City scuba diver raises awareness on fish behaviour to protect ocean

On World Earth Day, Aravind Tharunsri had taken it upon himself to share videos on his friendship with fish near Chennai.

“It was in 2011 when I stumbled upon a grouper fish that was trapped in a net near Injambakkam. I released the fish and thought nothing of it. Later, when I went to the same area, the fish came up to me without any fear, which is unusual, when humans are scuba diving. Since then, the fish has been very friendly to me, rubbing against me just like a cat would when I’m in the water,” said Tharunsri.

The professional scuba diver with 23 years of experience stated that he has had similar interactions with other grouper fish and even sharks along the Chennai coast. Most interactions have occurred when the scuba diver would free fish from nets in the ocean.

While there are several conflicting studies on whether fish can form relationships with each other and with other species, Aravind explained that while he hopes more studies can be released on this, he wants to share these experiences with people to raise awareness on environmental safety.

“Over my years of being a scuba instructor, I’ve realised that many people have little to no knowledge of the coastline and the ocean in Chennai. Many people don’t consider preserving the ocean or aquatic species because they’re so detached from the ocean. I want people to see these videos of the fish swimming with me and being friendly with me, and with each other, and learn that their actions harm these species, ” he said, stating that these videos are shared through his social media accounts.

Aravind takes the example of the pandemic to drive home the impact humans have on the coastline. Before the pandemic, the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean was dangerously high, with scuba divers seeing fish trapped in small plastics almost daily. However, after the pandemic, the waste has decreased significantly, which has, in turn, positively affected the ecosystem. He hopes that his efforts will lead to more people changing their ways in the long term and keep the coastline safe.