Cold Water, Strong Currents And Swarms Of Mauve Stingers – Perfect!

The Scilly Isles are situated some twenty-eight miles southwest of Cornwall. The tiny archipelago is made up of five inhabited islands and numerous other uninhabited islands and rocky islets – around 140 in total. The large numbers of ships that have been wrecked on the islands rocky shores make the Scilly Isles a wreck divers dream but the islands have a lot to offer the more daring snorkeller as well. One particular event caught our eye some time ago and made heading for the islands a must. In January this year the local Wildlife Trust reported a large influx of jellyfish around the Islands, particularly the Pelagia Noctiluca or Mauve Stinger. Growing up to 10cm across the bell, these jellies (as their name suggests) carry a painful, but fortunately not fatal, sting. Although it is not unusual for deep water jellyfish to occasionally find their way into the local waters, the appearance of so many at one time is rare and is believed to have been caused by winter storms pushing the organisms that the jellyfish feed on towards the islands. The jellyfish have followed this food source and ended up in the shallow waters around Scilly. 

Mauve Stingers

Given the fact that the influx was reported in January and we weren’t able to travel until September you might think that the opportunity had passed, however we kept a close eye on events and the monthly reports continued unabated and when we arrived on St Mary’s Island, the waters were still brimming with the gelatinous beggars. After a quick perusal of the island's coastline, looking for the best and easiest location to get in and out of the water, we headed for Pelistry Bay on the more remote eastern shore of St Mary’s. Pelistry Bay is accessible by footpath from the main road. A sign at the entrance to the beach warns of strong currents and being September, the water was cold – very cold. The beach is pure white sand and for the snorkeller, sand means poor visibility particularly in the winter months with the large Atlantic swell and strong wave action. Still we suited up, primed the cameras and headed into the seas chilling embrace. Visibility was compromised but we were not disappointed, the sea was virtually awash with Mauve Stingers along with Compass Jellyfish, Moon Jellies and Comb Jellyfish (Sea Gooseberry).

 

Comb Jelly (Sea Gooseberry)

Crystal Jellyfish

Compass Jellyfish

Forty-five minutes later we emerged cold and shivering but happy. To see so many different types of Jellyfish in one single location is something we never expected. A quick dry off and several shots of warming tea from the thermos we headed off to the Carn Vean Cafe, (situated on a hill by the bay) for a welcome serving of Cornwall’s famous steak pasties. Simply perfect....

The fate of many a Jelly