WATCH: How a fish and a scuba diver maintained their extraordinary friendship for more than 3 decades

From the front, the fish appear to have a human face if you look closely. Picture: Wikipedia

From the front, the fish appear to have a human face if you look closely. Picture: Wikipedia

Published Jun 14, 2023

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There are many tall tales in fishing lore. Almost all tales feature a fisherman capturing a fish, not the other way around, whether it be ‘’the one that got away’’ or ‘’the one that jumped right into the boat.’’

But in a story right out of Disney, a cute sea creature from Tateyama Bay in Japan has won the heart of one man through a friendship that has lasted for almost three decades.

Although it may seem unbelievable, Tateyama Bay in Japan has a touching tale to share about the friendship that lasted for almost 30 years between a local diver and a fish.

Hiroyuki Arakawa, a scuba diver, first encountered Yoriko, an Asian sheepshead wrasse, while overseeing the construction of a Shinto temple gate about 17m below the bay's surface. This is reported to GoodNewsNetwork.

When he was 18 years old, he first took up diving. He told Upworthy News that being in the sea might make you feel quite alone.

He continued, ‘’It's your own world. Nothing makes Arakawa happier than being in the deep waters,’’ he claimed in the Great Big Story. In 2021, he turned 79, and he still cherished deep-water diving. One of the pleasures of his diving is his friendship with Yoriko.

They can communicate with one another, he claimed in the interview. He clarifies that they don't even talk to one another. He claims that he is the only person she will allow to kiss her because he has already done it.

From the front, the fish appears to have a human face if you look closely. Apparently, you'll notice someone you know when you look really closely. Yoriko came to visit him despite having a severe injury to her mouth, which he discovered on one of these dives.

Arakawa spent the following 10 days hand-feeding Yoriko meat from crabs that he pounded open for her at the temple gate after realising that she might not be able to collect her own food.

According to Arakawa, feeding an animal will attract its attention. But to touch or engage with them is more difficult to do," he said on IGN Boards.

Following a speedy recovery from her wounds, Yoriko and he grew closer. He is unsure if it is due to the kobudai's nature or not. He asserts that it is most likely as a result of their mutual sense of trust.

Arkawa would surmise that Yoriko is aware of his actions in saving her and assisting her while she was seriously hurt. He is, therefore, pleased with their unique relationship, according to Arakawa.

He told the news outlet that he feels an incredible sense of fulfilment in his heart.