Biologist Lizzie Daly called her encounter with a human-sized barrel jellyfish “an unforgettable experience.”
“I know barrel jellyfish get really big in size, but I have never seen anything like it before!” Daly said in a video of the encounter posted online. “It was the best thing I’ve ever done.”
The BBC Earth presenter and Marine Conservation Society ambassador was diving as part of a “Wild Ocean Week” campaign when she spotted the immense aquatic creature. Barrel jellyfish are the largest species found along the coast of England, but they usually grow to about 3.2 feet and weigh up to 55 pounds. This one seems to have been significantly larger.
On Twitter, Daly also tweeted a reminder to support the efforts of the Marine Conservation Society “working so tirelessly to protect our marine environment and our giant barrel jellyfish!”