A tragic video has resurfaced showing the terrifying final moments of an acclaimed photographer being pulled into a whirlpool.
Jacob Cockle, a renowned photographer known for his daring captures of the sea, lost his life at the age of 28, driven by his pursuit of sensational footage.
Despite accolades from esteemed institutions like National Geographic and The Sunday Times for his sea photography, Cockle was renowned for pushing boundaries, often employing risky tactics to capture the perfect shot, as reported by the BBC.
From a very early age, Cockle would skip school and travel to the beach with his surfboard to catch some waves with his friends.
Following the tragic death of his sister, Grace, Cockle vowed to grab life with both hands. His girlfriend Rachel told the BBC: "He thought, as a young beautiful woman she did not do anything in life to deserve that, there was no karma to it, it was just cruel.
"He felt like he needed to live his life for her as well as for himself. Maybe that's why he lived his life twice as hard."
Described by acquaintances as a "daredevil" consumed by his passion for the ocean, Cockle's curiosity proved to be fatal.
Shortly after securing a £28,000 ($35,000) expedition to Antarctica, a lifelong dream, tragedy struck.
On the day in question, Cockle filmed a whirlpool forming in Hayle Harbor, Cornwall, aiming to capture unprecedented footage. However, driven by his relentless pursuit of innovation, he ventured out once more, donning a horse head prop.
In a quest for a unique perspective, Cockle, equipped with his GoPro camera, plunged into the whirlpool, never to resurface.
His friend, Barnaby Courtney, remembered Cockle's passion and described him as someone who made others believe in magic. "He had these crazy eyes that looked like the sea, his hair was always unkempt, he always looked happy," Courtney reminisced.
Cockle's mother, Carolyn, echoed sentiments of his deep connection with the ocean, expressing that once he got into the water, he was impossible to retrieve.
Despite the rarity of the phenomenon, occurring only a few times a year, Cockle seized the opportunity, enlisting a friend to document his encounter with the whirlpool.
Artist David Raine, who initially saw it as a lighthearted adventure, soon witnessed the turn of events. "It looks a powerful one," Raine remarked, to which Cockle responded: "Ah yeah, earlier on it was really scary. It's safe as now, though."
However, tragedy struck swiftly as Cockle vanished beneath the surface, failing to resurface despite frantic efforts.
His mother's words reflect the lasting impact of his death: "There is never a day that I don't think about it."
