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Photographer Takes Incredible Image of a Crashing Wave That Looks Like a Human Face

By Jessica Stewart on January 18, 2023

Photographer Cody Evans enjoys capturing all types of imagery. His Instagram is filled with photos of birds, motocross, and stormy landscapes. One particularly stormy day in Ontario brought Evans to Lake Erie. While there, he took an estimated 10,000 photos of the crashing waves. Once home, he viewed the images on his computer and that's when one stood apart from the rest. There it was, clear as could be—a face in the waves.

Evans was amazed by what he saw, stating that it look as though Poseidon's face was emerging from the water. Indeed, the wave has all the features you'd expect on a face. Its sunken eyes, protruding nose, and slight mouth are even topped by a messy mop of hair.

In the three years that Evans has visited Lake Erie to photograph the waves, he's never seen anything like it. “I was kind of blown away,” he shared. “You see a lot of stuff like that in waves and in clouds, but to have it clear like that was just unreal. That photo sure stood out of all the rest.”

The image was taken in November, a time of year when strong gales of wind fly across the Great Lake. According to Environment Canada meteorologist Daniel Liota, these gusts typically occur as fall turns into winter due to the water still being relatively warm in comparison to the surrounding air. The winds travel a long distance across the water, picking up speed and causing large waves.

As these gusts are a yearly occurrence, Evans is already planning his return to see what else he can capture in these dynamic waves.