Tim Samuel, an Australian photographer, captured a once-in-a-lifetime shot while free diving off The Pass in Byron Bay, on New South Wales’ north coast. The incredible images depict the bizarre sight of a fish trapped inside a jellyfish. Even more unusual, the trapped fish, according to Samuel, was able to control where the jellyfish moved, much like a twisted version of a living and breathing submarine.
The shots appear to capture the poor little fish’s expression of utter horror (or perhaps confusion?) while confined to his jelly-prison. Samuel, who has been a photographer for over five years and a surfing instructor before that, claims to have never seen anything like this in all his years on the water.
Despite the fish’s concerned expression, Ian Tibbetts, an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, told Australian Geographic, “it’s difficult to tell whether disaster has just struck, or whether the fish is happy to be in there.” Some fish species seek refuge beneath the stingers of jellyfish, so perhaps this little guy just missed his mark. In any case, Samuel’s photos are unquestionably the oddest sight of the day.
