This wide-eyed fish appears to have gotten muddled as it attempts to swim in the opposite direction to the rest of its huge shoal.

The comical photograph captures the bigeye trevally fish facing the opposite way to its many companions in the ocean at Cabo Pulmo National Park, Mexico.

Photographer and conservationist Octavio Aburto has spent three years documenting the fish at the Mexican beauty spot, and produced this stunning series of images of the ‘incredible tornado’ formed by the creatures during courtship.

Mr Aburto, who was born in Mexico City, said: ‘In the afternoon, these fish form a massive spawning aggregation around the reefs of the National Park.

‘The diver in the image is David Castro, a local divemaster of Cabo Pulmo who has been working together with his family, in the protection of the Park that has been closed to any fishing activities for the last 17 years.

‘I have been trying to capture this image ever since I saw the behaviour of these fish and witnessed the incredible tornado that they form during courtship. So, I guess you could say this image took almost three years to take,’ Mr Aburto said.

‘I enjoy the marine photography a lot. The seascapes, the colours, the amazing species are just part of the motivation that I have to continue doing underwater photography.

‘I believe that I can make the biggest contribution to conservation and management issues for marine ecosystems by translating natural history and scientific issues into images that can directly impact and influence public perception, practices by local people, and government policy.

‘If good science is supported with strong images, photography can be an effective tool that draws widespread attention to conservation issues, thus pressing decision-makers to look after natural resources,’ he added.

 Beneath the waves: The fish cluster together to form an ‘incredible tornado’ during their courtship, as seen in these pictures taken in the Gulf of California