• Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

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Category Archives: News

Beach Clean Up 2023

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!   

DXI2023 marks Miguel’s Diving return

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

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. 

Twenty-year anniversary T-shirt

Twenty-year anniversary souvenir T-shirts are now available for purchase. Miguel’s Diving opened in 2003. So, we celebrate our twentieth dive season in style.

The Early Years

After surveying the Gorontalo area for about two years, we decided to open diving. The dive sites we discovered were spectacular. Mr. Rantje, our pioneer staff, tells the story of his first dive from the shore. At the end of the dive, he encountered a pod of False killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens). Large cetaceans remain part of the marine environment in Gorontalo. Last month in December 2022, staff spotted a male orca (Orcinus orca) surfacing twice while divers were below.

Twenty-year anniversary
2022 dive staff in new T-shirts

In the early years, Gorontalo lagged in development. It had recently become a separate province from North Sulawesi. That happened on 5 December 2000. Only an occasional flight from Manado was available by prop plane. Limited internet required dial-up. Cell phone towers were not yet built. Neither were any star-rated facilities. Surprisingly, the bentor had yet to be invented!  

Big Steps along the Way

In 2006 with funding from Gorontalo’s first Indonesian governor, Bapak Fadel Muhammad, Miguel’s Diving published the coffee table book Gorontalo: Hidden Paradise. There was also an Indonesian version called Gorontalo: Surga yang Tersembunyi. At that time, the dive center ordered its first custom-built speed boat.

In 2009, the company purchased the last remaining empty land on the Bone River. This location would provide a safe location to dock our boats. Also, it provided direct access to the ocean. During the following years, we would build the first floor of the dive center and a private dock. In 2012, a second-floor apartment was added. Miguel’s Diving added its large, second speed boat in the same year.  

tshirt
Back of 20th anniversary t-shirt

Over time

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, Miguel’s Diving staff helped establish the Olele Village Marine Reserve. It opened in 2007. Local government and villagers worked together to safeguard the wonderful dive sites there.

Twenty-year Anniversary

The fall of 2022 marks Miguel’s Diving twentieth dive season. Dive season in Gorontalo is from November to April. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we are still operating. Our great staff have maintained all our facilities. In fact, they renovated both speed boats for our twentieth season. Also, in celebration of our twenty-year anniversary, we have new souvenir T-shirts. These can be purchased directly at the dive center.

To celebrate our twentieth season, please make your reservations to dive with us at Miguel’s Diving.  

Indonesia Reopens to Foreign Tourists 2022

Indonesia reopens to foreign tourists as of April 2022. Divers from 43 nations can now enter Indonesia without quarantine and purchase a visa on arrival.

Arrival Requirements in Light of the Pandemic

International divers must be fully vaccinated at least fourteen days prior to boarding their flight to Indonesia. Typically, full vaccination means two doses. Also, they must show a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours from their departure location. In addition

, they must show proof of medical insurance. This must cover at least USD25,000 in COVID-19 related medical treatments. Each diver must install Indonesia’s Peduli Lindungi app on their smart phone.

Indonesia Reopens with Visa On Arrival

All divers must have a passport with more than six months validity to secure any type of visa.

Divers from 43 countries can now enter Indonesia and purchase a Visa On Arrival (VOA). Those from other nations must organize a B211A visa.

indonesia reopens to 43 countries
2022 List of VOA countries

All ASEAN country are on the VOA list. Other Asian countries are Japan

, the People’s Republic of China, South Korea, and Taiwan. From the Americas, the countries are Argentina , Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the USA. European countries are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. Arabic countries are Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, and the UAE. Countries with Indian Ocean waters are India, the Seychelles, and South Africa. Australia and New Zealand complete the list, as Indonesia reopens.

The current Visa On Arrival validity is for thirty days. Divers purchase their VOA at a counter prior to Immigration control. The VOA costs IDR 500,000. Payments can be made using MasterCard or VISA. This visa can be extended for an additional thirty days with a second payment at immigration offices. This VOA is currently available at eight airports. These are located in Jakarta (CGK)

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, Surabaya (SUB), and Yogyakarta (YIA) on Java. Plus Makassar (UPG) and Manado (MDC) on Sulawesi. Medan (KNO) on Sumatra and Denpasar (DPS) on Bali. In addition, Indonesia reopens with VOA at eight sea ports and four land crossings.

