Back in 2024, an underwater videographer shared enchanting footage of a lion’s mane jellyfish captured during a night dive in the Salish Sea – a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean between British Columbia in Canada and Washington State in the United States.
The creature was so gigantic that it took him over a minute to find it after first spotting its trailing tentacles.
“Several minutes into the dive, I noticed a long, thin tentacle trailing overhead, stretching far beyond my vision,” said underwater videographer John Roney in a post published on Instagram. “I followed it through the darkness for over a minute before coming upon a giant lion’s mane jellyfish.”
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Roney's footage shows the enormous jellyfish pulsing through the dark water as marine snow drifts gently downwards behind it. The artful footage lingers on the animal’s brightly coloured tentacles, which "have these deep, vibrant orange, purple and crimson colours that I love to film,” he said.
Lion’s mane jellies are one of the world’s largest species of jellyfish and they have a nasty sting. “Fair warning,” added Roney. “This is a jellyfish you definitely don’t want to touch.”
More amazing wildlife stories from around the world
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- Scientists sink cow 1,629m into South China Sea, then gigantic animal appears out of the gloom
- "I didn’t know what I was looking at": drone films one of the strangest and rarest animals on the planet
Image and video credit: John Roney | roneydives.com
