I goofed up a jellyfish fact while kayaking with new friends

Last month, I went kayaking with some people from a local club. We saw these cool, clear blobs in the water, and I called them moon jellies. Later, one of the group, who studies marine bio, said they were actually comb jellies and not true jellies at all. I felt so embarrassed because I was trying to sound smart. Everyone was nice about it, but I could tell they knew I was wrong. It made the rest of the trip a bit quiet for me. Has this happened to you when you're around experts? What's the best way to bounce back from a marine ID mistake without feeling like a fool?

3 comments

3 Comments

ross.christopher8h ago

You said you felt like a fool, but honestly, was it that big of a deal? People who study that stuff get things wrong too. It's just a cool thing to learn, not a test you failed.

the_tara7h ago

Exactly! Getting it wrong is how you really start to learn the good stuff anyway. The mess-ups make the whole thing stick better in your brain.

paige16633m ago

Focus on how fun it was to figure something out, not that you got it wrong at first.