A DIVER at the Blackpool Sea Life Centre has been adopted by a shoal of pilot fish which think he is a shark.

Every time marine expert Ashley Ball does a diving demonstration in the centre's enormous tropical shark display tank, the fish follow him around. Their bizarre behaviour is believed to be completely unique.

Normally pilot fish accompany sharks, rays and other large fish as they travel through the oceans. Some believe they stick close to sharks so that they can eat the remains of the sharks' prey and, in return, they clean the sharks, keeping them free from parasites.

Other experts think they stick close to larger fish simply as a way of protecting themselves from attack.

This shoal of fish are completely unimpressed by the huge variety of shark species which swim in the tank, but they are utterly smitten with Ashley.

A bemused Ashley said: "I suppose they've decided I'm large enough to offer them protection, so they swim around me."

Manager of the Promenade attraction Ian Crabbe said: "We've certainly never heard of them adopting divers at any other aquarium in the world, so Ashley should feel very honoured by all the attention he's getting."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.