Young country diary: A jellyfish party around our surfboards | Jess
North Devon: The cool water was full of them – and we found out later that one of them, the compass jellyfish, should be avoided
On a scorching hot day, my friend and I went surfing at my local beach. We partnered up to carry the boards down to the water – mine coral-coloured, his blue – and we clambered across the dunes, with the sand burning the soles of our feet. As we jumped into the cool water, we realised we were not alone. At first, we saw one or two, but by the point we were knee-deep, we realised we were surrounded. Jellyfish of all shapes and sizes were floating around us, purple-y ones, brown ones.
We later learned that the beautiful moon jellyfish is recognisable by its dome shape and the fact it’s completely translucent apart from purple circles across the centre. These are harmless and are commonly washed up on UK beaches.
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