• Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

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Yearly Archives: 2023

Dead nudibranch startles divers

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Dead nudibranch is rarely seen. But one of our sharp-eyed dive masters spotted one along an unnamed section of coral reef.

A Black, Fleshy Mass

Miguel’s Diving staff are always looking for marine life to show to our diving guests. They are skilled in spotting small critters, as well as pelagics that swim past divers who are focused on the amazing coral here.

Recently, a dive master noticed something out of place in a small patch of white sand. The object looked black and fleshy, like the mantle of a clam. However, he knew that no clam lived there in the sand.

dead nudibranch
Dorsal side of the dead nudibranch

With a piece of broken coral, he probed the strange thing. It was clearly dead and lifeless. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly the dead body of a large nudibranch. Round holes remained where the rhinophores had been during life. Towards the back, the area where the gills should have been were completely torn. We have placed circles around the missing dorsal parts in the photograph.

Turning the dead nudibranch over on its back, he saw that the entire area of internal organs was entirely ravished. Only the fleshy body of the dead nudibranch remained.

An Expert Comments on the Dead Nudibranch

Everyone at Miguel’s Diving was curious to learn about this unusual sighting. None of us had ever seen a dead nudibranch before. We wanted to learn how this marine critter could have died. So, we contacted an expert. She is Prof. Dr. Heike Wägele of the Leibniz Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversitätswandels Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum. She kindly responded to our email.

belly
Ventral side showing missing interior parts

She speculated that the nudibranch could have experienced an injury to its back. As a result, fish began to nibble at it. Another alternative could be damage from a parasite. “Copepods usually sit close to the gill and perhaps this has also weakened the animal,” wrote Dr. Wägele. Sometimes, the nudibranch ages and dies naturally.

We also asked her why only parts of the dead nudibranch were eaten and not its body. She responded, “Usually these animals have toxic compounds accumulated in the body, mainly actually in the large body. But the organs are usually less toxic.” Also, the bodies of nudibranchs are full of spicules. Spicules are hard and spiny. They help support the body structure of marine animals that lack bones. Also

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, they make their bodies unpleasant to chew.

Once Alive

Given the extreme decay of the specimen, there is no way to know what species of nudibranch we found dead. However, its shape and size are similar to Ardeadoris egretta. Divers occasionally see this beautiful white nudibranch along coral reefs in Gorontalo.

For your chance to see a living nudibranch, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.  

Sargassum frogfish delights divers

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Sargassum frogfish float on surface currents to dive sites in Gorontalo. Our diligent diver masters know how to find them, to the delight of guests.

Floating Refuge

As their common name implies, Sargassum frogfish hide among sargassum weeds. Although these weeds initially grow along shallow ocean bottoms, storms will rip them up. Then, these weeds will float on the surface. They have air-filled bladders that look like berries, which helps the weeds float.

Over eighty species of fish use floating mats of Sargassum weed for part of their life cycle. Juvenile fish can hide there from predators. But predators also lurk unseen among the weeds.

Camouflaged Predator

sargassum frogfish
Sargassum frogfish hides among weeds

One such predator is the Sargassum frogfish. Like other frogfish

, this one has a small lure between its eyes and mouth. When the fish is hungry, it will wiggle its lure to tempt prey to approach too closely. With a sudden, giant gulp, the frogfish will ingest the small fish, crab or shrimp. Unhappily, baby frogfish may also be devoured.

This frogfish’s scientific name is Histrio histrio. It is the only species of this genus and no other fish looks quite like it. Its appearance is unmistakable, although finding it is difficult. Its coloration mimics that of Sargassum weed. Also, it has fleshy appendages that look like its weedy host. Although it can swim, this frogfish usually remains motionless. Instead, it grabs onto weeds with its pectoral fins and tail. When necessary, it can alter its color from lighter to darker, or vice versa.

