Watch This Diver Encounter an Otherworldly Glowing Jellyfish

Diving and snorkeling can make you feel like you are in another world and when you encounter an incredible creature like a glowing jellyfish, it is even more amazing. Luckily, this snorkeler captured the moment for us as he was underwater at the Black Sea resort of

Shabla in notheastern Bulgaria.

At the start of the footage, we get a good idea of what snorkeling in this part of the world is like. The water is clear and shallow with great views of the rocks, sea plants and sand. At first there appears to be very few fish or other marine life to see in these waters near the shore.

We see the snorkeler’s bright blue flippers and hear the breathing through the snorkel. We can watch the air bubbles rise to the surface as he dives down to the ocean floor which he then tries to ‘catch’ with his outstretched hand. The vid also treats us to some above-water footage of the beautiful coastline. Then, suddenly, we come face-to-face with a sizable jellyfish!

All About Jellyfish

Jellyfish belong to the Cyaneidae family and live in oceans all over the world. They are prehistoric creatures and have been on this planet for millions of years. There are more than 200 species of true jellyfish and they are carnivores – living off small fish and other small marine animals as well as plants.

Some are less than an inch long but others can grow up to seven feet! When it comes to appearance, there is also a wide variety. Possible colors include green, yellow, purple, pink and orange! Strikingly, they are bioluminescent which means that they produce their own light and this make them easy to spot when snorkeling or diving.

Are Jellyfish a Threat to Snorkelers?

The snorkeler in this footage was very close to the jellyfish but did not touch it. This is the correct approach to keep yourself and the jellyfish safe. Many jellyfish have tentacles which contain sting cells. They use them to protect themselves from larger ocean creatures when they feel threatened. The venom produced by the sting cells causes local irritation to humans but some can be life-threatening and cause a cardiac arrest within two minutes. Records show that there are around 150,000 jellyfish stings every year. Between 20 and 40 humans die from jellyfish stings in the Philippines alone.

The most deadly jellyfish for humans are the box jellyfish which are found in Indo-Pacific waters and off the coast of Australia. Divers in these areas need to know how to spot their pale blue transparent appearance with15 tentacles so that they can avoid them!

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