How do you like your eggs? Scrabbled? Poached? Fried?

Diving in the waters of the Pacific North West allows for encounters with some pretty unique ocean dwelling creatures. One of the most photogenic and fun are jellyfish.

Jellyfish are probably some of the most unusual and mysterious creatures that you'll ever encounter. With their gelatinous bodies and dangling tentacles, they look more like something from a horror movie than a real animal. But if you can get past the weirdness you'll discover that jellyfish are pretty fascinating. They've been around for more than 650 million years, and there are thousands of different species, with more species discovered all of the time.

Along the coastal regions of the eastern Pacific Fried-egg jellies (Phacellophora camtschatica) float along in open water both collecting food for themselves and often being a refuge for smaller animals like fish and crabs.

Like a large bird egg cracked and poured into the water, that three-foot, translucent bell is yolk-yellow at the center, with hundreds of tentacles clustered around the margin. The fried-egg jelly is one of the larger species of jellies commonly found along the coast. This massive jelly usually drifts motionless or moves with gentle pulsing. Acting like an underwater spider web with a mild sting, an egg-yolk jelly captures other jellies that swim into its mass of tentacles.

Fried egg jellies have dozens of tentacles but a very weak sting are relatively harmless to humans.

Diving and photographing these amazing animals will leave you in awe, but will probably give you some cravings for a good breakfast once your finished you dive.

Thanks for checking out my post - more images can be found at: http://www.scottstevensonphotography.ca/