Egypt's environment ministry said it has been "racing against time" for the third day in a row to save a rare gigantic ocean sunfish that was found on the Red Sea shore, having been critically injured by another sea creature.

The 2.1 metre ocean sunfish, or mola, was found alive on the shore of Abu Galoum in Egypt's South Sinai, the ministry said in a statement early Thursday.

A team of the ministry's nature reserve officials, environmental police and divers inspected the mola, the heaviest of all bony fish, and said it was attacked by a sea creature that had crushed one of the ventral fins, which the fish uses to control its movement.

The injury prevented the fish from swimming normally, until it ultimately washed ashore, the ministry said.

Environment Minister Khalid Fahmy said an emergency team has been following up on the mola's condition.

Using nets, the ministry's rescue team has transferred and kept the fish in shallow waters off the Gulf of Aqaba to keep it alive, the ministry added.

The Egyptian marine forces have also provided a specialised ship with a large aquarium to transfer the fish to the Red Sea city of Hurghada where necessary medical tests will be conducted and a prosthetic fin built for the sunfish. If it survives, the mola will be kept under observation until it recovers.

Mola, which feed on jellyfish and small fish, are found in temperate and tropical oceans around the world. They are frequently seen near the surface but hardly ever each the shore.

Mola are often mistaken for sharks when their huge dorsal fins emerge above the water. They are, however, harmless to people.

Rescue work of the mola underway in Abu Galoum in Egypt's South Sinai (Photo: Egypt's ministry of environment)

Photo of the sunfish during rescue work released by the environment ministry on Thursday, May 4, 2017