One paddleboarder captured a huge sunfish that floated toward him from Laguna Beach, California.
Mathew Wheaton and Rich German were both on their boards as the huge sunfish approached.
During the short video, German says to Wheaton: ‘That might be the biggest sunfish that I’ve ever seen. It’s as big as your board.’
German uploaded the footage later to his Instagram, showing his friend kneeling at his board in order to take a closer look.
Mathew Wheaton and Rich German were paddling off Laguna Beach, California when they came across the massive sunfish.
By comparing the size of their boards to the length of the fish, the pair estimated that the fish measured approximately nine feet in length.
On December 2, the huge fish floated in slow motion towards the paddleboarders.
Sunfish are pictured at speeds of up to two miles per hour. They can also travel for 16 hours each day.
German says the fish was approximately nine feet long.
He wrote: ‘Mathew Weaton and I stumbled upon this massive sunfish only a couple hundred yards or so offshore yesterday.
‘According to the internet the largest one on record is 8’11”.
‘We didn’t have a measuring tape but Matt’s board is 14 foot long and the fish sure looked a solid 9 ft-plus.
It is always entertaining to observe these amazing creatures. Holy mola mola!
According to the Orange County Register the fish might break the record for world fishing catch.
German is a conservationist and author. He told OCR that he was just paddling when suddenly he said, “Oh my God!” This thing was enormous.
‘Most of my encounters are with dolphins and whales, but you never know what you’re going to see.’
Julianne Steers from the Beach Ecology Coalition thought the sunfish to be the biggest in the area. But, the only way to determine the exact size of the sunfish is by weighing it
German said: ‘Most of my encounters are with dolphins and whales, but you never know what you’re going to see’
Julianne Steers from the Beach Ecology Coalition claimed that Wharton and German spotted a fish larger than those normally found along Laguna Beach’s coastline.
She explained that only if it is out, weighed, and measured officially can you know.
It was initially believed that sunfish floated in ocean currents. But researchers now think they can swim up to 16 miles per night and travel 2 miles per hour.
Research suggests that the sunfish can travel up to 16 miles per day.
Sunfish are called a Mola Mola. These sunfishes are omnivores, can live for up to ten year and can weigh as much as two and a half tonnes.
Sunfish can become infested and are among the most heavy of all bony fish.
Sunfish can be extremely vulnerable, but they are completely harmless to us. After eating plastic bags, which they misunderstand as jellyfish, sunfish are often killed.