Dive with
Best places to dive with Golden jellyfish
Mastigias papua etpisoni
An endemic Palau subspecies living only in Jellyfish Lake. It hosts symbiotic algae for much of its energy and makes a daily east–west migration tracking the sun. Nearly harmless to swimmers and snorkel-only; its numbers swing with drought and El Niño from millions to a few thousand.
Destinations ranked by how reliably golden jellyfish is seen. The bars show the likelihood by month — never a guarantee. See the full species page for more.
Palau, Palau
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Present year-round but drastically reduced in 2025 (a few thousand versus a historic ~5 million); best viewed mid-morning in the dry season. Snorkel-only.