Justin Gilligan captured this breathtaking image of the ocean’s most feared predator off the coast of South Africa.
Before I’d even boarded the plane to photograph Great White Sharks in South Africa, I knew that an above-water image of a predatory shark in flight was at the top of my shot list. The perfect location to capture such an event is a remote rocky outpost aptly named Seal Island, in False Bay near Cape Town. Here, Cape fur seals seek shelter amongst the surging swells of the Atlantic Ocean, creating the perfect setting for one of nature’s most dramatic examples of predation.
Beyond the surface, in the dark waters surrounding the island, great white sharks patrol submerged canyon walls which perfectly conceal their presence from seals returning to the island. The sharks rely on their vision to spot the seal silhouettes and then rocket upwards to capture them unawares in a predatory ambush strike, which quite often results in the shark breaking the surface of the water in a spectacular flurry of teeth and fins.
On this particularly wet and stormy morning I wasn’t holding out much hope for a productive photography session. In fact, I was more distracted by distant dreams of my pillow and blanket as I lay on the deck of the uncomfortably wet and rocking boat with my camera poised. Then, as the sun rose, there was a small gap on the horizon that created a spectacular momentary beam of light across the wild, windblown waterway.
As if on cue, the massive bulk of an adult Great White broke through the surface of the water at high speed, which caused me to first flinch, and then get my index finger down to unleash the motor drive of my camera like a Gatling gun. It seemed like it was all over in less than a second. Cheers rang out across the desolate bay, as the storm clouds once again enveloped the scene and the turbid water subsided. It was the only time I witnessed a Great White Shark that day, but what a rare and almighty encounter it was.
Nikon D300, 120-400mm @ 120mm, 1/2000s @ F/4.5, ISO 640. Photo by Justin Gilligan.
Photo by Justin Gilligan.
