Diving with jellies on Vancouver Island

Saanich Inlet, near Victoria, becomes a jelly haven during the summer months. Willis Point is a residential area overlooking the Inlet, but few residents there know that it's a BC jelly hot spot.

During July and August, parts of BC see a large increase in the numbers of moon, fried egg, and lion's mane jellies. Another fantastic hot spot is the Sechelt Inlet on the Sunshine Coast. 

Moon jellies look like little moons, and at the time of this video, they weren't really there in their usual high numbers (we were a little early in the summer). Fried egg jellies look like, you guessed it, fried eggs. Lion's mane jellies have a huge trail of tentacles behind them, and are in fact the largest species of jelly in the world - found right here in BC!

Jellyfish aren't scary sea monsters waiting in the darkness to sting you to death! They are majestic, beautiful creatures that look more like aliens from outer space, than anything from this Earth. These jellies do have stinging cells all along their tentacles, however, the sting is mild with fried egg jellies, and a person wouldn't really feel a moon jelly sting even with contact. The lion's mane has a more potent sting. Though, everyone is different in how they would react. The lion's mane and fried egg can both sting if they touch exposed skin, however, their stings generally aren't that bad; not compared to other species of jellies in warmer waters. 

We love jellies, and BC has some incredible encounters just waiting beneath the surface. They are fascinating animals and much fun to discover underwater!

Did you know: Jellyfish aren't fish at all! They belong to the same category of animals that includes corals and sea anemones. So why are they called fish? Good question, probably because they live in the water and in olden days anything that lived in the water was thought to be some type of fish.