Swimming in Jellyfish Lake, Palau
Last Updated on August 24, 2023
Palau’s Jellyfish Lake is one of the world’s most incredible natural phenomenons. Here’s my experience swimming in the Jellyfish Lake, Palau.
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.
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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.
The Comments
ElaineSchoch
Your photos are great! I was kinda nervous when you said you were surrounded by hundreds of jelly fish. Glad they were stingless. =)
Nellie
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!
alex
travel envy! Palau is on my diving Bucket List – hope to travel here this coming year :-)
@WildJunket
alexIf you're a diver, you would absolutely love Palau! Hope you get there soon.
Laura
What an amazing experience! Love your pics :)
John@Travel song
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.
@WildJunket
John@Travel songhey John, no these jellyfish have evolved into a poisonous, stingless species (read my write-up above).
maximuz04
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.
@WildJunket
maximuz04Thanks for sharing! It is indeed fascinating to know that the rock islands show the different epochs of evolution- I didn't know that!
@WildJunket
Do you have them in the Philippines too???
@WildJunket
Oops sorry about that! I'll check to see if we can resolve that.
@wanderlustersuk
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!
Keandre Morris
Amazing photos! Cute harmless colorful jellos. I thought this was an incredible experience. Hopefully, I'll have my chance soon.
Gabriel
That is amazing. I saw a documentary on these. Don't you have to go for a 10-20 minute swim before you get to the sanctuary where there are 1,000's?
Nellie
Gabrielhey Gabriel, thanks for dropping by! Yes it indeed was a phenomenal experience – nothing like I\’ve ever seen. To get to this particular jellyfish lake, we had to hike inland for perhaps 10-15 minutes. Perhaps the one you\’re talking about is somewhere else in Palau. :)
Gabriel
NellieCould be, either way it looks awesome and I want to go =)
Palau bound
Do u know why your go pro didn’t work well? Which one do you have?
Nellie
Palau boundWe have the GoPro Hero2, it works well underwater only if you have the diving case. I recommend getting the new model or the diving case. Are you heading to Palau?
Palau bound
Yes I am heading to Palau for ten days. My sister lives there. The last time I went was in 2001 when she got married so we didn’t have time to explore like I wanted to. I have the gopro3 with the diving housing. I just bought that red cover that is supposed to help with the colors when diving. Hopefully it will work well.
Nellie
Palau boundWow that\’s awesome! Palau is an amazing place to be, we\’re very jealous of your sister! Our best dive was at the blue corner, plenty of white tip sharks and rays, be sure to go there. :)