Lions of the PNW

Lion's mane jellyfish

Last weekend we were off of West Anvil Island in Howe Sound and at the beginning of the dive, we hit the bottom and I looked over my shoulder to find this guy floating peacefully by! 

Definitely don't want to get tangled up in him, but they are absolutely amazing to see in person!  Also check out the full album from there dive here. 

Check out some stats on these guys:
(wikipedia)

The lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata), also known as hair jelly,[1] is the largest known species of jellyfish. Its range is confined to cold, boreal waters of the Arctic, northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific Oceans. It is common in the English channel, Irish Sea, North Sea and in western Scandinavian waters down to Cattegat and Øresund. It may also drift in to the south-western part of the Baltic Sea (where it cannot breed due to the low salinity). Similar jellyfish, which may be the same species, are known to inhabit seas near Australia and New Zealand. The largest recorded specimen found, washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay in 1870, had a bell (body) with a diameter of 2.3 metres (7 ft 6 in) and tentacles 37 m (120 ft) long.[2] Lion's mane jellyfish have been observed below 42°N latitude for some time—specifically in the larger bays of the east coast of the United States.

While the lion's mane jellyfish generally use their stinging tentacles to capture prey, sea anemones can capture their tentacles, which then become tangled, torn apart and consumed.[3]

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