They
say that out in the South Pacific Ocean the waters are a clear, unfathomable
blue like some sort of rare and exotic glimmering sapphire. They say, also,
that the sea, out there, is dotted with Islands bursting with such a rich and
greenery and amazing wildlife as to almost defy description. It sounds like
something out of an overly-fanciful and exaggerated tourist brochure doesn’t
it? But, honestly, I’ve even heard people who have actually been there in
person and seen it other than on the pages of a book describe it as a dream.
And
somewhere in the middle of that dream is a most fascinating little Island. It’s
one of Mother Nature’s little hideaways that she tries so hard to keep to
herself.
Eil Malk
(also known as Mecherchar Island) is a uniquely beautiful place. It’s a wee
little island. It’s just shy of 4 miles (6 km) long. Yet is has among the
largest concentrations of a very special and relatively rare natural phenomenon
called “Marine Lakes” – the only lakes that form in the middle of the ocean!
These
lakes form when there is a large indentation in the limestone. Scientists call
this a “depression”. You can think of it like a huge bowl. Under the right conditions,
the ocean will spill into these bowls and create a little lake.
The
thing is, although some sea water will leak in and out through little holes in
the limestone, the lake becomes cut off enough to become a world of its own,
vastly different than the sea that’s sploshing about only a few feet away. In
some cases, an entirely unique subspecies of creature will evolve – a creature
you will never find anywhere else on earth. That’s because it doesn’t exist
anywhere else on earth. Only in this little spot of water out there in the middle
of the ocean.
Imagine
that.
One of Eil
Malk’s lakes in particular has caught a lot of attention. Deep in this most secluded of shimmering blue
waters lives one of these creatures you’ll never find elsewhere. It’s small. It’s
gold. And it lives a life of utter and unbreakable ease.
It’s
called the Golden Jellyfish.
About
the size of a teacup, they have few tentacles and, unlike several of their much
larger sea-bound cousins, they can’t sting. No need. They’re just about predator
free in their wee little lake. Basically, they’re just little golden bells
floating around in there. All they have to do each day is bob, eat, follow the
arch of the sun for energy, and then start all over again. Ah, what a carefree
life.
So
carefree, in fact, that they have been known to reach amazing numbers.
Sometimes so much that divers deep in the water can barely see the sun through
the thick cloud of jellies above them.
But
they’re a bit of a mystery, too. For example, why and how did they simply
vanish back in the late ‘90s? And how did they manage to make a complete return
to their original numbers? Scientists believe the disappearance can be
attributed to El Nino, the famous weather phenomenon which caused all sorts of
things to occur around that time. But other answers remain elusive. For
example, why is it that other jellies in some of Eil Malk’s other lakes experienced
lesser or no declines at the same time?
It’s a
beautiful and amazing place and it’s in some ways unfortunate that it has been
opened to tourists for scuba diving. It may be fun and memorable for the
divers, but my big hope is that it won’t do damage to this lake or its little
inhabitants. Mother Nature protected this place for millennia. Can we continue
her tradition?
Photo by: Original uploader was Profberger at en.wikipedia
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