How afraid should we be of Scotland's jellyfish?

July and August are peak months for jellyfish sightings in Scotland

When scuba diver and underwater photographer Ross McLaren encountered a jellyfish for the first time, he said all he felt was "sheer terror".

"I was diving in the Clyde and one of the instructors had to pull me out of the way of the tentacles as it was wafting above me," he said.

McLaren ended up with a sting across his upper lip but said it did not stop him from wanting to dive.

Many people are scared of jellyfish due to the fear of painful stings and the creature's unpredictable nature in the water.

Scuba diver Ross McLaren has completed almost 600 dives since 2016

But McLaren, who lives near the coast in North Ayrshire, believes there is more to the brainless, heartless and boneless invertebrates than people might think.

"Jellyfish have such a bad reputation but they are one of the most mesmerising and beautiful creatures underwater," he said, having completed almost 600 dives.

As we reach peak jellyfish season in Scotland, should we see them as a sight to behold or a reason to run?

July and August are peak months for jellyfish sightings in Scotland.

"The number and distribution of jellyfish are impacted by many different factors," said Anna Bunney of the Marine Conservation Society, which runs a nationwide survey of jellyfish.

"This includes sea temperatures, the availability of plankton for feeding, which peaks during the summer months when it is warmer, and ocean currents."

Sea temperatures tend to lag behind air temperatures, Bunney says.

The maximum air temperatures in Scotland usually occur in July and August, whereas sea temperatures are at the warmest in August and September.

When the sea starts to get warmer, it means a return of the jellyfish.

Sea temperatures, the availability of plankton, and ocean currents have an impact on jellyfish sightings in Scotland

Bunney described jellyfish as weak swimmers or "passive drifters" which rely on ocean currents to carry them.

Calmer ocean conditions around the UK in the summer months help to push jellyfish gently towards the shore, meaning there are often more sightings of the creatures.

Breeding speed also increases with warmer conditions, allowing adult jellyfish to reproduce in large numbers, creating so-called blooms.

These blooms can look like a thick soup or pulsing cloud in the water and have been known to block boat engines.

In 2011, Torness nuclear power station in East Lothian was even shut down as a precautionary measure due to huge numbers of jellyfish found in sea water entering the plant.

A bloom of