• Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

  • Photo by William Tan

  • Photo by Rantje Allen

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Location of Miguel’s Diving Gorontalo

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Location is key for any business, including Miguel’s Diving. Less than an hour from Gorontalo’s airport, our dive center rests in a safe location inside the Bone River. This provides direct access to the vast Tomini Bay.

Our Airport Code: GTO

Daily, direct flights from Jakarta land at Gorontalo’s Jalaluddin Airport. It is modern and spacious. Our package options include airport transfers. Upon exiting baggage claim, divers simply look for a driver holding a paper with their names on it. The ride into town is less than an hour.

location of Miguel's Diving
Our Google Earth location

One option we offer is diving upon arrival. This is possible for passengers of Batik Air whose flight arrives here at about 8 a.m. Prior arrangement is required.

Google Map Location

Finding us on Google Maps is easy. Just type in Miguel’s Diving Gorontalo in the search bar. This is our location link.

However, this location is about five meters off, which is within the error margin for Google Maps. Travelers can be confused when they arrive at a block ice factory used by fishermen! Google still has a picture of this blue factory for its street photo of Miguel’s Diving. Actually, we are the two-story yellow building next door. A huge dive flag is painted on the street-facing side of our dive center. Slide the gate open and enter.

To help travelers visualize our location, we have created a short video that starts in space and zooms all the way into our dive center in Gorontalo. It includes satellite animation using Google Earth, plus drone footage of our dock, dive boats, and the expansive blue waters we explore daily during dive season.

Strategic Dock Location

Our dive center and dock are located just inside the estuary of Bone River. The name is pronounced boh-nay. This gives our divers a clean, secure area to organize gear prior to diving. They can also relax there after the dive day.

Travelers may question why we do not anchor our boats along the ocean. Because of Gorontalo’s unique geography and rapidly changing weather, that option is not wise.

Also, we guard our speed boats round-the-clock against sudden storms and waves. Over our two decades of operation, our strategic location and dedicated staff have prevented our boats from damage or sinking.

Miguel’s Diving is located along the northern coast of Tomini Bay in Sulawesi, Indonesia. This bay is one of the deepest in the world and offers pristine diving conditions and rare marine life—like our iconic Salvador Dali sponges.

To assist in your dive trip planning, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving. 



PADI Dive Master for 25 years

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PADI Dive Master recognition for 25 years has come to our senior staff. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors sent a certificate and a crystal statue to honor him.

PADI Dive Master Recognition

PADI dive master

PADI is the world’s longtime leader in scuba diving training. All the staff at Miguel’s Diving have received PADI training. The other four dive masters at our center are local people. They have been trained with high skill and strong commitment to safety and enjoyable dives.

At the recent dive show in Jakarta, some of our friends also received recognition from PADI. They are dive masters and instructors. PADI kindly sent our 25-year award directly to our dive center. This is something they also did five years ago, when our senior staff reached 20 years of active membership.

The Way the World Learns to Dive

PADI began in 1966. Today, it is the largest scuba diving training organization in the world. PADI has issued over 30 million certifications in more than 180 countries and territories. Its training programs are well-organized and follow international safety standards. Each course—from beginner to professional—helps divers build strong skills and confidence.

our dive master

PADI’s motto is “The Way the World Learns to Dive.” This shows its goal to make diving safe and available for people everywhere. PADI often updates its training materials to include the newest information and technology. That means dive professionals at Miguel’s Diving can offer a top-level and safe diving experience here in Gorontalo. Our long connection with PADI gives guests extra confidence when they dive with us.

Guest Appreciation

Our guests often praise the professionalism of the team at Miguel’s Diving. Many post reviews on Google and Trip Advisor. Divers who want to know more about us before booking can check those reviews first.

Receiving the 25-year recognition from PADI is a great honor. But even more special are the kind words from our guests. During this past dive season, several guests took photos of our dive team in action. Usually, it is our team who takes pictures of them! These photos show how we work and enjoy the ocean together.

To join one of our dive trips and meet our experienced team, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving. 

Thysanozoon nigropapillosum Swims & Dazzles

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Thysanozoon nigropapillosum is a dazzling flatworm. Yellow- or gold-tipped papillae cover its black body. Its body margin has bold white edges.

