Photographer snaps the incredible moment a bait ball of sardines morph into an eerie shape

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:41, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 00:44, 28 May 2026 A photographer has captured the incredible moment a bait ball of sardines morphed into a terrifying shape.  Ben Yavar was diving off the coast of Moalboal in the Philippines when he came across the school of fish.  Moving towards it, he pulled out his camera under water and began taking photos of the shimmering mass of aquatic life.  In one eerie photo, the sardines briefly formed into what appears to be a grinning skull.  The fish formed two hollowed eyes that were seen above a row of teeth.  The photo was taken in a part of the world where millions of sardines gather in huge, synchronised balls just a few metres from shore.  Unlike other migratory runs sardines make, these huge conglomerations are seen every day.  But Ben described the rare moment he captured on his camera as one of those where 'the ocean decides to shapeshift.' The school of fish formed an eerie-looking skull for a brief moment that was captured by photographer Ben Yavar No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.