Incredible Photo Sequence "Eyes Bigger than the Stomach"

View the Full Sequence of a Sea Snake Eating a Catfish, an Ocean Art winning shot by Jack Berthomier

Text and Photos By Jack Berthomier

21^st July 2014:  It’s winter in New Caledonia. I’m diving at Ouemo, which I usually do at least three or four times a week. Ouemo is a bay in Noumea bordered by a road on one side and on the other side by a little mangrove swamp approximately 100m long – very contaminated but also very rich in juveniles of all species. Best of all, it’s only 10 minutes from home.

Sea: calm. Visibility: 3m. I’ve been swimming for almost two hours in Cannon Bay when I see a snake (Hydrophis major) around 60cm long near the surface. In its mouth it is holding a catfish (Plotosus lineatus) that it has just caught.

It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch this rare act of predation and even more so to be able to photograph it! In fact, this was the second time I’ve taken such photos – the first time, the snake was approximately 1.30m long and I was highly aware that these snakes can sometimes be very aggressive and their venom can be lethal (a small specimen has already bitten my fin twice). The snakes eat only live prey and the catfish is one of their favourites... So, for about 10 minutes, I shot almost 60 photos of the meal until the snake left, its belly full.

View the gear Jack used, settings and the Ocean Art prize he won

Full Photo Sequence: Hydrophis Major Attack

Photo #1 - Hydrophis Major Sequence

Photo #2 - Hydrophis Major Sequence

Photo #3 - Hydrophis Major Sequence

Photo #4 - Hydrophis Major Sequence

Photo #5 - Hydrophis Major Sequence

Photo #6 - Hydrophis Major Sequence

Photo #7 - Hydrophis Major Sequence

View all the Ocean Art winning images

About the Author

Jack Berthomier, 68 years old. Free diver since he was 15 years old. Skin diver and competitor for 30 years at the highest level. A fin swimming champion, he was seized by a passion for underwater photography in March 2010. Since then, he has won several prizes: 3^rd and 7^th in the World Festival Contest; 2^nd and 1^st in the Ocean Art Contest in the “Behaviour” category; and a few 1^st and 2^nd rankings in New Caledonian underwater photography festivals. Since January 2013, he has used a Sony RX100 with a Nauticam housing. He doesn’t use external flash lights as they are too bulky when free-diving.

www.flickr.com/photos/caledojack

Further Reading

• Underwater Photography for Beginners

• UWPG's Best Destinations for Underwater Photography

• Lighting Fundamentals for Underwater Photography

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