Many Confusing Names

Thysanozoon nigropapillosum
Thysanozoon nigropapillosum at Mirabella dive site

Thysanozoon nigropapillosum lacks a standard English name. Some call it the Yellowspotted, Yellow-spotted, Yellow Spot, or Yellow-speckled Flatworm. Others refer to the spots as gold. Some online sources call it the Galaxy Flatworm since its body looks like a maze of stars.

Appearances of Thysanozoon nigropapillosum in Gorontalo

Before opening diving in Gorontalo, Miguel’s Diving surveyed potential dive spots. In May 2000, we recorded our first sighting of Thysanozoon nigropapillosum off the coast of Bone Pantai Regency. Since then, we have rarely encountered this beautiful flatworm—perhaps only once every five years!

In 2025, one of our guests captured Thysanozoon nigropapillosum on video, creating an intriguing clip. Flatworms can swim short distances by waving their flat bodies. The video shot by Rainer de Reuter captures this undulating motion perfectly!

Notice the two white-tipped protrusions at the front of the flatworm. These are pseudotentacles. They sense light and motion, helping the flatworm navigate.

Favorite Food

Didemnum molle
Molle tunicates

Thysanozoon nigropapillosum feeds on certain species of tunicates. One of its favorites is Didemnum molle, which is very common in Gorontalo. The flatworm engulfs the tunicate’s thin body with its mouth. However, it does not digest the hard calcium spicules that give the tunicate structure. Instead, these are expelled as pellets.

Savage Mating

All flatworms are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs. Thysanozoon nigropapillosum also has two penises. During mating, each flatworm attempts to inseminate the other. First, special structures called rhabdites grip the partner’s edge, providing a strong hold even while swimming. Then, the two try to stab each other with a penis—or both! The maze of yellow papillae makes aiming difficult, and missed attempts often result in dermal impregnation.

Where to Find this Dazzling Flatworm

Found throughout Indo-Pacific waters, this dazzling flatworm can grow up to 8 centimeters long. Divers can spot it at depths ranging from one to twenty meters.

For your chance to see unusual marine life in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving. 

Risso’s Dolphins Sunbathe and Play

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Risso’s Dolphins thrive in the deep waters off Gorontalo’s southern shores. One day, we spotted a large, active pod. Using a drone, we watched as they sunbathed, played, and possibly mated.

Ghostly Apparitions

Risso’s Dolphins (Grampus griseus) are a distinctive species of dolphin. They are born gray but become whiter with age. The older one is, the whiter it appears. When passing under the dive boat or swimming nearby, they look like ghostly apparitions.

Their bodies also show visible scarring. Most scars come from fights with other Risso’s Dolphins, while other scars come from bites of deep-sea squid, their main diet. These features make them easy to identify.

Unlike other dolphins, Risso’s have rounded heads and no beak. They also have a crease running from the blowhole down to the upper lip. This unique feature is only visible up close or from a drone’s view.

Drone Video of Risso’s Dolphins

One day, our dive boat was heading to the second dive site when our captain spotted a pod of Risso’s Dolphins. They were sunbathing on the ocean’s surface, which is typical behavior in Gorontalo. Their distinctive white bodies confirmed their identity.

As we watched from a safe distance, one of our Indonesian guests launched his drone. Dr. Reyhan Aditya captured dramatic footage of this large pod. Some dolphins rested on the surface, while others played. One sequence even suggests mating behavior.

Risso’s Dolphins typically grow to three to four meters long and weigh between 300 and 500 kilograms. Clearly, most dolphins in this pod were adults. At other times, we have seen baby Risso’s among them. Usually, we see pods of about ten individuals, but this pod was much larger.

Worldwide Sightings

Risso’s Dolphins live in temperate and tropical oceans worldwide. They prefer deep offshore waters. Sometimes, they swim closer to land or oceanic islands when the continental shelf is narrow. This is true of Gorontalo’s southern coastline. Here, the continental wall of Sulawesi lies just a few meters from shore, plunging to four kilometers deep. This unique geography makes Gorontalo a great place for pelagic encounters.

Antoine Risso, a French naturalist, first described this species in 1812. Later, the dolphin was named in his honor.

For your chance to see unusual marine life in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.   

