Lizzie Daly, a biologist and diver was recently celebrating the 7th day of Ocean Week, while diving off Cornwall’s coast. While enjoying the dive, she encountered the largest jellyfish she had ever seen in her life.
Her diving partner captured video footage of her swimming with the giant barrel jellyfish for about one hour. The footage was then uploaded to Facebook. According to Daly, she had never before seen a barrel jellyfish, or any of that species for that matter, that was larger than her whole body, adding that swimming with the marine creature was the best thing she has ever done.
Human and jellyfish swim side by side
In the Facebook video, included below, Daly can be seen swimming towards the gigantic jellyfish and then accompanying the creature as it regally swims along with its frilly tentacles trailing behind it. Lizzie says swimming with the giant-size jellyfish was an “absolutely incredible” experience.
Rhizostoma Pulmo, to give the jellyfish its official title, is reportedly the largest of its kind found in waters off of the UK. The Wildlife Trust reckons the jellyfish’s bell is normally around three feet wide and the gigantic creature can weigh as much as 80 pounds. However, it looks like the barrel jellyfish encountered by Daly was actually much bigger than that.
In an interview with the Guardian, Daly said she wasn’t at all concerned about swimming close to the massive jellyfish, while close to its frilly tentacles. She said when this type of jellyfish stings people, they rarely feel it. Obviously, if they came across this one, they would definitely see it, however!
Giant jellyfish makes an impression
Daly works as a wildlife conservationist with the BBC and other outlets and said that following her amazing encounter she wrote her giant jellyfish friend a thank you note. The creature had made such an impact on her while swimming alongside the creature. Addressing it as “Giant Jellyfish,” she told it how much it had inspired people over the last few days with people finding it hard to believe just how huge it was.
Many found it hard to believe that such a massive animal could be found in the waters off the UK.
Woah!!!!! We went diving in Falmouth yesterday to finish off #WildOceanWeek and came across this GIANT barrel jellyfish! 😱 What a way to finish off this marine wildlife adventure! 💙 pic.twitter.com/NNwDelfWyV
— Lizzie Daly (@LizzieRDaly) July 14, 2019
As noted by the BBC, Dan Abbott, 32, was the photographer and videographer that captured the footage and images of the jellyfish and he posted an image of Lizzie, dwarfed by the huge jellyfish and captioned it that he couldn’t believe that had just happened.
Wild Ocean Week
The week’s events were head to highlight the splendour and beauty of the underwater world.
The group wishes to invite people and organisations to become involved in their efforts to preserve the underwater beauty. According to Daly, experiencing swimming with the huge jellyfish had definitely helped to give their aims a wider audience for which she is really grateful.