A jellyfish weighing about 40 kilos surprised a group of tourists during a snorkeling excursion in Ibiza.
“In the ten years that we have been organising excursions we have never seen this type of jellyfish at this time of the year,” said Sup Ibiza, a company dedicated to paddle surfing excursions which they combine with other activities such as snorkeling.
On one of these excursions they spotted in the distance what appeared to be a specimen of ‘aguamala’, whose scientific name is ‘Rhizostoma polum’, one of the largest jellyfish in the Mediterranean, while they were in the vicinity of Cala Tarida.
The instructor accompanied the group to observe and take pictures of the jellyfish the sting of which does not have serious consequences.
Sup Ibiza indicated that in the time that they have been operating it has been more common to see these jellyfish in the months of September and October.
The ‘aguamala’ can reach 70 centimetres in diameter and weigh between 20 and 40 kilos.
They are generally white or bluish in colour but may be red, brown, or grey.
They have eight frilly arms, which contain their small stinging tentacles and surround hundreds of little mouths.
The sting of the barrel jellyfish is not normally harmful to humans, though if you find one on the beach it’s best not to handle it as they can still sting when dead.