# The coolest fish I’ve ever seen



## BettaloverSara (Oct 15, 2020)

I’ve been a scuba diver since I was in my early 20’s. I’ve done dives all over the world but by far the best was at the Great Barrier Reef. On our way to the dive site, the dive master warned that there was a fish that would be unnerving at first. They called him “Wally” and warned that he would bump my hand over and over until I gave him some pets. I honestly thought he must be joking, there are usually laws against touching the wildlife when on a dive. But as soon as we got in the water, there was Wally. He came swimming up to us and sure enough started bumping our hands like a dog or cat would. He would go from person to person, get a few rubs on the head or under his chin (his fave spot) and move to the next. He followed us the entire dive, requesting pats along the way. Now I’m aware that they probably feed him, however he seemed to genuinely enjoy our company.
They are highly territorial fish, the dive guide said his cousin “George” lives miles away at another reef. It is said that they “thrive” on human interaction. I’m not sure if I believe that but he didn’t seem to be bothered one bit. Unfortunately they seemed to have made his part of the reef into quite a tourist attraction. I guess he gets a lot more attention now. When we were there it was quite a quiet spot, only two charters a day went out to that specific area.
He’s called a Maori wrasse if you are interested in googling. Apparently Wally has an Instagram following as well. I thought some folks would find him interesting.
It also looks in the photo like I am holding him. I promise you he was swimming through my hands and I had no grip on him. And I forgot to mention, he is HUGE! At least half my size but probably more.


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## aidan_1549 (Nov 28, 2020)

BettaloverSara said:


> I’ve been a scuba diver since I was in my early 20’s. I’ve done dives all over the world but by far the best was at the Great Barrier Reef. On our way to the dive site, the dive master warned that there was a fish that would be unnerving at first. They called him “Wally” and warned that he would bump my hand over and over until I gave him some pets. I honestly thought he must be joking, there are usually laws against touching the wildlife when on a dive. But as soon as we got in the water, there was Wally. He came swimming up to us and sure enough started bumping our hands like a dog or cat would. He would go from person to person, get a few rubs on the head or under his chin (his fave spot) and move to the next. He followed us the entire dive, requesting pats along the way. To get the photo they had us kneel and hold out or hands, Wally did the rest. Now I’m aware that they probably feed him, however he seemed to genuinely enjoy our company. They are highly territorial fish, the dive guide said his cousin “George” lives miles away at another reef. Unfortunately they seemed to have made his part of the reef into quite a tourist attraction. When we were there it was quite a quiet spot, only two charters a day went out to that specific spot.
> He’s called a Mauri wrasse if you are interested in googling. Apparently Wally has an Instagram following as well. I thought some folks would find him interesting.
> It also looks in the photo like I am holding him. I promise you he was swimming through my hands and I had no grip on him. Also I forgot to mention, he is HUGE! At least half my size but probably more.
> View attachment 1027878
> View attachment 1027879


That is a cool looking fish, I would love to go diving down by a reef.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## BettaloverSara (Oct 15, 2020)

aidan_1549 said:


> That is a cool looking fish, I would love to go diving down by a reef.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You should! Diving is incredible! Most dive shops will do shallow “discovery” dives if you aren’t certified.


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## BettaloverSara (Oct 15, 2020)

I usually try to find the spots where the locals dive. I worked on a cruise ship for a year so I was able to find some pretty cool spots. I hate spots that have a ton of traffic or are netted but I also think the barrier reef is struggling and so they may not have as many dive options as they did a decade ago.


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## Feanor (Nov 13, 2020)

This must have been an amazing experience!
I share your passion for diving - it‘s such a quiet and miraculous world down there.
But I never met a fish like him! Only Manatees who wanted to be rubbed underneath their flippers...


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## BettaloverSara (Oct 15, 2020)

Feanor said:


> This must have been an amazing experience!
> I share your passion for diving - it‘s such a quiet and miraculous world down there.
> But I never met a fish like him! Only Manatees who wanted to be rubbed underneath their flippers...


Oooh I’ve never seen manatees! I did dive with sea lions and it was quite terrifying. They are like 500 pound torpedoes that like to play chicken with you. I didn’t like it.
This guy was so neat. I am not one who likes to touch or disturb anything when I dive but he gave me no choice. 😂


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## SkyCloud (Oct 31, 2020)

Goodness, Wally is such a big fish! Diving looks awesome, I really want to get certified one day and just explore those cool diving spots. It must be wonderful under the water.


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## BettaloverSara (Oct 15, 2020)

SkyCloud said:


> Goodness, Wally is such a big fish! Diving looks awesome, I really want to get certified one day and just explore those cool diving spots. It must be wonderful under the water.


It only takes a few days, I highly recommend it to anyone who is able.


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## Mother Of Fish (Feb 11, 2021)

He is so coll looking! I would love to go on a dive, but then again I'm in MN lol 😋


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## BettaloverSara (Oct 15, 2020)

Mother Of Fish said:


> He is so coll looking! I would love to go on a dive, but then again I'm in MN lol 😋


I’m in prairie Alberta Canada...we have to travel to dive 😜


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Thank you so much for sharing Wally. A pleasure to read.


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## Katlyn Josephine (Feb 3, 2015)

That's really cool, wish I could also dive. it must be awesome to see different kinds of fish underwater


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## BettaloverSara (Oct 15, 2020)

Katlyn Josephine said:


> That's really cool, wish I could also dive. it must be awesome to see different kinds of fish underwater


I've been a fish lover my whole life so diving has been such a joy for me. I highly recommend it


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## Katlyn Josephine (Feb 3, 2015)

BettaloverSara said:


> I've been a fish lover my whole life so diving has been such a joy for me. I highly recommend it


Thanks, will definitely try it out soon


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## Amazingkatie123 (Mar 29, 2021)

BettaloverSara said:


> I’ve been a scuba diver since I was in my early 20’s. I’ve done dives all over the world but by far the best was at the Great Barrier Reef. On our way to the dive site, the dive master warned that there was a fish that would be unnerving at first. They called him “Wally” and warned that he would bump my hand over and over until I gave him some pets. I honestly thought he must be joking, there are usually laws against touching the wildlife when on a dive. But as soon as we got in the water, there was Wally. He came swimming up to us and sure enough started bumping our hands like a dog or cat would. He would go from person to person, get a few rubs on the head or under his chin (his fave spot) and move to the next. He followed us the entire dive, requesting pats along the way. Now I’m aware that they probably feed him, however he seemed to genuinely enjoy our company.
> They are highly territorial fish, the dive guide said his cousin “George” lives miles away at another reef. It is said that they “thrive” on human interaction. I’m not sure if I believe that but he didn’t seem to be bothered one bit. Unfortunately they seemed to have made his part of the reef into quite a tourist attraction. I guess he gets a lot more attention now. When we were there it was quite a quiet spot, only two charters a day went out to that specific area.
> He’s called a Maori wrasse if you are interested in googling. Apparently Wally has an Instagram following as well. I thought some folks would find him interesting.
> It also looks in the photo like I am holding him. I promise you he was swimming through my hands and I had no grip on him. And I forgot to mention, he is HUGE! At least half my size but probably more.
> ...



That is amazing I’ve always wanted to go diving!


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## itsme_bettafishlover (Mar 16, 2021)

He really is an interesting fish. I would love to go diving!  lol


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