Paddle board instructor's 'freaky' encounter with vast raft of jellyfish off Norfolk coast

A paddle boarding instructor has spoken of the "freaky" moment he came on a huge raft of jellyfish floating off the coast.

Andy Holland, 55, was coaching off the shore in Norfolk when he and his pupil stumbled on the extraordinary sight.

Pictures they took show the huge jellyfish clustered just under the surface of the sea off Hunstanton.

Mr Holland, who runs SUPS Life Hunstanton, said he had been working along the coast for years but had never seen anything like the huge rafts of jellyfish which stretched over "acres" of the water.

He said: "If you had asked me how many there were I just couldn't have estimated, there could have been millions.

"It was just freaky. The water was so clear it was like looking into space and seeing endless constellations of stars - it was like nothing I have ever seen before."

Mr Holland, who lives in Heacham, said the jellyfish were clustered about 1.5 miles (2.5km) offshore where he was coaching up and coming young paddle boarder Charlie Wagg.

He said they had paddled out on Wednesday to try to find some rougher water to train in and discovered the jellyfish drifting over sandbanks near a channel.

The paddle board instructor stressed it was not safe for most people to venture so far from shore.

Mr Holland said when he went out the following day there were no jellyfish to be seen at all.

He said it was usual to see the creatures as the water warms up in summer but not in the huge numbers present on Wednesday.

He described some of the moon jellyfish as being as large as dinner plates and said it was quite difficult to paddle through them.

However he said they do not have a vicious sting like some other varieties, describing it as like being stung by a stinging nettle, although he added he would not want to fall in with them.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know