Snorkeling with jellyfish is not generally something that is welcomed, let alone done on purpose, but then again it is not every day that you are in Palau. The pristine Rock Islands are home to a natural wonder, Ongeim’l Tketau, or Fifth Lake as the locals call it, which despite actually being a lake in the middle of a lush tropical island, is salt water. There are cracks in the limestone basin that allowed the sea to seep in when the ocean level rose some 12,000 years ago carrying with it some of the golden jelly progenitors we can see today in mind boggling numbers. Over the centuries they have evolved to gain the majority of their sustenance from the symbiotic algae within their body, essentially making them solar powered. This has rendered the stinging cells that would catch planktonic prey somewhat obsolete so they are extremely underdeveloped, to the point that they fortunately don’t affect humans.
When you first slip into the almost too-warm waters and start to swim gently away from the dock off into the tranquil blue-green depths it’s a thrill to see a dozen of these glowing golden orbs floating under you. Then as you continue the density increases to hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands. The estimated total amount is around 15 million in a lake the slightly larger than a football field. The pulsating organisms range from all different sizes, thumbnails to a dinner plates, moving all different speeds, chaotic and yet coordinated at the same time. This mesmerizing display is enhanced by the vast quantity of jellies that aggregate in such numbers that it becomes hard to see the water through them. A truly unique experience to end a truly extraordinary expedition.