Techniques for Finding Sargassum frogfish

frogfish
Floating on surface weeds

Our dive masters are skilled in finding these shy and delightful critters. During surface intervals between dives, they will search floating weeds near the dive boat. If they find one, they will scoop it into a small bucket along with the weed on which the frogfish clings. That way guests on the dive boat can see it up close. Although this frogfish can survive quite a while above water, we always return it safely to the ocean.

For your chance to see a Sargassum frogfish Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.  

Estuarine stonefish horrify divers

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Estuarine stonefish look like ugly stones on the ocean floor. Moreover, they are buried in sand. Divers often pass this deadly fish without noticing.

Lurking Danger

Synanceia horrida is scientific name for the Estuarine stonefish. Famous naturalist Carl Linnaeus found it in Ambon, Indonesia in 1766 and gave the fish its “horrifying” name.

Estuarine stonefish
Estuarine stonefish lurking

Most often, the Estuarine stonefish will hide under sand or rubble on the substrate. It uses its large pectoral fins to dig down. Then, it will wiggle its body, covering itself with sand. Typically, only its eyes and mouth emerge. Its mouth is always positioned like an unhappy up-side-down smile. Other times, it sits on the substrate looking like an uninteresting rock .

This grumpy looking fish is merely waiting for the right moment. As a night time hunter, the Estuarine stonefish waits for a fish, shrimp, or crustacean to pass by. With sudden inhalation, the fish will suck its prey into the mouth.

Venomous not Poisonous

Like other stonefishes, the Estuarine stonefish has a series of spines. These are usually lying flat onto its back. If the fish it started or feels threatened, it will erect its spines. If someone steps on it or grabs its, the spines will inject venom. This venom quickly and adversely affects the heart and muscles. The pain is extreme and deaths have occurred.

The best emergency treatment is submerging the wound in very hot water. Heat is a general tool for all marine venom and stings. It breaks down the neurotoxins, eventually rendering them neutral. Naturally, any victim should be taken to a medical facility.

Estuarine stonefish and its Lookalikes

Many of the bottom dwelling stonefishes look similar. However, only the Estuarine stonefish has the boney ridge between its eyes. Its eyes point upwards for sunken depression on the fish’s face. The fish’s color is dark and mottled. Oftentimes, filamentous algae will be growing on its body. All this is to disguise the fish’s presence. In Gorontalo, we find this species in muck diving areas.

boney ridge between eyes
Notice the boney ridge between eyes

Similar is the Reef stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa), which is typically found near reefs. It lacks the boney eye ridge and often is more colorful. On our Honeycomb dive site, we find Flasher scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis macrochir)

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, which is much smaller than Estuarine stonefish. Its body is smoother and usually lies flat with its tail stretched straight back among rubble. Lying in plain sight, it is still most difficult to detect. Another similar venomous bottom dweller is the Devil scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis diabolus). We sometimes find this fish in muck diving sites. Its skin is almost smooth looking. When disturbed, it stretches out its yellow and red banded dorsal fins, as it glides to another place.

Advice for Viewing

When divers are enjoying muck diving, they should always avoid laying on the substrate. Many creatures live just under the surface. When threatened, they sting in self-defense. Using a dive stick for positioning is a helpful and safe way to observe marine life without making contact with the ocean bottom, something that can be potentially harmful.

Sometimes, the Estuarine stonefish will be sitting in the open, above the sand. Even so, divers will probably swim right past it since it looks like an ugly stone. Careful inspection will reveal the grumpy curve of its mouth, its wide pectoral fins touching the sand, and its tail curled around its body. Hard to spot are its eyes, which are staring at you.

For your chance to see this stonefish in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving. 

Flower urchin trembles with danger

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Flower urchin looks like a lovely ball of trembling flowers. However, those flowers contain highly toxic venom. This sea urchin’s maximum diameter is about 15 centimeters. It lives in areas of sand and rubble along coral reefs. It also inhabits areas of sea grass.

