After three nights of rain and rough sea at Pantai Cenang since the jellyfish operation, we finally had the opportunity to head out. That night was two days after the fullest moon.
Osman leading the group
We headed out to Pantai Cenang about 10:00pm in a fishing boat equipped with a strong spotlight. This sort of light is used by fishermen for squid catching. With just four of us on the boat armed with scooping nets, we were ready!
Within thirty minutes out in the sea, Jimmy of MNS spotted a jellyfish. But it was the common brown one. We decided to let it go because the species is not considered dangerous. And then it was the moment of waiting again. We found ourselves scooping up plastic bags and polystyrene boxes instead.
After about an hour, my eyes caught something floating... That "thing" was scooped up instantly and it was a bit heavy (maybe it was the scooping net, it has an extremely long heavy wooden handle).
It was a jellyfish alright. However, this one was something out of the ordinary and it was notoriously looking. We were shocked to see such long tentacles. Could this be the one that we were looking for?
To respect Osman's decision, I will not post the picture of this jellyfish caught until he has confirmed the species from the experts. I hope this will not take too long.
That blob filled up the whole space in that small aquarium. Because of the weight of the current while scooping it up, most of its tentacles were detached. A lot of its broken tentacles were stuck on the scooping net.
We continued scouting around. Our boat was not very far from the shore and while passing some resorts, we could smell the sewage...
Another one hour until 12:00am and no more jellyfishes were spotted. Osman took the species home and tried to keep it alive for identification purpose. As for now, please do not swim in the sea after dark. There is something lurking out there.
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Seeing your moonlit clouds, I remember that night as I noticed the awesome clouds too.
ReplyDeleteIt's been 4 days and still no ID on the jellyfish. I don't understand Osman's reservations on posting the picture without getting the ID. In fact you might get it faster if you posted it here as there are others who could have assisted. Maybe it's just our Boleh-land stigma.... oh, well.
Great blog you have. Keep it up.
-Kevin-
Hi Kevin;
ReplyDeleteI have to tell myself too..."Sabar", "Sabar".. (Patience, patience)...
Osman is working hard to get experts in to help us to identify that species. We don't have marine biologists or cnidaria experts on the island.
please note; even detached tentacles remain dangerous if from a box jelly. if stung; soak the tentacles with household vinegar and seek medical help. please do not go to the beach or in a boat without vinegar. these creatures are out there. for information; there is a strong move away from calling these things jellyfish. 'jellies' or 'sea-jellies' is preferred. after all, they are not fish....
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