Palau's 400-Meter Jellyfish Lake Draws Snorkelers to Rare Golden Species

5 articles · Updated · CNN · May 13

Jellyfish Lake in Palau offers snorkelers close contact with non-stinging golden jellyfish found only in that remote marine lake, where visitors float among the animals just below the surface.
The 400-meter-long, 30-meter-deep lake is completely stratified, with only its oxygen-rich top layer supporting life; scuba diving is banned because deeper layers contain purple bacteria and a hydrogen-sulfide dead zone.
Strict conservation rules shape every visit: permits cost up to $100, travelers must avoid contaminating the water, use approved reef-safe sunscreen and follow protections that reflect Palau's broader environmental stance.
The lake's famous jellyfish image once showed far denser swarms than today, after El Niño-driven salinity changes in 2006 triggered a sharp population decline that raised fears the species could vanish.
Scientists and Palauan locals helped the ecosystem recover enough for the lake to reopen in 2019, and the golden jellyfish are now treated as a point of national pride.

With vital US aid delayed, is Palau’s pioneering marine sanctuary about to be sacrificed for economic security?

Can Palau’s celebrated conservation model withstand pressures from US military expansion and its own economic needs?