Of all our gorgeous Southern Australian marine critters there are few as beautiful as our Southern Blue Devil.

Timid, elegant, graceful and a dazzlingly iridescent blue, their grumpy expression seems at odds with their vibrant colour. They are a fish that always make me smile when encountered on a dive.

Normally a shy and reclusive fish, I struggle getting close to blue devils. They are are never far from some deep ledge or cave and almost always retreat back into the gloom when approached.

Imagine my shear delight on a recent night dive on the wreck of the ex HMAS Hobart where I counted at least ten of them roaming the sunken growth encrusted decks. I’d never seen so many on a single dive and never out in the open like then.

That amazing dive left me grinning for days and will always be remembered as the night I dived with the beautiful blue devils.

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