The oarfish is a mysterious deep sea creature that very little is known about. They’re rarely seen by us land-dwelling humans, alive or dead, but a giant one has turned up off the coast of California.

Unfortunately the giant oarfish caught and dragged ashore by a marine science instructor who was snorkelling when she spotted the creature was already dead, but it’s still a mightily impressive beast.

Jasmine Santana and 14 others pulled the lifeless body from the water, and as it weighs in at 400 pounds that was no mean feat.

Oarfish typically dive to about 3,000 feet, so it remains a mystery why this one was found in shallow water. Samples have been sent to marine scientists for analysis.