Jellyfish Lake – Ongeim’l Tketau GC11A56 GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – May 28, 2012

Up close and personal (Photo Credit:FradoMedia)

If you dare, this Geocache of the Week takes you underwater and into the midst of thousands of jellyfish. Jellyfish Lake (GC11A56) or “Ongeim’l Tketau”  as it is called in the local language of Palauan, is one of approximately 70 marine lakes scattered throughout the southern portion of the main island of Palau.

This difficulty five, terrain five EarthCache was created by SurrenderTheBooty in March of 2007. Since then, this unique and rare lake has been visited and appreciated by geocachers all over the world.

In order the log a smiley on this EarthCache, adventurers must travel to the site and complete two requirements. There’s no container to discover. Instead, geocachers discover the geological forces that created this unique location. They must email SurrenderTheBooty with a picture taken at either the arrival dock or the floating dock on the lake, as well as the GPS elevation readings at sea level, on top of the ridge, and at lake level.

Swimming with Jellyfish

The lake is only accessible by boat and visitors have to climb a ridge to get to the golden jellyfish. The cache page provides a comprehensive overview of Palau’s Jellyfish Lake formation over the course of thousands of years. It also details what visitors can expect when they arrive at Ongeim’l Tketau.

One log reads, “Swimming in the Jellyfish Lake is a fantastic experience! The jellyfish are so fragile, so beautiful, … my English is not good enough to describe my feelings. Large jellyfish have a slow frequency when moving, smaller ones have a higher frequency.  Thanks to SurrenderTheBooty for this amazing experience.”

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you’ d like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.

Jellyfish Lake Floating Dock

Announcing the April Featured Geocacher of the Month

Many people recognize April’s Featured Geocacher of the Month for their hospitality and ability to host and organize numerous geocaching gatherings. Congratulations to Milosheart for being named April’s featured Geocacher of the Month!

Lackeys were greatly impressed with the tight number of votes that pushed this power couple to take the lead. Many acknowledged that Milosheart is no stranger when it comes to the success of geocaching in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. 

April Featured Geocachers of the Month, Milosheart

As one geocacher casting a vote put it, “the fun we have had is due to their laid back but encouraging way of introducing people to the sport.  They have held social gatherings as well educational events at their house where all are invited and made to feel at home. They have a lot of experience and knowledge to share and an easy way of going about it.  They are excellent organizers as shown by the overwhelming success of this year’s contest and banquet.  New people are joining the Fredericton club weekly (if not daily) due to their leadership.  I guess what I am trying to say is: They are excellent ambassadors of the sport.”

Milosheart will receive a collector’s edition Featured Geocacher of the Month Geocoin, along with a Geocacher of the Month hat and certificate acknowledging their contributions signed by two of the founders of Geocaching.com.

Thank you to the fellow April nominees and all those who supported them. Those nominees not chosen as the featured Geocacher of the Month receive a gift of appreciation from Groundspeak. See a list of all the featured Geocachers of the Month here.

The geocaching community is encouraged to re-nominate those who have yet to be honored as featured Geocacher of the Month.

If you know an outstanding geocacher who should be considered for the honor, send an email to geocacherofthemonth@groundspeak.com. 

Featured Geocacher of the Month Geocoin

Every nomination must meet the following requirements: Please include your name, the name of your nominee, their username, at least one picture of the nominee and description (in 500 or fewer words) explaining why he or she deserves to be the Geocacher of the Month. Please inform your nominee that you’ve submitted them for the award. Nominations for the May featured Geocacher of the Month must be received by June 8th.

Once we have received all of the nominations, we will choose the top candidates and post them on the Latitude 47 blog. You will then get a chance to champion your favorite. Our goal is to involve the entire geocaching community in this process so we might learn from each other.

 

Groundspeak Weekly Mailer – May 23, 2012

Mega-Events — A new MEGA Benefit

Commencing June 1st, Geocaching.com is adding a new benefit for Mega-Events. A Mega-Event is a geocaching event that brings at least 500 geocachers together at one time. It’s the ultimate geocaching gathering.

At Geocaching.com, we recognize that fundraising is an important part of hosting a Mega-Event and we want to help. We know that some of the best fundraisers involve official Mega-Event trackable Geocoins and trackable t-shirts. Beginning June 1, 2012, Mega-Events sponsored by Geocaching.com will receive free Geocaching.com tracking codes for use on the official Mega-Event merchandise. Sponsored Mega-Events will also receive a free tracking code icon and many other exclusive benefits. Some restrictions apply.

Check out this Help Center article for details and requirements for free Geocaching.com Mega-Event Sponsorship.

Babies, Puppies, and Kids Love Geocaching

You know who loves geocaching? Babies. And puppies. And kids. And Abraham Lincoln. And the whole wide world.

See for yourself:

[vsw id=”2fDKdMLMvnY” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”]

Now isn’t that cute?

Subscribe to the official Geocaching.com YouTubechannel to be one of the first to see new videos about the evolving world of geocaching. Watch the more than 50 videos produced by Geocaching.com on our video page.

 

Lair GC5D2D GEOCACHE OF THE WEEK – May 21, 2012

View from new cache location

Lair (GC5D2D) delivers geocachers a hard-fought smiley. The difficulty three, terrain four traditional geocache challenges geocachers physically. Adventurers experience a strenuous hike and steep climb in order to sign the log. kat0atu hid the geocache back in 2002. It’s earned more than 45 Favorite Points, with a well crafted cache page that leads to a thrilling find.

kat0atu explains on the cache page, the “Cave entrance [is a] tough hike for this 50 year old.” The cache page also warns geocachers to be prepared for potential encounters with wildlife. The cache page suggests bringing ample supplies, including water and camera.

Tractor near cache location

Geocachers took the advice to take pictures. There are more than 250 images uploaded to the cache page. They include pictures of the view from the cave, images of rusted tractors, and the heroics of geocachers climbing the Minnesota, USA cliffs.

Cachers who found Lair write, “This is the type of cache that makes caching worthwhile. I took up this game with the hope that it would take me places that I never would find/know about otherwise, and this is one of them. Plus I always appreciate when I have to exert some physical effort in the search…SLTNLN* TFTC**.”

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you’ d like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.

*SLTNLN – Signed Log Took Nothing Left Nothing

*TFTC – Thanks For The Cache

View from near cache location