• Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

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Monthly Archives: April 2004

Ask for a Window Seat

Divers flying out of Gorontalo bound for Makassar (formerly Ujung Pandang) would do well to ask for window seats. Citilink Garuda flies out over Gorontalo City before turning southwards over the deep blue waters of Tomini Bay. Those sitting on the port (left!) side of the plane (seat A) can clearly see the river mouth, the ferry terminal, and the Japanese fish factory. Following the coastline, divers can identify the steep, mountainous point where no road skirts the sea. With these landmarks, those who have been out with Miguel’s Diving can see sites where they have been diving. Aerial views area fantastic. The waters are deep indigo blue right up to a narrow band of coral or sand edging the coastline.

Fishermen Rescue Pilot Whales

Sulawesi waters teem with life of all sizes, including cetaceans. Last week a pod of 18 whales beached near the border of Gorontalo and North Sulawesi provinces, only a few hours east of diving sites. Miguel’s Diving staff confirmed with fishermen friends that these were Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus). For some reason the pod entered a small cove that only has a narrow outlet to the sea and beached. Using only their small outrigger canoes powered by tiny motors, local fishermen were able to tow the whales outside the inlet to the open sea. Fifteen were saved. The huge carcasses of the three that died were also towed out to sea away from homes. We have reported the incident to the biologist at North Sulawesi’s Bunaken Marine Park.

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