Beauty to Avoid

flower urchin
Flower urchin hiding in the reef

Although commonly known as the Flower urchin, the scientific name of this echinoderm is Toxopneustes pileolus. The genus name Toxopneustes means “poison breath.” And “skullcap” is the meaning of pileolus

, the species name. These names underscore the creature’s deadly possibilities.

Its toxins can cause a number of symptoms. These include breathing problems, muscular paralysis, and numbness. Such effects can render the victim disoriented. The combination can result in accidental drowning. Initial contact gives the victim an extremely painful shock. Then numbness and spasms start to travel through the body from the point of contact. Happily, accidental contact with this sea urchin is extremely rare.

Deceptive Flowers

Various projections cover a Flower urchin’s exposed surface. The most noticeable are the flower-like pedicellariae. These colorful appendages are actually jaws. Each jaw has three prongs. Moreover, the flower-like jaws have sensors that detect contact or proximity movement to the sea urchin. Any touch will trigger the jaws to contract. Then the jaws inject venom. To make matters worse, once the jaws are triggered, they can easily break free from the sea urchin. That means they stay embedded and will continually inject venom for several hours.

The flowers of this sea urchin can appear a pinkish or yellowish white. There will be a single lavender dot in the middle. These false flowers typically cover the short spines of the urchin.   

On the underside of the Flower urchin are double rows of tubular feet. These emerge along the ten segments of the urchin’s shell. In the center is the creature’s mouth, which contains five plates. These plates function as teeth that crunch food. Sea urchins forage along the bottom on algae, bryozoans and detritus. With the mouth facing the substrate, the anus faces the water column and any curious passing diver.

Flower Urchin Piled with Debris

To observe a Flower urchin, divers must keep a safe distance. Careful observation of the surface of this creature shows thin, translucent, and waving appendages that are longer that the trembling flowers of the urchin. These appendages are tubular feet that end in three claws. These are used to clear the urchin’s surface of debris.

Toxopneustes pileolus
Appendages of Toxopneustes pileolus

However, the urchin also uses these tubular feet to move debris from the substrate onto its top and sides. Scientists call this covering or heaping behavior. The tubular feet keep debris in place. The function or purpose of this behavior remains a mystery. Because divers think that a small heap of debris is simply rubble, most flower urchins remain unnoticed.

In the rare instances when we see a Flower urchin, our dive masters will warn guests first and then carefully show the beautiful creature. Afterwards, the dive master will use his stick to move debris on top of the urchin. This helps the urchin but also prevents accidental contact by anyone else passing by.

To dive with such caring dive masters, please make your trip reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.  

Beach Clean Up 2023

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Beach Clean Up 2023 took place on this year’s International Whale Shark Day. That date was the twenty-seventh of August. The provincial government organized the event at Botubarani Village in Bone Bolango Regency. The location is about twenty minutes from the center of Gorontalo City.

Local Diving Community in Action

In additional to trash removal along the coastline, the government sponsored underwater activities. Over forty local divers participated. Miguel’s Diving staff of five dive masters composed one of the teams. Each team received a couple of used, large rice sacks to collect trash found underwater.

beach clean up 2023
Coral ready for transplantation

In addition

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, each team received broken corals found at adjacent sites along with ties. Team members tied the coral to a row of bicycles that have been part of an artificial reef. These bicycles sit in a sandy area between coral pinnacles.  

Beach Clean Up 2023

Gorontalo dive pioneer and Miguel’s Diving staff Rantje was asked to address the officials overseeing the event. In his remarks, he recounted how the beach clean up 2023 was the latest in an annual series. Year by year, the amount of trash found has decreased.

Looking at the ocean surface that day, he challenged official to see any floating plastic. There was none, even though Beach Clean Up 2023 had not started. This points to the growing awareness of locals to place trash in designed bins. Clearly, no one had thrown trash into the ocean recently.

Local media interviewed Mr. Aryanto Husain, Head of Gorontalo Provincial Tourism Department. He emphasized that this event “improves the attractiveness for both international and national visitors.”

