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JellyFish Lake

Jellyfish Lake is an enclosed salt water lake. There are very few species of life in the lake, the most famous of which are the jellyfish. The current Jellyfish lake in Palau ( there are several, one of which was destroyed by the last el nino ) is a snorkel only site. There are a couple of reasons for this but the main one is the slippery climb up to the lake. You also must avoid the poisonous trees near the trail. They release a poisionous sap like a mean posion ivy. Just watch what you use for a handhold on the climb up or down.

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There is a dock with a ladder down to the water. Depening on the time of the day it may be a short swim or a long one. You have to get to where in the twice daily migration the jellyfish are. Once you get to the jellyfish swim carefully, they are very delicate. It is best to gently push them out of your way. I used a slow dog paddle when around them. They have a nice silky smooth and soft texture. Some found it disconcerting.

The Jellyfish have lost their ability to sting over thousands of years of not needing to defend themselves. They "harvest" excess sugars and proteins from algae that they carry from one side of the lake to the other, following the path of the sun. The sun enables the algae to photosenthesize the jellyfish's crop. This symbiotic relationship works better than the previous one where the jellyfish would just eat the algae and other organisms. Now they are vegetarian organic farmers. I guess it is organic if you just grow it on your body.

PBS did a nice special on Palau and Jellyfish lake in their Living Edens series. They also have links for information on all of Palau.