Redlined Jorunna Love Triangle

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Redlined Jorunna nudibranchs made a rare appearance in Gorontalo. During the required safety stop, divers hovered over a patch of sandy rubble as they rested for three minutes. Looking at the sandy bottom, they discovered a cluster of black Long-spined sea urchins, several shy pipefish, and sea stars. Then, in the gentle surge, they noticed a moving, intertwined mass. It was three Redlined Jorunna nudibranchs engaged in group mating!

Love among Redlined Jorunna

Like other nudibranchs, this species is hermaphroditic. This means each nudibranch has both male and female reproductive organs. To fertilize the eggs, sperm must come from another individual.

It seems the three Redlined Jorunna we saw were donating sperm to each other. Nearby, divers noticed a pinkish ribbon of eggs already laid. According to scientific observers, this nudibranch species only appears in the open during mating. Otherwise, they hide in the reef.

Red lines and Fur

The scientific name for this species is Jorunna rubescens because of its reddish lines and markings. Underwater, divers can use additional light to bring out the reddish color.
Like other dorid nudibranchs, Redlined Jorunna have twin rhinophores on their heads and a bushy tuft of gills at the tail. These three parts can be pulled inside the body when the creature feels threatened.

Redlined Jorunna nudibranch
Redlined Jorunna nudibranchs

Unique to dorids, fur-like caryophyllidia cover the body of Jorunna rubescens. Tiny spine-like spicules surround these sensory tubercles. Together, they give the body of this nudibranch a velvety appearance. As a result, some observers commonly call this species the Pink Furry Nudibranch.

For additional underwater photographs of Jorunna rubescens, including close-ups of the caryophyllidia, open this link.

Life and Environment

One of the larger dorid nudibranch species, Redlined Jorunna can grow up to 15 centimeters in length. The largest of the three we saw measured about nine centimeters. Jorunna rubescens lives on the seafloor in Indo-Pacific waters, including areas of coral reef and sandy or rocky bottoms like those found we found. For your chance to see unusual marine life in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving. 

Alligator pipefish hunts for lunch

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Alligator pipefish are rarely seen, despite their size. Even more remarkable is to follow one as it searches for something to eat. Yet that happened one day in Gorontalo – and we have the video to prove it!

A Mangrove Seed or a Blade of Grass

Alligator pipefish
An Alligator pipefish in Gorontalo

The Alligator pipefish (Syngnathoides biaculeatus) has a long, slender body that mimics a blade of seagrass. Some divers could also mistake it for a floating seed of a mangrove tree. Its body is usually green or brown. This camouflage helps it blend into its habitats. These include seagrass beds, mangroves, and estuaries. Predators and divers have difficulty recognizing one, even though it can grow quite large – up to 50 centimeters in length!

Most pipefish have paddle-like tails. But not Syngnathoides biaculeatus. Its body tapers to a point. That earns it the common name “Double-Ended Pipefish.” However, most divers call it the Alligator or Crocodile pipefish. Although it lacks a true prehensile tail like seahorses, it can bend its tail to form a hook. This allows the fish to hook onto something on the sea floor and remain motionless.

One Hungry Alligator Pipefish

One day in Gorontalo, we made our safety stop in a sandy area. Suddenly, one of our dive masters waved excitedly. He pointed to something floating motionless above the sand. It was an adult Alligator pipefish, measuring about 20 centimeters. While other divers relaxed and lunched above in our dive boat, we grabbed a video camera and followed the pipefish around.

The pipefish ignored us as it slowly surveyed the area. Soon, we noticed it was actually searching for something to eat. First, it swam across the seagrass bed, then among some coral boulders, and finally among clumps of dead Turbinweed. With the noonday sun beating down, it finally spied something to eat.  

Syngnathoides biaculeatus Inhales its Food

The Alligator pipefish uses its elongated snout to suck in tiny prey. It likes to eat mysid shrimp and copepods. While on the hunt, a pipefish moves slowly through the water, probing and looking. When it spots prey, it quickly sucks it into its snout with a powerful vacuum-like motion. We caught all of this in our video.

Although we have seen this pipefish since the initial encounter, we cannot know how long it will stay. For your chance to see unusual marine life in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving. 

Striped Barracuda Warily Eye Divers

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Striped Barracuda schools on Gorontalo’s shallow reef flats. Smaller and more cautious than its larger relatives, this species dazzles with its streamlined body.

