Jellyfish Lake, 11-20

The Grand Day Out continued with a trip to Jellyfish Lake, perhaps Palau's most famous attraction. Palau's Rock Islands are speckled with inland marine lakes, connected to the ocean via small channels or porous limestone. Isolated since the last Ice Age, many of these lakes have their own unique ecosystems and endemic species. Jellyfish Lake hosts a population of Mastigias spp. jellyfish, which get their nutrients from a symbiotic algae, much as corals do. Without any need for defense or predation, these jellies have lost their sting (or at least it's too mild to deter the average tourist), allowing snorkelers to swim among them unscathed. 

Due to its fame and uniqueness the lake is heavily visited, and I've heard that it's usually thrashing with tourists, jellies shredding in the eddies. When we arrived, though, we were alone, and had a solid hour to float amidst the jellyfish as they silently pulsed in surface-bound circles, sunning their algae. They were so dense that I couldn't help but run into them, velvety soft and sting-free. 

On the way home, we stopped by Milky Way, a slow-moving, shallow channel with soft silty mud that is supposedly wonderful for the skin. Whether this was just the Palauan staff testing the limits of our gullibility we're still not sure. As we headed back, PICRC researcher Geory spotted a massive tiger shark from the boat, which we followed for a few minutes before it streaked away. Truly a memorable day!

Uly demonstrates proper mud mask application. Thanks to Johanna for the Milky Way photos!