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.

Cody Evans took thousands of photos of the crashing waves caused by gales of wind on Lake Erie. One incredible image even looked like a human face buried in the waves.