• 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: May 2006

Off Season Diving in Gorontalo, Sulawesi

With the exception of world famous Bunaken Marine Park, most other scuba diving locations around Sulawesi have distinct seasons. This includes diving in Sulawesi’s Gorontalo Province. Fortunate weather during this last week of May has allowed advance scouts from a scuba diving club to enjoy the waters here in Gorontalo. Even our more weather-affected sites were available this week. For the most part we have enjoyed spectacular 25 – 30 meter visibility. Highlights of the final dive of the month include a school of 10 Yellowfin tuna, multiple schools of Shipjack tuna, a large school of Purse-eyed scad, countless schools of Yellow-dash, Banana, and Lunar fusiliers, a Green Turtle, a Napo.lean wrasse, Gold-spec jawfish, Mappa puffer, three huge Bumphead parrotfish playing follow-the-leader with us, and a school of Bottlenose dolphin frolicking overhead.

Business Trip to Gorontalo Made Better

Most Sulawesi diving locations are too remote to allow someone on a business trip to get in a quick dive or two prior to meetings – or afterwards. However, in Gorontalo our dive sites are so close to town that business people can make their trips here better by scuba diving, too. Miguel’s Diving offers flexible scheduling to allow this. Even though May is considered off-season, we have been able to give business visitors a glimpse of what Gorontalo has to offer. With only one day to dive, travelers this month have enjoyed 25-meter visibility and seen some of our new or endemic species. If you are planning to be in Gorontalo anyway, contact us at Miguel’s Diving to see what is possible.

Gorontalo in Scuba Diver Australasia Magazine

The current issue of Scuba Diver Australasia features Takako Uno’s dramatic photo of one of Gorontalo’s Salvador Dali sponges on page 7. Check out her comments in the X-traOrdinary Dives section. Congratulations on the 25th anniversary of this fine dive magazine.

Newest Endemic: Blue belly blenny

Blue belly blenny (RA)Miguel’s Diving is pleased to announcement another confirmed endemic species in our area. The Blue belly blenny (Escenius caeruliventris) was only described scientifically by Springer and Allen in 2004 after it was first discovered in Tomini Bay, Sulawesi, where Miguel’s Diving operates. Only this past dive season have we noticed this cute little fish, finding it in three widely separated dive sites. Several of our guests have been able to photograph it. Easily recognized by its dark blue belly, this blenny also has double white lines on its eyes. Please click the thumbnail to see a larger picture. Surely you can take a better photo. Ready to come to Gorontalo and try?

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