SNAP-CHAT

Justin Gilligan on giant spider crabs and holding hands with an octopus

- Justin Gilligan

How did your career start?

I learned to dive aged 14 and started taking pictures underwater shortly afterwards. There were some easily accessible dive locations on the east coast of Australia where I grew up, with reefs and ledges adorned in a living veneer of macro and invertebrate life. I instantly fell in love with its natural beauty, and the sense of exploration that comes from spending time underwater.

Which of your images means the most to you, and why?

My image entitled A Diet of Deadly Plastic won 'Oceans: The Bigger Category' in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. It shows a record-breaking 403 pieces of plastic removed from the digestive tract of a flesh-footed shearwater. It is a horrible picture, but I'm grateful to have been able to communicate the story through the competition.

What's been your most memorable encounter with marine wildlife?