Divers Find Giant Jellyfish Off Cornwall

A typical barrel jellyfish

By Max James

Barrel jellyfish are the biggest we find off the UK, but divers were stunned by the size of one found near Falmouth this week.

'I’ve never seen one that big,” said marine biologist Lizzie Daly. 'We had seen a few smaller jellyfish at a beautiful reef nearby, and then out of the murk came this huge, beautiful jellyfish. You just take a double look and ask yourself if it's actually a metre and a half long.'

She said swimming alongside the 'gentle giant' was 'such a serene, grounding experience'.

Daly and an underwater camera operator, Dan Abbott, were diving in Falmouth as part of the online series Wild Ocean Week and stayed with the abnormally large jellyfish for about an hour before it swam away.

'It has got a very mild sting and poses no threat to humans – some people don’t even feel it,' Daly said. 'Many people would be immediately worried, but it is not dangerous. Its a majestic creature.'