Hi all,

Each time we have visited the stunning Espalmador beach and marine reserve off the Island of Formentera, I have described its beauty and up loaded the photos to show you.

It is one of my favourite beaches and has the white sand and the crystal clear water of the Caribbean. The reserve is a low lying spit of land, undeveloped and protected.

Our treat is to swim from the boat to the beach, walk on the stunning shore before swimming back.

On 3rd Oct we had seen two jellyfishes pass the boat and decided to be very careful and put on our snorkels. Nothing was going to stop me swimming in this wonderful spot, especially where the local friendly fish don't have big teeth.... like the Caribbean.

Tony and I started for the shore about 400m away with the water as beautiful and as clear as ever.

As we neared the shore we swam over some quite large rocks at a different part of the beach to where we normally get out. The rocks were covered with weed and as we swam around we suddenly noticed that we had swum into a swarm of jellyfish.

The jellies were at all water levels from the surface to the seabed, white clear bodies with long trailing stingers.  Tony and I got to about 2 to 3 metres deep and realised there were far too many for us to make the shore.

We swam back to back  moving one another around, threading our way through the jellyfish completely surrounded and we thought impossible not to get multiple stings.   I started to freak out a bit.......the on lookers on the shore probably thought sharks !!!!! I'm not exaggerating how many there were.

I bolted through one space before it closed expecting to get stung and somehow got through with Tony closely behind me.

Still, big time gulping air and water....oh yes....I swam with Tony back to back, heads under the water, the only way to see the white clear jellies at all levels.

After about 200m the jellies were less and more easy to swim over and around.

We got back to Tioram in shock that we had escaped several stings. We looked around at the surrounding yachts to warn people not to swim.  We noticed that......emmmmh......no one was in the water or on the shore by the beach emmmmh. In our excitement to swim, we hadn't noticed the obvious.......no one in the water off the boats and a few swimmers very close to shore.

Within 30 mins the boat was completely surrounded, see the photos below.

Sadly not the beautiful swim we had planned.

After a couple of really rolly nights from the passing ferries and southerly breeze pushing a sweep into the bay we lifted anchor to head to San Antonio bay...not our best stay in the beautiful Espalmador.

Photos, close up of the jellyfish and one photo of a very large fish feeding near the dinghy on the small eel-like fish..... it stayed under the boat and was feeding again the next day.......der de der de der de der de.......sadly not swimming for the moment ha ha.......Steven Spielberg you left me traunatised.

Love to all

T and T xxxx