Photo by Rantje Allen
Photo by William Tan
Photo by Rantje Allen
Photo by William Tan
Photo by Rantje Allen
In cooperation with Black Marlin Dive of the Togian (Togean) Islands, Miguel�s Diving is pleased to offer diving on both sides of the equator in Sulawesi�s huge Tomini Bay. Those diving the Togian (Togean) Islands can dive fringing reefs, a barrier reef, and atolls south of equator. On its north side Gorontalo offers some of everything: dramatic walls, shallow… Continue Reading
One dark and starry night in January a local college professor was ready to quit fishing off the deep-water docks in Gorontalo City. As he reeled in his empty hook, suddenly he snagged something. After patiently bringing his catch to the surface, he discovered that his empty hook had snagged the eye socket of a huge,… Continue Reading
In conjunction with World Environment Day, Miguel?s Diving is sponsoring a public awareness campaign on coral reef preservation. The target audience is fishermen whose livelihood depends on a healthy marine environment. The biggest threat is the practice of making fertilizer bombs to blast fish. Although this results in a huge catch initially, many fish and marine life… Continue Reading
An unpredictable but annual visitor to Gorontalo is what we affectionately call the Blue chip plankton. Seen only in the first couple meters of the water column, this marine creature looks like a chip of iridescent blue paint. It measures about five millimeters. If you approach one with your finger, it will swim away a bit… Continue Reading
Gorontalo is close to Sulawesi diving hot spots of Bunaken Marine Park, Lembeh, and the Togian (Togean) Islands. However, we are often finding things unknown to those familiar with diving in these adjacent locations. One striking example is what Phuket?s dive guru calls White foxtails after a recent visit. These are colonial tunicates whose translucent white… Continue Reading
Pinnacle diving in Sulawesi will jump another notch in November when Miguel?s Diving opens Mini Mount dive site. In March we discovered its existence after hearing reports from local fishermen. Adjacent to our popular Alleyways dive site, this large pinnacle rises from deep water and is separated from the main wall by a sand channel. Barracuda, unicornfish, and Spanish mackerelare… Continue Reading
One of Gorontalo?s cuter residents is the Signalfin goby. Growing up to three centimeters in length, this translucent fish has tiny dark spots sprinkled over its body. Its iris is red-brown and a green light shines from its pupil. Its first dorsal fin has matching red-brown markings. Although it sits motionless on the sand near clumps of… Continue Reading
Advanced divers who come to Sulawesi for wreck diving can enjoy a Japanese cargo vessel that sank in Gorontalo in 1942. Miguel�s Diving staff discovered this wreck at the beginning of last diving season. This new wreck dive has become a favorite of many, including Gorontalo�s diving governor. Check out our newJapanese Cargo Wreck dive site page where… Continue Reading
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… Continue Reading
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… Continue Reading
