Damian Brockie Photography

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Damian Brockie Photography

Underwater and landscape photography from around Tasmania. Images available for purchase, print and digital.

01/09/2026

Underwater serenity, captured in a single frame. 🌊🐟

A toothbrush leatherjacket glides through the clear waters of Bicheno, Tasmania, beneath the shadow of a moored boat. Sunlight filters through the surface, illuminating the hidden beauty below.

A quiet moment beneath the waves, where light, life, and the ocean come together. 💙

27/08/2026

The critically endangered spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus)
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I went out with Matt Testoni on Monday night to look for spotted handfish at our newly discovered site, hoping we might find that they had started laying eggs on the stalked ascidians. Unfortunately, we didn’t spot any eggs just yet. We did, however, see plenty of fat-bellied handfish, presumably females with eggs near ready to lay, as well as the usual active individuals with their fins fully extended. I can only assume these were the boys, putting on a bit of a show, prancing around and looking for a mate! And not to mention, those just laying about look grumpy and feeling sorry for themselves.
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25/08/2026

Australian ghostshark aka Elephantfish (Callorhinchus milii)
Despite its name, the ghost shark is not actually a shark but belongs to a closely related group. These animals are part of a subclass called Holocephali (Chimaera). Unlike sharks, chimaeras have skeletons made entirely of cartilage.
Before the dive, Matt Testoni and I were talking about how we had never seen this incredible creature underwater nor had the opportunity to photograph one. So, imagine our surprise when, towards the end of the dive, one suddenly appeared! Unfortunately this specimen was covered in a number of parasites including large isopod leaches and other unidentified red parasites on the underside.
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23/08/2026

Wellington nudibranch or warty sea slug (Doris wellingtonensis formerly Archidoris wellingtonensis)
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On a recent dive at Tinderbox marine reserve, I spotted this strange yellow blob. At first, I thought it was a sponge, but on closer inspection, I wondered if it might be some kind of wandering anemone. I took a few pics and moved on, not thinking too much more about it at the time.
To my surprise, I’ve just identified it as a nudibranch, Doris wellingtonensis, a large dorid nudibranch, making it the largest nudibranch I’ve ever encountered! They reportedly grow to around 20cm, so this individual was likely close to, if not fully grown.
I’ve seen some impressively large Hilli’s pleurobranch (Pleurobranchaea hilli) in the same area, reaching around 30cm in size. Although they’re also sea slugs, they aren’t technically nudibranchs, making this find a particularly exciting one.
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20/08/2026

Striped sea spider (Stylopallene longicauda)
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The Striped Sea Spider is a small, distinctive marine arthropod found on Tasmanian reefs. Its cream body and legs are marked with dark bands, and it is often found with the bryozoan Amathia biseriata. Although it looks like a spider, it belongs to a completely separate group of marine animals called pycnogonids.
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19/08/2026

Verco’s nudibranch (Tambja verconis)
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Verco's Nudis are a spectacular yellow and electric blue nudibranch which feed on branching bryozoans and can grow to around 12 cm long. Native to southern Australia, this one was photographed at Spring Beach on the east coast of Tasmania.
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11/08/2026

What looks like an epic battle for the high ground, each contender scrambling to the top to claim supremacy, with the weaker being thrown to their doom, is probably something completely different.

For one thing, the seaweed wasn’t still. It was whipping back and forth in the surging current, and all these little critters were simply hanging on for dear life. I’m not sure why they seemed so communal. Perhaps there was a little bow-chicka-wow-wow going on, or maybe they were just huddling together because there’s safety in numbers.

Either way, what appears to be a brutal struggle for dominance may have been nothing more than a bunch of tiny creatures trying to hold on, stay together, and ride out the current.

White and Crimson - Sap Sucking Sea Slug (Ercolania Felina)
Black and Orange - Sap Sucking Sea Slug (Stiliger Aureomarginatus)
Caprellidae (caprellids/skeleton shrimps)

10/08/2026

These nautical noodles are not nudis, some say surely it seems as such they are strictly Sacoglossa or simply 'Sap Sucking Sea Slugs'.
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While out one night recently in the Derwent Estuary photographing the Austraeolis ornata nudibranch, I inadvertently, and rather poorly, photographed one of the white and crimson sea slugs you see here on the left. It was so small that I couldn’t make out exactly what it was until I viewed the image on the big screen at home.

Intrigued, I returned to the same area looking for it and was surprised to find them in great numbers, once I knew where to look that is. However, it seems I then inadvertently photographed the other sea slug, shown here on the right. Once again, I had no idea I’d captured it until I got home and viewed the pic on the big screen.

It’s amazing how often these tiny creatures reveal themselves only after the dive is over and the images are properly examined.

White and Crimson: Ercolania Felina
Black and Orange: Stiliger Aureomarginatus
(up to 15mm)
From the order: Sacoglossa - aka Sap Sucking Sea Slugs

03/08/2026

Martial Mantis Shrimp (Distosquilla miles)
A beautifully iridescent yellow mantis shrimp that can be found in Tassie's own Derwent River.

30/07/2026

Dorvilleid worm - polychaete (Dorvillea australiensis)
I think I've got the ID correct..
Kind of creepy, but pretty in pink. Looking like a land centipede, but very much a marine creature.

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