Miguel's Diving staff
Miguel’s Diving staff in action

Additional Activities

In addition to trash pick up above and below the water, Beach Clean Up 2023 included an underwater photo competition. Photos taken served as documentation of the effort. Also, children enjoyed a coloring contest.

Best of all, ladies from Botubarani village had a special area where they sold local food. One favorite is yellow rice, wrapped in a banana leaf.

This year’s event occurred in late August, at the worst of wave season here. Diving season in Gorontalo is from November to April. So, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving. We have been keeping the underwater world here clean for your enjoyment!   

Fin whale startles crew

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Fin whale surfaced right next to one of our staff while he was fishing for yellowfin tuna. Tomini Bay where we dive is over four kilometers deep. So, large cetaceans are part of the marine environment in Gorontalo.

Surprise Encounter

Boka, one of Miguel’s Diving dive masters, headed to deep waters offshore. On his day off, he decided to fish for yellowfin tuna. Local fishermen use traditional handlines. This method is ecologically sustainable.

Identification book for whales

Suddenly, a large whale surfaced only a few meters away from his outrigger canoe. Then the whale exhaled, sending spray into the air.

Boka’s outrigger canoe measures five meters in length. He estimates the fin whale that surfaced next to him to be twelve meters. That means this particular whale was still small. Adult fin whales can reach 22 meters in length. This species is the second largest animal on planet earth, after the larger Blue whale. The cetaceans we see tend to be young. That includes whale sharks, orcas, and whales. It seems that the deep waters of Tomini Bay are a prime location for young cetaceans to grow into adults.

Fin Whale in the Southern Hemisphere

Although fin whales live in all the world’s oceans

, they are mostly sighted in the southern hemisphere. When a fin whale surfaces, its dorsal fin appears right after the whale blows. The dorsal fin is quite small and points backwards. Its flukes are rarely visible. Most notable, it is large size. Also, fin whales ignore boats. This is what happened when Boka encountered one.

Fin whale sketch (c) NOAA

The fin whale used to be hunted commercially. This is now banned. As a result of over hunting, this species is considered endangered. The population of the southern hemisphere has been particularly slow to recover. Balaenoptera physalus is the scientific name.

Fin whales are filter feeders. Those in the southern hemisphere feed almost exclusively on krill. They can also eat plankton, small schooling fish, and squids. Their only known predator is the Orca or killer whale. In Gorontalo we see orca annually, usually in January and February.

Although scuba divers are not likely to see a fin whale in Gorontalo, whale shark sightings are common. So, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.  

DXI2023 marks Miguel’s Diving return

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DXI2023 or DEEP EXTREME 2023 marks Miguel’s Diving return to Indonesia’s prestigious diving expo. Other adventure sports are also represented there.

Joint Promotion with Tourism Department

Gorontalo Provincial Tourism Department invited Miguel’s Diving to join its booth. We are most grateful for their support. The booth location was D10. Two of Miguel’s Diving staff attended DXI2023. They were Yunis Amu and Maman Abdullah. Other dive staff remained in Gorontalo to take guests diving.

As in many previous years, DEEP EXTREME Indonesia 2023 held its exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center. The dates were June 1 to 4. The expo combines scuba diving with extreme sports, such as rock climbing. It is now the largest expo of its kind in Southeast Asia. At DXI2023, Miguel’s Diving offered a discount dive packages exclusively to visitors to our booth.

our dive boats
Our custom-built dive boats

We also promoted our custom-built speed boats. The larger one holds a maximum of fourteen divers. It comes complete with a marine toilet. The smaller speed boat can hold eight divers, but we prefer to limit the capacity to six guests plus dive masters. Both boats provide canopies for complete coverage from the sun. We built both specifically for divers rather than renovate boats built for fishing. No one else offering diving in our area has the facilities that we have.

Friends Old & New

The Gorontalo booth for DXI2023 contained a variety of underwater photographs from Gorontalo. Gorontalo is a great place for underwater photos, whether wide angle or macro.

