Jellyfish Lake

On Sunday after we completed diving for the day, our dive guide and boat captain had a surprise for us. On our trip back to Koror we made a stop at Jellyfish Lake. One, if not the most well known attractions in Palau, Jellyfish Lake is a saltwater lake enclosed in one of the rock islands. When it became closed off to the ocean, the jellyfish in the lake multiplied and evolved so that no longer sting. There are upwards of six thousand jellyfish in the small lake.

To get to the lake, we tied up a dock and had a small hike up over the hill the protects the lake from the ocean. Once at the lake, I put on the snorkel gear and swam out into the lake. The jellyfish were not near the dock and out in the center of the lake, so at first I did not see any of them. As I swam to the middle of the lake, a few smaller jellyfish appeared and then more and more. At first they were spread out enough that I could avoid touching them, but by the time I reached the middle of the lake I was completely surrounded. I know some people who feel very claustrophobic in the lake and it is completely understandable because jellyfish are everywhere. I did not feel any stings and I could barely feel them as they rubbed against me except for a soft and pillowy feeling. It is a very unnatural feeling because your eyes say danger, but you can barely feel them. After a while, I felt more comfortable swimming around and even submerged a few times to look back up at the jellyfish above. They ranged in sized from the size of a fingertip to as big as my head. When the sun hits them just right and they are translucent it makes for a surreal image and light and nature. I had seen pictures and saw them visit the lake on Survivor, but none of that could come close to the experience because it is so unique. After a while it was time to leave and we hiked back to the boat.

The captain gave us another treat by taking us the scenic way home going in and out and around the rock islands. They took us through all sorts of small channels and coves. We even went through the soft coral arch we had seen the day before. It was a great tour through the islands and a perfect way to end an exciting day of diving and snorkeling.

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