discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 105How did you get into photography?
I tried being a normal person with a
respectable career, but that got old really
quickly. I started dabbling with underwater
photography and within a few years I had
traded business suits for wetsuits.
What shot is most meaningful to you?
In 2000, I met a juvenile sperm whale who
used me as a chew toy. We then became
best friends and spent three hours together.
One of the resulting photos, a shot into its
open mouth, won a major contest in Japan.
It also made the headlines, because the
whale had a longline and hook embedded in
its mouth.
Many of your shots are of whales
defecating. Which poo stands out?
So many... If I have to pick one, then the
great defecation of 2014. Dozens of sperm
whales were intertwined in a cluster, and
many ‘let go’ as they unravelled. I had to
swim for 150m through a fog of watery poo.
What’s been your closest shave?
I was filming in the Coral Sea when a huge
silvertip shark rocketed up from the deep
and came straight for me. It dug into the
sand just centimetres to my left, shoving my
legs aside. Then it was to my right, its body
vertical, tail flailing. After what felt like
hours – but was probably 15 seconds – it lost
interest and streaked away. The footage was
deemed too scary for the final cut.How many cameras have you lost
at sea?
Four. One drowned by a breaching whale,
two whose seals failed, and a customised
piece of kit that fell off the back of a boat.
By the time I noticed, the camera, housing
and all my photos were at the bottom of
the sea. Therapy might help me to recover
more repressed memories.Getting a shot of what species will make
you die happy?
The platypus. It is so unique, so awkward in
appearance, so intriguing. From the marine
world, it’d have to be the giant squid. But
one dragged a friend 40m underwater, so
maybe I’ll stick to the platypus...SNAP-CHAT
Tony Wu talks close shaves at sea
and whale poo moments
WITH BBC WILDLIFE PICTURE EDITOR TOM GILKSTony hanging out
with a couple of
humpbacksCalling budding
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Tony Wu is a marine photographer at discoverwildlife.com.
from Japan. tony-wu.com
TONYANDHUMPBACKS:^ PATRICK^ MASSE;^ BADGERS:^ NICKGARBUTT/NPL;^ OYSTERCATCHERS:^ERNIE^ JANES/NPL