I’M A MARINE BIOLOGIST WORKING AS ASSISTANT CURATOR AT OCEANÁRIO DE LISBOA AND RESEARCHER AT MARE IPLEIRIA. I BECAME SCUBA CERTIFIED IN 2000 AND HAVEN’T STOPPED DIVING SINCE. DIVING HAS ALLOWED ME TO BETTER EXPLORE THE UNDERWATER WORLD THAT ALWAYS FASCINATED ME. INITIALLY FOR A LOCAL SPECIES IDENTIFICATION PROJECT, I SOON REALIZED THAT UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY ENABLED ME TO REACH PEOPLE AND CONNECT THEM WITH THE OCEANS. SOME OF MY PHOTOS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS, NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES AND BOOKS. I’M A CERTIFIED SCUBA ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR WITH OVER ONE THOUSAND HOURS UNDERWATER IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD, MOST OF THEM STUDYING AND PHOTOGRAPHING MARINE ANIMALS. THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY I TRY TO SHARE THE UNDERWATER WONDERS WHILE HIGHLIGHTING THE THREATS FACED BY MARINE SPECIES AND ECOSYSTEMS TODAY, SPECIALLY AS A CONSEQUENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, OVERFISHING, HABITAT DESTRUCTION AND POLLUTION. I HOPE THAT THROUGH MY PHOTOGRAPHS I CAN CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE BEHAVIOUR CHANGE NEEDED FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE OF OUR BLUE PLANET.