'Sunny' A Butterflyfish Loves to Greet His Favorite Diver and Bring Her Treasures

2-Year friendship with ‘Sunny’ a Butterflyfish who recognizes her, swims to say Hi

The sparkling turquoise waters of French Polynesia

An incredible tale of the relationship between a fish and a diver is showcased in a fascinating video. The diver started noticing peculiar behavior in a tiny fish and decided to document it.

Rachel has over 2000 dives under her belt, but she has never seen such behavior in a fish. The first time they encountered the fish, Sonny, they thought it was just a coincidence that the fishy acted so strangely.

The research diver from Ventura, California, who’s sailed and dived all around the world, shared how their unusual and enlightening underwater friendship formed and blossomed.

“We had just arrived in Moorea and it was one of our first dives there and immediately I saw this little fish just come straight up to me, and I thought that was weird,” Rachel told The Epoch Times. “Other parts of the island where they’re diving that we visit, sometimes they feed fish and the fish are very friendly; they come up looking for food. But on this dive site, they don’t feed the fish.

“It was just unusual to have a wild animal approach you like this. And he followed us for almost 45 minutes. It was a unique experience.”

When they returned, a couple of weeks later, they recognize him from the markings on his head, and these distinct spots make him recognizable from the other butterflyfish on the reef. It is almost as if the fish enjoys their company and his actions are inexplicable. That, and his unique behavior, of course.

“It was about a couple weeks later, three or four weeks later, we went back and sure enough the same little fish comes up. And at first, I didn’t believe it was the same one, and my husband was like, ‘There’s no way it’s the same fish,’” she recalled. “I compared his markings to the video from the first dive, and sure enough, it was him.

“Then after that, we just kept going back to visit him and he’s always there after two years. So even when we’re gone for six months, we’ll come back and he’s just as eager to see us.”

The fish leads them around the reef and points out interesting things that the divers want to see, like a barracuda and a sleeping turtle. It is almost as if the fish is their own underwater tour guide.

“After a while, I started noticing his behaviors, I would see what was normal and what wasn’t, and every once in a while, he would do this weird behavior,” she said. “He turned on his side kind of and he went really fast through the water column, straight down to the reef. I followed him down and then he moved his body away from this hole, and right inside of it was this little baby eel. And he’s taken us to show us turtles and all kinds of other little critters on the reef.”

Fish Loves To Greet His Favorite Diver And Bring Her Gifts | The Dodo Soulmates

That a little fish, with a tiny brain, could form a friendship and change someone’s life as much as Sonny has Rachel’s is remarkable. It’s even changed her perspective on life.

“He’s changed my beliefs on so many things. Part of that feels like he’s a little soulmate. It’s really hard to describe because I’ve taken other people out to meet him. It seems like we have a really special connection,” she said. “I don’t know if it was predestined or something that we just created. And I don’t know how many people would go out over two years to hang out with a fish, but maybe because I am willing to go and spend the time with him. He’s willing to spend the time with me.”

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