Monster Oarfish, 18 Feet Long, Called 'Discovery of a Lifetime'

What began as a marine science instructor's leisurely snorkeling trip off the Southern California coast turned into the discovery of a monstrous legendary sea creature.

Jasmine Santana, a 26-year-old instructor for the Catalina Island Marine Institute, was snorkeling in Toyon Bay on Sunday afternoon when she saw a half-dollar sized eye staring at her from the sandy bottom. That eye belonged to an 18-foot-long oarfish, a find so rare, the institute hailed it as a "discovery of a lifetime" in a news release.

Crew members from the Catalina Island Marine Institute's Sailing School Vessel Tole Mour holds the 18-foot-long oarfish discovered in Toyon Bay on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013. Credit: Courtesy Catalina Island Marine Institute

Oarfish are the stuff of myth and legend, likely the stars of sea serpent tall tales throughout history. The longest of the bony fish species, they are rarely seen dead or alive.

Santana, who didn't have a camera with her at the time, decided to bring the massive fish, which was newly dead with the body almost fully intact, ashore.

"She said, 'I was thinking to myself, there's no way anyone is going to believe me," said Mark Waddington, the senior captain of the institute's sailing school training ship, Tole Mour.

Waddington, one of many instructors who take middle school-age students out on the institute's Guided Discoveries tours, told ABCNews.com that he and a group of instructors were unloading gear from the Tole Mour, when they spotted Santana about 150 feet away, trying to bring in the fish.

"I remember looking over and seeing her wrestling with it," he said. "When I saw the long tail, I thought, 'Oh that's got to be an oarfish.'"

Waddington said he and about 15 to 20 other people from boat rushed over to help Santana, who pulled the monster in 90 feet, before the waves helped push it onto the sand.

When he saw the size of the oarfish for the first time, Waddington said, "I was beside myself, I'm sure I said 'awesome' a lot."

"I had heard of it in studies, but never thought I would see one in person," he added