A gentle wind stirred the deck of the vessel Glaucus as marine photographer David Jara Bogunyà readied his underwater camera. He’d come to the waters off Tenerife hoping to capture images of sharks, but found something else gliding toward the surface instead.

The silhouette was small, no more than six inches long, but its toothy grin and unblinking eyes belonged to the deep ocean’s own enigma: the black seadevil anglerfish.

🐟 Angler Fish — Large deep-sea females can reach 1.2 meters (4 feet), but most are between 20-40 cm (8-16 inches). Males are much smaller, often just a few centimeters, as they live parasitically on females. pic.twitter.com/8ghYA6IFnf

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“It was like a dream come true,” said Bogunyà, who dove alongside his colleagues to film a creature rarely observed outside its usual habitat, thousands of feet below. The fish’s jet-black skin, sharp fangs, and glowing lure often haunt the darkest depths between 650 and 6,500 feet.

Seeing it near the sunlit shallows made even seasoned biologists pause. “When I first saw the video, I honestly didn’t believe what I was seeing,” said fish biologist Kory Evans.

A Rare Glimpse at the Surface

Scientists have proposed several theories for why this anglerfish ventured into water far brighter than its usual domain. Some say it might have swallowed prey with an inflated swim bladder, sending it drifting upward.

Others wonder if volcanic activity near the Canary Islands’ seabed encouraged a sudden rise in temperature, disorienting the fish. A chase by larger predators could also have driven the seadevil into unfamiliar territory.

Rare deep-sea anglerfish seen for the first time in broad daylight off the coast of Tenerife last week.
Usually they are found at depths of between 200 and 2,000 metres in the dark waters.
Sadly, it was in poor condition and only survived for a few hours but for his last day, he… pic.twitter.com/Qf1HQpEdvA

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Bruce Robison of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute called this event “a really rare event to see a deep-sea critter like that close to the surface.” Robison has spent decades exploring the twilight and midnight zones, areas of the ocean that remain shrouded in near-perpetual darkness.

“The deep ocean habitat is the largest living space on Earth, and it’s home to most of the animals that live on this planet. We are exceptions,” he said. Moments like these, in his view, remind us how little we know about what lurks below.

Preserving a Window into the Deep

Although the black seadevil died shortly after filming, scientists still gleaned vital information. They plan to study the luminous organ on its head that helps it attract prey, along with its razor-edged jaws and flexible body designed for high-pressure realms.

Bogunyà donated the specimen to the Museum of Nature and Archaeology of Tenerife, where researchers can examine its physiology and perhaps understand more about the precarious balance of deep-sea life.

For anyone craving deeper insight into the mystery and wonder of the ocean, three recent books stand out. Below the Edge of Darkness by Edith Widder, a seasoned marine biologist, offers firsthand accounts of bioluminescent creatures. The Brilliant Abyss by Helen Scales explores evolving threats to deep-sea ecosystems. Finally, Deep by James Nestor investigates how humans and marine life interact in the ocean’s darkest spaces.

These glimpses of the black seadevil, captured in broad daylight, challenge our understanding of what is possible in the ocean’s hidden realms. They also inspire fresh respect for the uncharted darkness below. Even a small fish, rising on unseen currents, can open a window into an entirely different world.