Page 20 - BBC Knowledge - October 2017 IN

nature
Snapshots

Swell snap

HAWAII, THE USA

Photographer Sash Fitzsimmons
claims he risked his life to take
this incredible image. And physicist
and oceanographer Dr Helen
Czerski agrees that it’s a dangerous
business.
“The energy of a barrel wave like
this one ultimately comes from the
wind pushing the ocean surface into
ripples and then up into bigger and
bigger waves,” she says. “As the
water gets shallower, that energy
is concentrated and the waves
steepen until they break in these
beautiful long barrels. One cubic
metre of water weighs a tonne, so
the rapid movement of this much
water represents a huge amount of
kinetic energy. Both the surfer and
the photographers need superb
judgement – and a bit of luck – to
stay safe.”
To take the photograph,
Fitzsimmons used a GoPro camera
with a fisheye lens. It was fitted with PHOTO: CATERS NEWS
a dome to push water away from the
camera, allowing him to capture the
action above and below the surface.
20
OCTOBER 2017