Rare species of oarfish found and photographed on the Great Barrier Reef, the first time in history

A reef guide has spotted a rare and bizarre species of fish on the Great Barrier Reef, the first time the creature has ever been captured on camera on the Eastern Seaboard. FIND OUT MORE

AN oarfish has been sighted and captured on camera at the Great Barrier Reef for the first time in history.

Master reef guide Tahn Miller snapped the rare “swordlike” fish at Opal Reef while leading a midday snorkel tour for Wavelength Reef Cruises on June 16.

“It’s insane, I feel pretty ecstatic,” he said.

“I’ve worked out there for 12 years, three hours in the water every day, five days a week. You think you’ve seen it all then something new just appears and your senses go into overload. I knew straight away it was something special.”

Mr Miller’s colleague Jorja Gilmore, a marine biologist working with Wavelength, was the first to spot the fish and quickly attracted the attention of the group.

“I’ve always got my camera on me for times like this,” he said.

“We were on the surface and she yelled out to me. There was this elusive tiger shark hanging around at the time. I thought it was that so I rushed over. At first, it looked like a crayfish’s feeler wrapped in a jellyfish tentacle. Every time I tried to get footage it turned away; it was paper thin. It’s sides looked like polished steel.”

Mr Miller first contacted a large group of local reef experts to identify the creature, but it wasn’t until he made contact with the world’s leading oarfish expert, Dr Tyson Roberts, that the oarfish’s identify was confirmed as unique.

“This is the first record of this species on the Great Barrier Reef and on the eastern seaboard of Australia,” said Dr Roberts.

Mr Miller said the discovery made him feel that the ocean and the reef still had many secrets to share.

“Most of the species were discovered in the 50s and 60s. Now, since the bleaching, so many more people are looking at the reef.

There’s more species being found. There’s more fish being found. Maybe it proves the fish are starting to spread around the ocean.”

“I will be looking for an oarfish every day of my life for the benefit of my customers.”

Originally published as Rare species of oarfish found and photographed on the Great Barrier Reef, the first time in history