Upon Arrival

As Indonesia reopens

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, divers need to anticipate several steps upon arrival. Be ready to show your Peduli Lindungi account on your phone to an officer. You will also scan the code provided in the PL app. Show your negative PCR test. Then someone with take your temperature. If it is 37.5 C or higher, a quarantine officer will give you a check-up. This includes a rapid antigen test. Let’s hope your temperature is normal!  

Before proceeding to Immigration, purchase your Visa On Arrival. After you retrieve your luggage, show a customs agent your PL app. Indonesia now provides an Electronic Custom Declaration form to be completed prior to arrival.

After those steps

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, you can proceed to your connecting flight to Gorontalo (GTO). Upon arrival here, the government may give you a free antigen test while you wait for your luggage.

As always with entry requirements, please check for current information. The information in this blog is correct to the best of our knowledge as of April

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, 2022. For diving in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.  

Covid vaccination complete for Miguel’s Diving staff

Covid vaccination is complete for all Miguel’s Diving staff. Our local dive masters completed both doses of Sinovac by mid-2021.

Ministry of Health Covid Vaccination Program

Covid vaccination for staff
Our staff display proof of vaccination

Organization for the covid vaccination program in Gorontalo was very professional. Health care workers registered residents according to national identity card. Results were sent to each person’s cell phone. This also provided proof of vaccination. After the first dosage

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, a reminder for the second dosage arrived to the registered cell phone number. After the second dosage, the Ministry of Health provided a vaccination certificate. This certificate can be printed as a card.

Covid vaccination helps protect the individual dive master from severe covid-19. It also provides confidence to our guests that our staff is protected to the extent possible.

Entry Requirements for Travelers

In order to enter Gorontalo, travelers must show a negative COVID-19 test result. This is in effect for arrivals by air, land, or sea at the time this blog was written. Also required is proof of covid vaccination. As a result, Miguel’s Diving does not ask to see a guest’s health records.

Olele vaccination program
Vaccination at Olele Village

Since entry requirements from the Indonesian government frequently change

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, please check before leaving home. The information could have changed since we published this blog post. Garuda Indonesia provides a good summary of these requirements.

Additional Safety Measures

We at Miguel’s Diving take additional measures to lower the risk of transmitting the Covid-19 virus among guests and to our staff. In addition to new normal precautions

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, we have special protocols designed for our divers

In general, health officials encourage handwashing with soap & water for at least 20 seconds. When social distancing of 1.5 meters is not possible

, we encourage people to wear a health mask. Also, avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth. And please cough away from others and into the elbow.

We encourage divers to bring only necessary personal items on board. We are asked to check body temperature prior to leaving the dock. Also, please clean the dive mask with baby shampoo or cleaner rather than spit. Divers should clear sinuses in the ocean away from others and maintain social distancing when waiting to ascend the ladder.

In addition, Miguel’s Diving soaks each regulator and mask set for a minute in 22ml Clorox/L water. We provide a disposable health mask if guests forget to bring. After each trip, staff clean and disinfect our vehicle. In these ways, we follow protocol advised by PADI and DAN.

Guests of Miguel’s Diving can feel confident that we are doing our utmost to provide a healthy dive experience. So, please make dive reservations with us.

Jungle trekking in Gorontalo leads to hot spring caves

Jungle trekking in Gorontalo is a great addition to a diving holiday. Any easy-to-access half day trip leads through primary jungle to caves formed by hot springs.

Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park

Gorontalo and North Sulawesi provinces contain a significant national park. Its new name is Bogani Nani Wartabone. Previously, its name was Dumoga Bone National Park. Nani Wartabone was a native Gorontalo freedom fighter. He led the successful resistance against the Imperial Japanese occupation during the Second World War. Visitors to the Gorontalo side of this park can visit a house museum dedicated to him.

The park comprises over 2,800 square kilometers. According to conservationists, this national park is the most important conservation area on Sulawesi. The park provides refuge for many of Sulawesi’s endemic species. A Maleo hatchery is located a couple hours’ hike into the park.

Caves and Hot Springs

Jungle trekking into Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park gives visitors access to two small caves. Seepage from underground hot springs formed both caves. These caves are in their natural state with no human development.

