Holiday Ayo - Not many know that in Misool Island, Raja Ampat, West Papua, there are stingless jellyfish that swim in saltwater lakes.

The number of jellyfish swarms in this lake is more than in Togean and Kakaban.

Tourists are allowed to swim with jellyfish in Lake Lenmakana as long as they don't wear sunscreen, so that the lake's ecosystem is not polluted and can continue to be sustainable.

The sunscreen that tourists often use when swimming with Mastigias is actually endangering their lives. Sunscreen with a concentration of 10 -6 g ml -1 gave a lethal effect on Mastigias in just 30 hours.

In Indonesia, saltwater lakes are located in East Kalimantan and West Papua. When traced, from more than 200 saltwater lakes in the world scattered in the Bahamas, Palau, Vietnam and Indonesia. Indonesia has about 35% of that number.

Lake Lenmakana has a meromictic type, which is a lake with a water structure in the form of stratified layers with each layer not naturally mixed.

Lenmakana area is 1.25 hectares with a depth of 18 meters, the deepest among the three lakes, and its distance to the sea is only 55.8 meters. There is a cave on the north side as a connecting corridor with seawater or other lakes.

Some tourists describe the sensation of diving there as entering Spongebob's Bikini Bottom jellyfish field. Because the number of stingless jellyfish in Lenmakana is truly abundant. From the surface of the water it is clear.

To access this lake, it takes quite an effort because it climbs a steep and sharp cliff. Don't forget that you must wear shoes here, or non-slip footwear, the pads are strong because otherwise they are prone to slipping or being stepped on by sharp rocks.

Wear mountain shoes (not regular sneakers), at least mountain sandals (more than normal flip-flops). Because you will climb a sharp rock hill. It takes special stamina before finding the hidden beauty.

How to Get There

To visit Lenmakana, we have to fly to Sorong, Papua. After that cross to Misool by boat or speedboat.

Arriving at Misool, the journey still has to be continued with trekking which is quite exhausting. Because the location of the lake is quite hidden. But the scenery is really worth fighting for, really. Especially if it is immortalized with an underwater selfie.