How to Identify Striped Barracuda

Sphyraena obtusata
Striped barracuda at a Gorontalo dive site

In contrast to other barracuda species, the Striped Barracuda is smaller, reaching about 55 cm in length. Also, its body features two thin, dark horizontal stripes running along its silvery body. These stripes are its defining feature and help divers distinguish it from barracudas that look similar.

Sometimes, it is called the Obtuse Barracuda, which translates its Latin name of Sphyraena obtusata.

Other Barracudas found in Gorontalo

Occasionally, divers in Gorontalo will see a Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda). As the largest barracuda species, it can grow over a meter in length. Often, it swims alone. Its imposing size and solitary nature make it easy to differentiate from the smaller, schooling Striped Barracuda.

Also found in Gorontalo is the Yellowtail Barracuda (Sphyraena flavicauda). As its name suggests, its yellowish tail is the most prominent feature. Its body has faint spots instead of the distinct stripes seen on the Striped Barracuda.

The Black Barracuda (Sphyraena qenie) is slightly larger than the Striped Barracuda and is known for its dark fins and body markings. While the Striped Barracuda has clean, horizontal stripes, the Black Barracuda’s markings can appear as a combination of dark smudges and irregular lines, giving it a more shadowy appearance. These features, along with its tendency to inhabit deeper waters, help divers tell the two species apart.

Habitat and Behavior

striped barracuda school
Sphyraena obtusata school in Gorontalo

This barracuda species is found in warm, shallow waters throughout the Indo-Pacific region. They prefer areas with coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, where food is abundant.

During the day, they form schools for protection, creating a shimmering spectacle as light reflects off their bodies. At night, they disperse to hunt small prey like fish and crustaceans.

Tips for your Encounter with Barracuda

The schooling behavior of the Striped Barracuda is a visual treat for divers. Seeing these sleek fish glide in unison over Gorontalo’s colorful reefs is unforgettable.

barracuda wary of divers
Barracudas are wary of divers

However, their cautious nature makes observing them tricky. We suggest divers move slowly, so as not to startle them. Also, try to approach from different angles. The barracuda school will maintain distance from divers if it feels threatened.

An encounter with a school of Striped Barracuda offers divers an opportunity to appreciate the beauty and diversity of the underwater world. So, plan your dive with Miguel’s Diving to explore Gorontalo’s vibrant marine life up close.

Phyllidia elegans decorates reefs

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Phyllidia elegans is a dorid nudibranch found occasionally on Gorontalo’s coral reefs. Oftentimes, divers see it among rubble. We call it the Elegant wart slug.

The Showy Peaks of Phyllidia elegans

Phyllidia elegans
Yellow rhinophores of Phyllidia elegans

This elegant wart slug has distinctive whitish to pinkish protrusions. These are called tubercles. They look like snowy mountain peaks. A few tops of those tubercles are yellow. This is a distinguishing characteristic of Phyllidia elegans.

Irregular black lines look like rivers running in the valleys between peaks. Some blackish spots can appear along the slug’s edges. Also, for this elegant wart slug, yellow rhinophores are distinctive.

Although divers rarely look at the underside of the slug’s foot, Phyllidia elegans has a median longitudinal black line on its sole. Uniquely, this slug also has black lines on the sides of its foot.

Rare photographs of the Elegant wart slug

The archived website of Sea Slug Forum has several unique photographs of Phyllidia elegans. One shows the gills, which are underneath this critter, between its foot and mantle. Another photo shows the Elegant wart slug laying eggs. The moderator notes this may be the first photo of the egg mass. Moreover, one of the photos is from Gorontalo, taken and submitted by one of our diving guests.

Unknown Life Cycle

Elegant wart slug
Elegant wart slug at rest

Scientists know little about the life cycle of Phyllidia elegans. It is a simultaneous hermaphrodite. That means a single individual is both male and female at the same time. When two of these wart slugs come together for mating, each with stab its penis at the other. The first one to penetrate the other’s skin will be the male for that coupling.

Most phyllidiid nudibranchs, like the Elegant wart slug, feed on sponges of the Phakellia genus. These are usually red-orange in color.

Phyllidia elegans lives in the Western Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as in the Red Sea. Its maximum length is about five centimeters. Divers are more likely to spot it in shallow waters where hard coral growth is poor. For your chance to see this elegant marine critter in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving. 

Kayak.com features Miguel’s Diving

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Kayak.com is a strategic player in the online travel market, processing billions of searches annually. Now, it’s information page on Gorontalo activities features Miguel’s Diving.