Sauna cave Gorontalo
Ceiling of the Sauna Cave

One tiny cave is called the Sauna cave. Only the slim and agile trekker can climb into it. Inside it indeed feels like a sauna, complete with steam and dripping hot water. Flow stones and dramatic stalactites grow from its ceiling. High on a cliff is the Fairy cave. Locals call it Goa Bidadari. Access to this cave requires scrambling up a steep and barren slope where mineral waters leach over the surface. Only fit and agile trekkers should attempt the brief ascent. They do so at their own risk without any recommendation from Miguel’s Diving. These caves are located in the Hungayono area.

Jungle Trekking to Waterfalls and the one River

jungle trekking to water fall
Newly-formed waterfall

Jungle trekking in the national park can lead to two waterfalls. One falls dropping one hundred meters is accessed via Lombongo Hot Springs. Another falls formed during the COVID-19 pandemic after an earthquake. This waterfall is in the Hungayono area near to the Maleo hatchery. Its waters descend into the Bone River

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, which flows through the national park. These two falls cannot be accessed on the same trip. So, those seeking jungle trekking to a waterfall must choose. Be warned that scalding hot, underground water pours into the Bone River.

Wildlife Sightings

Trekkers should be on the lookout for various wildlife. Officially

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, the national park has identified 125 bird species, 24 mammals, 23 amphibians and reptiles. Moreover, tree species number 289. Often, trekkers can see or hear the endemic Gorontalo macque (Macaca nigrescens). This is actually a different species from the Sulawesi macaque (Macaca nigra) found in North Sulawesi’s Tangkoko Reserve. Neither of these primates are monkeys because they lack tails.

Mostly likely, trekkers will glimpse endemic kingfishers. The Green-backed kingfisher (Actenoides monachus) sports a brilliant blue head and orange beak. They live only in north and central Sulawesi. Additionally, lucky visitors can see the Sulawesi dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx fallax), which is distinctly red and found only on Sulawesi.

Other Sulawesi endemic birds include the Grey-sided flowerpecker (Dicaeum celebicum) with its brilliant red breast or the Sulawesi scops owl (Otus manadensis). Watch for green parrots with red heads. These are endemic Sulawesi hanging parrots (Loriculus stigmatus). Other endemics include hornbills, woodpeckers, rails, goshawks, pigeons, other parrots.  

If you would like a jungle trek on a free day or after a short diving day, please let us know when you make dive reservations.

Travelers Choice 2020 Award for Miguel’s Diving

Travelers Choice 2020 has been given to Miguel’s Diving Gorontalo. This prestigious award goes to the top 10% of worldwide travel businesses on TripAdvisor.

Travelers Choice 2020

On July 28, 2020, TripAdvisor announced the winners of its 18th annual Travelers Choice Awards. This recognizes the best travel-related businesses worldwide. In addition to dive centers, like Miguel’s Diving, hotels, restaurants, and airlines are included. The Travelers Choice Award replaces the Certificate of Excellence given in previous years. Miguel’s Diving has earned the earlier Certificate of Excellence for five years in a row. The 2020 award marks the sixth year achieving recognition via TripAdvisor.

Travelers Choice 2020
Recent TripAdvisor Awards

Only 4

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,817 business worldwide achieved the Travelers Choice 2020 recognition. Over 8.7 million businesses have a listing on TripAdvisor. They consider millions of reviews left by the public. TripAdvisor evaluated reviews made prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. They analyzed reviews for quality and quantity to identify businesses with outstanding service.  

Passion for Excellence

Lindsay Nelson is the chief experience and brand officer for TripAdvisor. In announcing Travelers Choice 2020

, Nelson said,

“This has been a tough year for our industry. But the global desire to go and explore, whether the destination is an hour away or across the world, remains strong. We’re passionate about guiding travelers to the good out there, especially the good found within these recognized hotels, restaurants and airlines that rise to the occasion in offering the best of the best.”

Rantje Allen extends the deepest gratitude to our guests who have reviewed Miguel’s Diving Gorontalo on TripAdvisor. “Without the support of our diving guests, we would not achieve this prestigious award,” he added.

About TripAdvisor

As the world’s largest tourism site, TripAdvisor contains more than 860 million reviews. Prior to the pandemic, 463 million travelers accessed the website each month. Considered the ultimate travel review site, TripAdvisor is available in 28 languages and 49 markets. Content includes travel planning, price comparison, and guest comments & pictures.  

