Jason Breen is no stranger to wildlife encounters. As an avid surfer and water sportsman, he’s seen lots of marine animals around his home in Sydney, Australia. In fact, a few years ago, a humpback whale rocketed out of the water right in front of his board.
When Breen recently heard about a huge animal trapped in a tidal pool, the nature lover knew he had to help.
The animal was a blue groper, a large Australian fish known for their bright colored scales and big lips. According to the Australian Marine Conservation Society, blue gropers are notorious among snorkelers and divers for their “friendly and inquisitive natures.”
This blue groper had been washed into the tidal pool during a big storm and got stuck when the waves receded. Now, after a week in the tidal pool with no food, he desperately needed to get back to the ocean.
“He had to be saved, or he was gonna die,” Breen said in a video for The Dodo.
Breen hopped into the tidal pool and began encouraging the fish.
“I’m talking to him, saying, ‘It’s all right,’” Breen said.
Miraculously, the blue groper swam right into his rescuer’s net, as if he knew Breen was there to help.
“They’re very, very friendly fish,” Breen said. “They are like a puppy dog of the ocean.”
Breen quickly ran across the rocks and deposited the blue groper back into the ocean. Watching the fish swim away, Breen felt immense satisfaction.
“It was an unbelievable experience,” Breen said. “I just felt very privileged and very in touch with the ocean.”
Breen thought he’d never see the blue groper again. But it turns out, their story wasn’t over quite yet.
“The next morning, when I went for a surf, he was there,” Breen said. “I would like to think he swam up to say thank you.”