After taking a pause from diving since 2020, many divers wish to return to Gorontalo for our great diving. The Jakarta dive show was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with longtime friends and to make new ones.

Mr. Fadel Muhammad vists

One visitor to our booth was our representative to parliament, Mr. Fadel Muhammad. He is Wakil Ketua MPR for the current period. He will be up for re-election in 2024.

If you could not meet us in person, please book your dive trip with us.

MIDE 2023 marks Miguel’s Diving return to Malaysia

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MIDE 2023, the Malaysia International Dive Expo, welcomed Miguel’s Diving back. This is our first reappearance at a regional dive expo since the pandemic.

Malaysia International Dive Expo MIDE 2023

The Malaysia International Dive Expo took place May 26 to 28, 2023. It is also called MIDE 2023. In the past, the event venue was Putra World Trade Centre or PWTC. However, the year the dive expo moved to Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre (MITEC). The exact location was Level 2 Hall 6. The exhibition opened daily to the public at 10 a.m. It closed nightly at 7 p.m.

Miguel’s Diving @ Booth B1

MIDE 2023 marks the sixth appearance of Miguel’s Diving at this dive expo. Our booth was B1 and located at a strategic corner. The fascia board name was Miguel’s Diving Gorontalo. Our booth had a dramatic “Gorontalo: Hidden Paradise” layout. Our professional backdrops were designed by Ms. Galuh Riyadi of Jakarta. They featured underwater photo art by divers of Miguel’s Diving. These photographers come from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Since the world took a break from diving during the pandemic, the dive community longs for making contact again. What great fun is was to look for old dive buddies! We met ones from Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Miguel’s Diving staff had a great time catching up with old friends and making many new ones.

MIDE 2023
Reuniting with dive buddies

Our promotion team included Mrs. Tan Peck Sim and her son Li Hung from Scuba Symphony. They are the owners of the largest underwater camera store in Malaysia. Peck Sim herself has dived many times in Gorontalo. Thanks to their help, we were able to distribute about 900 flyers.

Gorontalo for Malaysian Divers

Gorontalo is an excellent destination for Malaysian divers. Pristine dive destinations are often difficult to reach. Not so Gorontalo! Batik Air and Air Asia offers flights to Gorontalo via Jakarta. Also

, an option from KUL may be via Makassar (UPG). The connecting flight to Gorontalo lasts about one hour ten minutes. GTO is the airport code to reach Gorontalo. The drive from our airport to accommodation is about 50 minutes.

Gorontalo diving season is the opposite of most peninsular Malaysian destinations. Our season runs mid October to mid May. Officially it is November to April. No reason to cry during monsoon-lah. Come dive in Gorontalo! For many Malaysians food can be an issue. Food in Gorontalo is halal.

To arrange your dive trip to Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving. 

Yellow lace coral lives deep down

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Yellow lace coral thrives below thirty meters in Gorontalo. Its bold honey-lemon hue adds distinctive color to deep reefs where ambient light is low.

Not a Reef Building Coral

Although they have some similarities, lace corals are not fire corals. Millepora fire coral species have symbiotic algae living inside their tissues. These algae contribute nutrients and color to fire corals, as well as reef building corals.

yellow lace coral
Deep water Yellow lace coral

However

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, lace corals are hydrocorals. Their skeleton is made of calcium and can easily break. Its tiny polyp pores are minute with diameters less than one millimeter. Lace corals have two genus, Stylaster and Distichopora. They lack symbiotic algae. This means that the distinctive colors of lace corals are part of their skeletons. Whereas other coral skeletons turn white when the colony dies, lace corals retain their coloration even after death.

Yellow Lace Coral & Deep Reefs

Divers in Gorontalo who venture down to thirty meters can easily spot Yellow lace corals on certain dive sites. These corals look like yellow fans. Sometimes, a colony has more than one fan from the single base. The branches are stout and rounded. Gorontalo’s Yellow lace corals have tips of white. They are found on vertical surfaces and tucked into small holes or crevasses.

