National Geographic photo of the day for March 3, 2014 is a stunning capture of a wide mouthed bluefin tuna by NG photographer Brian Skerry. The photo is released in tandem with an article on bluefin tuna in the print magazine this month. From the National Geographic website, Brian Skerry talks about his experience photographing these magnificent fish underwater:

In the dark, chilly waters they materialized—massive beings with large eyes that I knew were watching my every move from deep below long before I ever saw them. The fish were nearly 10 feet in length and several feet thick, weighing around 1,000 pounds, and moved unlike anything else I had seen underwater.

Spinning around in circles I would see them rocket up from the depths, turn on a dime while flashing colors, then disappear back into the gloom. At least a dozen of them swam around me, and I scanned all axes trying to follow their movements. As they passed by I rolled in the wake of their mighty bulk.

Mesmerized by this fluid scene, I forced myself out of the trance I was in and began making pictures, but just kept repeating over and over in my head, “these are perfect oceanic creatures.” They were the creatures that had haunted my dreams and stirred my soul. Feeling at times like Ahab, I’d pursued these animals for almost two decades; a quest not to capture, but to photograph. And finally, I was here, on assignment for National Geographic magazine, tasked with bringing back images of these elusive and enigmatic beasts. I was in the northern realm of the last of the giants. I was swimming with Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Read the full article here.

Find the full size photo of the day here.