Three huge boats appear to float in air due to mind-bending illusion

Three huge boats appear to be floating in the air thanks to a mind-bending optical illusion.

First a tanker heading out to sea looks like it is above the horizon in the distance.

Then a cargo ship and another vessel going in opposite directions both also seem to be in the sky over the water.

The trio of boats were all spotted off Botany Bay Beach, near Margate, Kent.

Dog walker Erika Phillips saw the first one.

She said: “I got it when I was out walking the dog at 7am.

“It was like a flying ship in the sea, a fantastic illusion.”

Keen photographer Leigh Oxley saw two at once.

He said: “I was in the parking bays on my way to work and only had my phone on me.

“I saw them and had to stop and snap them.”

The illusion – spotted on Saturday (24 Jun) – is caused by a phenomena called Fata Morgana.

It is created by the warm air and the cold sea and refractions beens light downwards.

It is most often seen in polar regions or in deserts.

But there have been cases off UK shorelines in recent years.

Another boat in the ‘air’ created by Fata Morgana illusion (Credit Jam Press / Erika Phillips)

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