Horrifying video shows moment ‘daredevil’ gets sucked into deadly whirlpool where he died
A man who aimed to become a world famous photographer died tragically after being sucked into a whirlpool.
Jacob Cockle was a daredevil who captured many incredible images of the sea, often with himself in some moment of peril or excitement.
The Cornish man was a keen surfer and incorporated it into his work, with pictures of him just before he was struck by a wave and a shot of his friend surfing near a tanker in Sumatra make him a standout talent.
While he was able to travel all over the world, it was a dangerous spot close to home that would claim Jacob's life.
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In Cornwall there is a place called Hayle harbour where a whirlpool sporadically appears.
That's because under the water there's a sluice tunnel which drains into Carnsew Pool, a body of water created in 1830 to harness tidal movements.
As the water drains down it creates a vortex, and Jacob decided he wanted to swim around that vortex while being filmed.
The area had warning signs telling potential swimmers to stay away.
On 28 May, 2013, Jacob went to the whirlpool with David Raine, a friend who had agreed to film him, and the daredevil donned a horse mask in anticipation of the video going viral on YouTube.
The daredevil and his friend discussed how powerful the whirlpool was, with Jacob saying it was 'really scary' earlier in the day.
"It looks a powerful one," Raine had said.
Cockle shouted back: "Ah yeah, earlier on it was really scary.
"It's fine now because it's so deep but when I first got in I was a bit scared to be honest.
"It's safe as now, though."
After getting footage of himself being swirled around in the vortex, Jacob decided to get one more shot below the surface of the water.
He took a GoPro camera and dived beneath the surface, and that was the last time he was seen alive.
Having not surfaced, Raine tried calling out to him before rushing over to Carnsew Pool where the water drained out to ask fishermen whether they'd seen anyone.
They said they hadn't, but he then spotted Jacob floating face down in the water, and knew he was dead.
Footage from 2013 shows the final moments of 28-year-old James Cockle before he was sucked into a deadly whirlpool.
— Morbid Knowledge (@Morbidful) April 10, 2024
Over the years he gained high acclaim for his films and photos, notably capturing stunning 2011 images of two surfers being swept off a sea wall by 30ft waves and… pic.twitter.com/cGYgmxV8hF
The water had dragged Jacob through a 12 metre long underwater sluice tunnel, and then swept him 73 metres into Carnsew Pool
Barnaby Courtney, a friend of the daredevil, told the BBC: "He had these crazy eyes that looked like the sea, his hair was always unkempt, he always looked happy.
"He made you believe magic existed."
Jacob's mum Carolyn said her son 'loved the water' and 'once he was in you could never get him out'.
"There is never a day that I don't think about it," she said.
Joe Harker