known bony fish in the world.

“We were just paddling and all of a sudden we were like ‘Oh my god.’ That thing was massive,” German, author of the book “Blue Laguna,” and founder of the ocean conservation nonprofit Project O, said, according to the Daily News. “Most of my encounters are with dolphins and whales, but you never know what you’re going to see.”

German, comparing to Wheaton’s 14-foot stand-up paddleboard, guessed the fish was close to 9 feet in length, according to Mercury News.

German said, after he reached home, he found a Guinness World Record set in 1996 when a fisherman caught an 8-foot-11 mola mola that weighed 5,070 pounds off the coast of Japan. He added he believes the sunfish they encountered was longer in length. The duo also expressed their interest in consulting marine scientists to see if it could be measured based on the size of the board.

Julianne Steers, founding board member of the Beach Ecology Coalition, said the sunfish was larger than most seen in the region.

“The only true way to know is if it was out and weighed and officially measured,” she said, adding there have been records of sunfish reaching 13-foot long in Northern California. “But it does look much larger than what we typically see out here.”

Steers said that these creatures like to lazily float on the ocean’s surface to bask in the sun.

The underwater life often leaves people surprised, as not everything is known about the creatures living there. On several occasions, mysterious and rare sea creatures come afloat or wash up on beaches, leaving experts baffled.

Recently, a sea creature with a gaping mouth full of fang-like teeth mysteriously washed ashore alive on a Southern California beach. A video of the creature was shared on Facebook by Davey’s Locker Sportfishing and Whale Watching. “Creature from the Twilight Zone!” Davey’s Locker announced on Facebook. The creature was later identified as the deep-sea Longnose Lancetfish and had gaping fanged jaws, enormous eyes, a sailfin, and a long, slithery body.