Calm waters and upside-down jellyfish

Normally, the trade winds blow pretty much continuously here, especially in the first few months of the year, but this year has been really weird, with lots of still nights and light-breeze days. The deck is soaked in dew when I go out to do my sunrise yoga, I have trouble getting anywhere for lionfish diving or exploring, the boat swings randomly and rolls violently when it turns sideways to the swell (I then put out an extra anchor and force the boat into the right orientation), and I am hoping the wind will pick up enough for me to sail to the boat yard this weekend. On the bright side, paddling to and from shore is far easier and I can see really cool stuff through the unruffled surface.... like tarpon swimming around my boat or upside-down jellyfish.

There are two species of these Cassiopeia jellies. They sit on the sea floor looking like anemones, but they can swim away to a new location if disturbed. Cynthia and I found thousands in a little bay named Bork Creek (more of a pond), probably twenty-five to fifty per square meter, and I came across these and shot some pictures when paddling to shore in Coral Bay.

And, if you want MUCH better pics, check out these Google results here.

I've found them swimming about, with their compact tentacles on top and their bell or foot downward, and captured them. I've also lifted them from their resting spots and watched them sigh (at least in my mind) and settle back down or grumble (again, in my mind) and flap away in a search for a spot with fewer annoying primates. We can probably all relate...