The Yellow lace coral could be Distichopora violacea, despite not being purple. There are 34 named species of Distichopora, but many remain unnamed. They are only found in Pacific oceans, including Tomini Bay where we dive.

Tiny, Stinging Hairs

Distichopora stinging cells
Stinging hairs of Yellow lace coral

Like other Distichopora species but unlike reef building corals, our Yellow lace coral has different types of polyps. All connect via canals inside the yellow skeleton where they are imbedded. These microscopic polyps have different functions. Two types protrude from the skeleton. They are gastropores and dactylopores.

The dactylopores have fine hairs that possess stinging cells called nematocysts. They can leave stings on divers who touch or brush against them. The function of these cells is to sting plankton. The stunned plankton are then eaten by gastropores, which contain the feeding polyps.  

Complex Reproduction of Lace Corals

Distichopora cf violacea
Multiple Yellow lace coral colonies

Although reproduction among reef building corals is relatively straightforward, that of lace corals is not. Lace coral polyps release medusae, which look like microscopic jellyfish. These medusae possess both male and female reproductive organs. These in turn release eggs and sperm into the ocean. A fertilized egg will develop into a larvae that swims until it reaches a hard surface. There is will attach and form a new lace coral colony.

Lace corals can also reproduce by fragmentation. For your chance to see Gorontalo’s deep water Yellow lace coral, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.  

Leopard sea cucumber self-mutilates

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Leopard sea cucumber is a beautiful creature of the ocean floor. However, divers should avoid touching its sensitive body.

Spotted Beauty

The Leopard sea cucumber lives in the eastern Indian and the western Pacific oceans. In the areas we dive in Gorontalo, it can only be found dependably at a single dive site. This sea cucumber lives in sandy areas, flanked by coral reef. Researchers say that it lives from three to almost forty meters deep. We usually find it between 15 and 18 meters here.

Leopard spots
Close-up of spots

Although research claims it can grow to 60 centimeters, those in Gorontalo measure only half of that length. Divers can easily identify the Leopard cucumber. Its spotted pattern is distinctive and unmistakable. The tubular body is grey but sprinkled with random rows spots. These spots are orange and edged in brown.

Avoid Touching

Leopard sea cucumber is highly sensitive. It considers touching, grabbing, or lifting to be a threat. When threatened, it will eject white strings. These elongate in sea water. They also become sticky. Scientists consider this behavior to be defensive.

These white strings are called Cuverian tubes after the French zoologist who first studied them. They are naturally attached to the sea cucumber’s interior respiratory system. When the Leopard cucumber feels threatened, it will contract its body muscles. This contraction is so great that it tears the cucumber’s interior. The contraction forces Cuverian tubes out of its anus. In this way, it self-mutilates.

Leopard sea cucumber
A Leopard sea cucumber sits undisturbed

The Leopard sea cucumber can regrow its tubes. However, this takes several weeks. So, divers should avoid touching this sea cucumber. The tubes contain toxins, which can cause skin irritation in humans. Interestingly enough, researchers are using toxins from the Leopard sea cucumber in cancer research.

Leopard Sea Cucumber in Ecology

This sea cucumber has several rows of tubular feet on its underside. It moves slowly across the sandy bottom. While doing so, it ingests sand and anything the sand contains. In this way, all sea cucumbers clean the ocean floor of detritus and other waste materials.

Moreover, its own waste is beneficial to coral growth. After internal digestion, it excretes calcium carbonate and ammonia along with clean sand.

Home for a Fish

Pearl fish live inside of some Leopard sea cucumbers. The fish’s scientific name is Carapus mourlani. It enters and exits the cucumber via the anus, usually tail first. A scientific study in Indonesia of Bohadschia argus, the official name for the Leopard sea cucumber, found fifteen pearl fish living inside a single cucumber!

Sometimes an Emperor shrimp will be living on the sea cucumber’s surface.

For your chance to see this beautiful creature in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.  

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