Tsunami fish spotted in Monterey Bay

A unique “Tsunami fish” was discovered at the breakwater wall off San Carlos Beach in Monterey.

Two dive masters of Bamboo Reef Dive Center, Nicholas Ta and Dennis Lewis have spotted the barred knife jaw typically only found in Asia.

Ta found the fish in 2014 and thought the fish looked peculiar.

“That’s not right that’s not any of the fish we have out here,” Ta said.

“that guy sticks out kind of like a sore thumb,” Lewis said.

Since October it has resurfaced and the divers have seen the fish pop multiple times.

Ta said in addition to him and Lewis, three others have officially spotted the Tsunami fish since October in Monterey Bay.

Other Knife Jaw have been spotted in Oregon and Washington, but since 2015 this has been the first time the barred knife jaw has been seen in the waters of Monterey Bay.

The divers suspect the fish got here from riding debris following the 2011 tsunami in Japan.

“Even though the locations unknown here for the tsunami debris its safe to assume it did bring it over here and drifted by leaving some individuals here,” Ta said.

“It just took a couple years for that debris to wash across the pacific and wash upon the west coast of the United States,” Lewis said.

Only an individual knife jaw has been seen, but Ta said there could be a few more living in Monterey Bay.

The fish was spotted for the first time in Del Monte.