Photo of the Day (6.20.09)

Love 'em or hate 'em, jellyfish are some of the most photogenic underwater creatures around. I've heard so many interesting tales about jellyfish that it's no wonder we continue to be absolutely astounded by these transparent floaters. My friend once videotaped he and his friends swimming through a patch of jellyfish to an island off the coast of China, but when they came ashore they discovered the island was a high-security military base. They were forcefully interrogated, and the tape was destroyed.

While these creatures are a real treat to observe, as MadMurdoch shows us in this photo that was taken somewhere in Asia, they can actually be quite a nuisance for people in the water. Here in Hawaii, we experience potent box jellyfish outbreaks on the south shore a week after a full moon, which prevent swimmers from entering the water for a few days every month. On the east side, Portuguese man of war are so prevalent that peeing on your friend is a pretty common occurrence.

Still, the beauty of these jellyfish cannot be denied. I love how the bulbs of the jellyfish are bobbing every which direction as well as how clear the ocean is here.

If you have some great travel shots you'd like to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day!

Filed under: Scuba Diving, Photos, Asia, Photo of the Day