Gorontalo Travel Guide on Kayak.com

The booking platform Kayak.com is adding destination travel guides for its locations. Recently, they contacted Miguel’s Diving, asking for a photo and basic information helpful for dive travelers. We were happy to accommodate their request.

On their travel guide for Gorontalo, they provide information like population, weather, and hotel options. Now, that guide includes a photo of our dive boats moored along a deserted beach not far from our dive center.

kayak.com destination page

The Kayak travel group began in 2004 with only fourteen staff. Now there are over one thousand, operating seven international brands. Searches for flights, ground transportation, and travel packages are currently available in more than twenty languages. Additionally, in 2013 they acquired Booking Holding, a major travel player in online travel.

Flights to Gorontalo

We have added a link to Kayak.com to the Flights & Travel page on our website. Oftentimes, Indonesian domestic airlines do not accept foreign credit cards for flight bookings. Fortunately, the Kayak website will.

The ease of payment with credit card is only one advantage for flight bookings. For mysterious reasons, domestic carriers in Indonesia supply only limited options on their own websites. One example is the Lion Air website. Travelers wishing to fly from Denpasar, Bali (DPS) to Gorontalo (GTO) are not given complete options. The best flights are via Makassar (UPG). However, flights with that transit option do not appear on the Lion Air website! They are available with Kayak.com.

Gorontalo’s Airport

Our modern airport is located in the central valley of Gorontalo. Because this valley is ringed with mountains, the air approach usually circles over our dive center, above Gorontalo City, and onwards to Limboto Lake. The drive from the airport takes less than one hour.

For flights to Gorontalo, Kayak.com is a great option. For diving, make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving. 

Razorfish keep their noses down

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Razorfish and shrimpfish swim in synchronized groups. Typically, they keep their noses down. They are a graceful sight for divers to enjoy.

Distinctive behavior & appearance

razorfish
Pak Riyanto poses with razorfish

These fishes look like flattened razors. Their bodies are light in color with a dark body line. This line reaches from their long noses all the way to the back. Also, the line passes over the eye.

Most distinctive is their swimming pattern. Divers can see them in occasional pairs. Most often, however, they will gather in large schools, forming a shimmering curtain. Usually, they keep a cautious distance from scuba divers. When they decide to move, all the fish in a school will point their noses in the same direction and swim quickly away. Then, they will settle back to their head-down position.

Found through the Indo-Pacific and Indian oceans, they typically live at depth between two and fifteen meters. They tend to prefer areas with some potential for silting. They eat mysid shrimps.

The Razorfish common in Gorontalo

Centriscidae is a small family of fishes that tend to swim with their heads pointed downwards. They all look practically the same. There are two genera: Aeoliscus and Centriscus.

Centriscus scutatus
Centriscus scutatus close up

Centriscus scutatus is the species common in Gorontalo. Its common name is Grooved razorfish. This is because the fish has an interorbital groove. That is a narrow depression that runs between its eyes and along the skull. Only scientists in a laboratory can observe this.

Most helpful is for divers to observe the fish’s tail. Actually, what looks like the tip of the tail is the fish’s first dorsal spine. It lies flat along the top of the body and projects beyond the actual tip of its tail. To divers, the fish appears to have a long, thin, and rigid tail.

Confusing similarities

Aeoliscus strigatus
The hinge of Aeoliscus strigatus

The fish most likely to be confused with the Grooved razorfish is Aeoliscus strigatus. Divers usually call this the Coral shrimpfish. Other common names include Jointed razorfish, Striped shrimp fish, and variations of those words. Careful observers look for the only visible distinctive of this species. This fish has a hinge on the end of its dorsal spine, which swings to the side as the fish moves. It functions like a rudder.

The largest of the shrimpfishes is Centriscus cristatus. It lacks the hinge and its stripe is yellowish with several perpendicular dashes above the stripe. We have not observed this fish in Gorontalo.

The fourth shrimpfish is Aeoliscus puntulatus. In addition to the hinged tail, it sports fine black spots above and around the mid-lateral stripe. We have not observed this species in Gorontalo.

The popular generic name shrimpfish comes from all the bony plates that compose the bodies of these razor-shaped fishes.

For your chance to see these beautiful fish in Gorontalo, make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving. 

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