The Unlikely Meeting

An 85-year-old diver has maintained a friendship with a fish that began 30 years ago. Hiroyuki Arakawa still visits his underwater friend nearly every day. Their story began when Hiroyuki was working on a special project beneath the waves.

Hiroyuki was part of a scuba team that built an underwater Shinto shrine back in the nineties. During one of his dives, he spotted something concerning - a sheepshead wrasse with a badly damaged mouth.

A Helping Hand

Hiroyuki knew the injured fish wouldn't be able to feed itself. The mouth injury was too severe. Instead of swimming past, he decided to help the struggling creature.

With care and patience, he cracked open shellfish using his hammer and fed the wounded wrasse. This wasn't a one-time act of kindness. Hiroyuki returned to feed the fish five times every day for ten days straight.

Soon, the injury healed. The fish could feed herself again. But something unexpected had happened during those feeding sessions.

A Bond Forms

The fish had formed a strong connection with the man who saved her. Each day that Hiroyuki worked at the shrine site, she would swim up to greet him. She followed him around during his dives, whether he had food or not.

Hiroyuki began looking forward to these underwater meetings too. He named his fishy friend Yoriko, making their bond official.

Thirty Years of Friendship

After the shrine was completed, Hiroyuki was given the job of overseeing it. This meant he could continue visiting the site - and Yoriko - on a regular basis.

Three decades later, their routine remains unchanged. When Hiroyuki arrives for a dive, he rings an underwater bell near the shrine. This special signal lets Yoriko know her human friend has arrived. She then swims up to join him for his underwater journey.

More Than Just a Fish

For Hiroyuki, this unusual friendship means the world. When describing their bond, he speaks of "an amazing sense of accomplishment" in his heart.

Their story shows how connections can form between the most different creatures. It reminds us that friendship can happen anywhere - even beneath the waves between a human and a fish.