Diver Dwarfed By Enormous Barrel Jellyfish Off Cornwall Coast

Biologist Lizzie Daly, who presents BBC Earth, and cameraman Dan Abbott, reveal "mind-blowing" encounter with giant jellyfish.
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The sting of the barrel jellyfish is not harmful to humans
SWNS

This striking picture shows a diver off the British coast swimming alongside a barrel jellyfish that was almost the same size as him.

Dan Abbott was filming marine life around the coast with biologist Lizzie Daly, host of BBC Earth.

On the last leg of their tour of the British Isles, the pair went for a dip off the coast of Falmouth, Cornwall, on Saturday when they spotted the massive jellyfish.

Abbott, an underwater cinematographer from Colchester, Essex, said the jellyfish was “about a metre and a half long, probably half a metre in width” and took a picture of Daly alongside it to illustrate its size. 

The 32-year-old said: “It’s the biggest jellyfish I’ve ever seen, in some ways I was shocked but not in a negative way, more awestruck.

“It was an incredible animal, we both came out the water completely mind blown from that experience.”

Barrel jellyfish are the largest jellyfish found in UK’s seas. They swarm in warmer coastal waters and typically reach the size of dustbin lids.

Abbott and Daly had spent a week travelling to hot spots for marine life around the British isles on a trip called Wild Ocean Week.

They swam with grey seals off the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland, minke whales off the north west coast of Scotland, and seabirds off Wales.

Abbott continued: “The thing that this whole week has been about is demonstrating that you don’t need to go to the other side of the world to see amazing marine wildlife, there’s plenty on our doorstep.”