Green, green, green all around me. Besides a few strands of dirt, I could hardly see anything in the dark, emerald water.
But I swam on, armed with nothing more than my snorkeling mask and fins, into the darkness. My group of friends had plunged in earlier, leaving me alone, slightly nervous in this jade green water world. “We saw a crocodile here last week,” said the park ranger, just before I dived in. That didn’t help.
I’d swum barely twenty meters before a beige-ish jellyfish appeared out of the blue. I examined it and smiled to myself.
Soon another jellyfish appeared, this time even bigger than before.
And then another showed up. And another.
All of a sudden, hundreds of translucent jellyfish surrounded me, pulsating unanimously in a hypnotic rhythm. I stayed still to observe the creatures as they bobbed gracefully up and down, their translucent skin glowing under the sunlight and their short curly tentacles dancing in the water. With slight hesitation, I stretched my hands out to touch them and was wildly surprised when one of them glided gently by my fingers, right into my cupped hands. Entranced by the graceful movements of the underwater ballerinas before me, I watched in bewilderment.
All of a sudden, hundreds of translucent jellyfish surrounded me, pulsating unanimously in a hypnotic rhythm.
Nature’s Anomaly
Thankfully, these aren’t your average jellyfish — In Palau’s Jellyfish Lake, these jellyfish are miraculously ‘stingless’ and there are thousands of them who call this home. Scientists aren’t sure exactly how or from where the jellyfish arrived, but over the years, they have somehow evolved to lose most of their sting (probably due to lack of predators). Naturally, they are a very fragile species and they need to be protected on various levels to ensure their continued existence.
Fortunately the Palauan government is very serious about protecting Jellyfish Lake and its unique inhabitants. The Koror State Permit costs US$35 per person and the government has stipulated an additional green fee for all visitors of the country. There are even park rangers at the site to make sure that there’s no foul play.
With Palau’s eco-conscious approach to conservation, I’m confident Jellyfish Lake will stay this way for a long, long time. Meanwhile, get there soon because you never know when the jellyfish may decide to stop dancing.
Here are some photos by my friend Michelle Jerson who was there with me. (My GoPro was super lame underwater). Read her article about Palau on her blog, Passport Romance.
A lonesome jellyfish bobs in a hypnotic rhythm
A jellyfish comes right up to the camera lens
Their short, curly tentacles dance in the water
More golden jellyfish beaming under the sunlight
That’s me, looking slightly afraid to hurting these fragile creatures
Michelle with a jellyfish in her cupped hands
There are literally thousands of them in the water…
Details:
I visited Jellyfish Lake as part of a diving trip with Sam’s Tours. There are also snorkeling day-trips or island-hopping trips that include a stop here. Check this page for a list of tours.
Disclaimer: My trip was hosted by Sam’s Tours and Palau Visitors Authority, but all opinions above are my own.
Aww. These tiny creatures look so fragile & yet so beautiful. That must be a one-in-a-million experience.
-Mark @ GetACarHire
They are extremely fragile, we were asked not to kick too hard when we dove in as they can easily get injured by our fins. It was a very rare and unique experience, hope you make it there soon!
It seems to be a wonderful experience. Jelly fish looks wonderful.
Woooh! This is such an amazing experience. Lucky you!
Hope I get to visit them while they are "still dancing"
Your photos are great! I was kinda nervous when you said you were surrounded by hundreds of jelly fish. Glad they were stingless. =)
Awesome.Truly amazing experience.I like the many different jelly fish!I wish I can visit there too.Seeing the pictures makes me feel relax.I'm glad you shared this.Thanks.
I just amazed with God's creation !!!
))
Great photos, thanks for share with us
They are so cute and colorful. I wonder if your skin doesn't itch after the underwater swimming with jellyfish because I read on an article before that their tentacles can cause itchiness in the skin.
travel envy! Palau is on my diving Bucket List – hope to travel here this coming year
If you're a diver, you would absolutely love Palau! Hope you get there soon.
What an amazing experience! Love your pics
Yea, we tried that one (unintentionally) in Australia, not the same effect….pretty awkward when your backpacking roomie has to pee on you. The Palau jellies are pretty amaze balls – like the xanax versions of the real deal
Beautiful pictures, I really like the reddish/orange one.
Dancing with Jellyfish in water. You feel amazed swimming with Jellyfish, the most dangerous creature in world.
Wow! This is an amazing post.. I wish I could experience that too. Jellyfish really looks great. I admire you for that knowing that jellyfish are dangerous.
Aren't they dangerous, jellyfish have stings you know, poisonous stings that can injure and kill people. Indeed they are beautiful but risking yourself for that is not considered an adventure.
hey John, no these jellyfish have evolved into a poisonous, stingless species (read my write-up above).
what amazing photos!!!!! would love to experience that one day!
awesome!!! this is on my bucketlist – swimming with the stingless jellyfish, but will do it in the Philippines this summer. crossing my fingers.
Do you have them in the Philippines too???
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Oops sorry about that! I'll check to see if we can resolve that.
i have seen jellyfish many times on Discovery but its always great to see them alive..i had this opportunity in Mauritius.
-Mint @ http://www.spicejaat.com
Amazing, I am going soon!!! To add to this, I am a huge fan of UNESCO world heritage sites (as obvious by my blog). Did you know that the UNESCO inscription says that the rock islands, where the jellyfish are, show different epochs of evolution. It is like looking back a thousand, then a million, then 10 million years all in the same group of islands. It is unique to Palau.
Thanks for sharing! It is indeed fascinating to know that the rock islands show the different epochs of evolution- I didn't know that!
Adding this on my bucket list! Beautiful captures! Such an amazing experience in Palau indeed!
What a fantastic sight! We encountered some similarly translucent beings while diving out at Osprey reef in the Coral Sea. They looked so ornate floating amongst the inky blue. Fab photos Nellie and excellent snorkel pose!
Very amazing pictures. I like sea creatures. If you have some more pics. so please upload it. Thank you for sharing these pics.
Amazing photos! Cute harmless colorful jellos. I thought this was an incredible experience. Hopefully, I'll have my chance soon.