For your chance to enjoy excellent service, please book your dive trip with Miguel’s Diving.

COVID 19 Measures at Miguel’s Diving

covid 19 measures
Temperature check before boarding

COVID 19 measures that we take at Miguel’s Diving are designed to help lower the risk of transmitting that virus among guests and to our staff. In addition to new normal precautions

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, we have special protocols designed for our divers. We combined measures suggested by Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) and Divers’ Alert Network (DAN). Also, we customized them to fit our situation here in Gorontalo. We have diving protocol posters in English and Indonesian on display at the dive center for easy reference. 

New Normal Protocol

  • Hand washing with soap & water for at least 20 seconds
  • Social distance of 1.5 meters; when not possible , wear a cloth/health mask
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose, mouth
  • Cough away and into the elbow

COVID 19 Measures for Divers

  • Bring only necessary personal items on board
  • Check body temperature prior to leaving hotel
  • Wash hands on board with soap
  • Ask staff for drinking water, coffee, etc.
  • Ask staff to open/close the dive tank
  • Wear a cloth/health mask on board
  • Clean dive mask with baby shampoo or cleaner, not spit
  • Keep dive mask on at ocean surface
  • Clear sinuses in ocean away from others
  • Maintain social distancing when waiting to ascend the ladder
  • Keep dive mask on when ascending the ladder

Additional services from the dive center

COVID 19 protocol poster in Indonesian

  • Body temperature check daily for guests & staff
  • Soaking of each regulator & mask set for a minute in 22ml Clorox/L water
  • Disposable health mask if guests forget to bring
  • Cleaning and disinfecting of our vehicle after each trip

These are the COVID 19 measures we take to guard the health and safety of our guests and staff. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and understanding.

In order to enter Gorontalo, travelers must show a negative COVID 19 test result. This is in effect for arrivals by air, land, or sea. As a result, Miguel’s Diving does not ask to see a guest’s test.

Who is Miguel?

Curious travelers sometimes ask this question. At other times, divers call the dive center and ask to speak with Miguel.

Who is Miguel: The Official Answer

He is the first son of the company’s founding director Mustafa Abulhajat. At the time of exploration work for the dive business in Gorontalo, he was only four years old. Now however, our dive center is ready to enter its eighteenth season. Miguel is now in his mid-twenties.

Arriving from a motorcycle trip

To understand who is Miguel, one must realize that he is not only a scuba diver. He also loves to sky dive. Another passion comes directly from his father. That is long distance motorcycle trips. Miguel has driven the mountainous Trans-Sulawesi highway from his home in Manado to Gorontalo. That trip took several days. Each trip he will stop by the dive center for a photo op.

The current answer to the question who is Miguel has a professional angle. He has a post with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Beside speaking Bahasa Indonesia and Manadonese, he speaks English, Dutch, and French. At the time of his appointment, he ranked number three out of one thousand candidates nationwide. Not doubt, the crew at Miguel’s Diving is very proud of him.

Pioneers in the Dive Industry

Miguel school boy
Miguel as a schoolboy

Who is Miguel also has a family answer. His grandfather was an influential figure in the early days of tourism in Manado. His father counts among the first Indonesians active in diving Bunaken. His grandfather also ran the first electrical lines to remote western Gorontalo. In those days, no bridges crossed the rivers there.

Originally, Mr. Mustafa created Miguel’s Dive Club to support diving activities around Bunaken Marine Park. After he made the decision to open diving in Gorontalo, the company name became Miguel’s Diving Center. We are the pioneer dive operator in Gorontalo. Other operators have come and gone. We have operated seasonally since opening in 2003.

Experience Counts

who is Miguel
Graduating with a law degree

Our business model is based on ecological sustainability and community development. To sail and dive Gorontalo waters requires experience of the area’s micro environments. So

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, we train Gorontalo fishermen as dive staff. Our guests benefit from their local knowledge.

Miguel’s Diving provided the push to create Olele Village Marine Park. Our staff are officially recognized as guardians of Gorontalo’s marine environment. This includes community education and input to government programs. They also report violations to marine patrol officers.

For your chance to dive with Gorontalo’s pioneer dive operator, please make your dive reservations with us.

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