09/24/2024
**Story behind the shot**
“When I’m in the water with them, I can’t help but feel like I am in the Jurassic seas with their dinosaur-esque aura, and the remote ragged cliffs that surround me.”
Jade Hoksbergen came 2nd place overall in the Oceanographic Magazine Ocean Photographer of the Year awards 2024 for her amazing image of a Northern Gannet in Shetland.
Here's the story behind the shot…
"This image is taken in Noss (Shetland, UK) and it features a Northern Gannet doing quite a remarkable thing: like a torpedo, it dives into the ocean at speeds up to 50mph, from as high as 50m above in the sky, and reaching as deep as 15m in one plunge in order to catch prey (locating their underwater prey from the sky purely by sight). They have special adaptations which allow them to be masters of both sky and sea such as the ability to switch from aerial to underwater vision, and a flexible sclera that allows for changes in pressure due to depth.
When I took this photo, I was snorkelling. Some metres away from me, on the boat, were my two daughters (aged 3 and 6 at the time) watching the very same birds but from the surface. It was a special moment, to be able to share this with my kids, to be doing something I love, with the people I love. A moment I will forever remember."
