There’s the expression “fish out of water” for a reason. The idiom is used to describe someone who feels uncomfortable, unfamiliar, or out of place – just as a fish might feel outside of their watery home. See what they did there? That expression might apply to most fish, but not for this special Betta fish. His name? El Guapo. Yeah, it’s a pretty intense name, but he’s a pretty intense fish.

What makes El Guapo such a special fish? He’s not your average fish – he LOVES being a fish out of water.

When a red hoop is lowered down just above the water of this fish’s bowl, he jumps through the ring effortlessly, flying right out of the water and through the air! We’ve never seen a fish do anything like this before.

And this jumping wasn’t a one time coincidence; El Guapo will jump through the hoop every time it’s lowered in front of him. It doesn’t seem like there’s any treat on the other side waiting for him (although he might be given one after the video ends) so it could be that El Guapo just loves to get out of the water every now and again!

El Guapo is a Betta fish, also known as a Siamese fighting fish because of the naturally aggressive nature of this pet. I remember having Betta fish as a kid and being told to NEVER stick my fingers in the water; these fish (mainly the male fish) are volatile and will attack if something is in their space. In fact, Betta fish owners are encouraged to never put two of these fish in a bowl together, as they will attack and fatally injure their fellow fish.

With all this aggression also comes strength and speed in this species, to the degree that you usually wouldn’t see in an average household fish. This makes a little more sense why El Guapo can jump with such agility…it’s clear he’s not your everyday goldfish.

We wonder if it took a long time for whoever is shooting the video to train their fish this trick? I mean, we’re used to training dogs, but fish? I wonder what kind of a process that was like, or if El Guapo was just a natural jumper from the start. Either way, we’re boggled by his amazing ability! He is truly a fish out of water – in a good way.

What do you think about this unusual trick? Share your thoughts on El Guapo the amazing Betta fish in the comments section below.