Jaws blimey! Sharks on their annual feeding frenzy
A RARE shark feeding frenzy was captured by a photographer who dedicated 3,000 dive hours to getting the perfect shots.
Laurent Ballesta’s night images show the glimmering grey reef sharks hunting in packs and feasting on grouper.
Grouper fish in Fakarava Atoll, French Polynesia, spawn just once a year under a full summer moon for about 30 minutes.
In total, the images required 21 weeks of diving, day and night, over four years. The 44-year-old French photographer began his mission to photograph the annual event in 2014, even learning how to stay underwater for up to 24 hours at a time.
Ballesta said: “Night dives in the middle of the shark pack are very addictive.
“It’s the same place every night and every year, but everything changes from one night to the other.
“I tried to show a piece of true wild nature and how pristine wild predators can be beautiful even during violence.”
Shooting the wild animals posed a special challenge due to their speed, ocean currents and lack of light, he added.
“We never used shark cages, chainmail suits or shark-sticks.
“It seemed illogical to distance ourselves from the wild animals we wanted to understand.
“The secret of these photos is that there is no secret – just a lot of work.”