Photo by Rantje Allen
Photo by William Tan
Photo by Rantje Allen
Photo by William Tan
Photo by Rantje Allen
The whale shark that passed divers this morning off Gorontalo’s Swirling Steps dive site measured an impressive 8 meters. By the various sizes of these pelagics seen over the last few days, Miguel’s Diving staff have determined that there are at least three in the area at this time
A resident pod of about 20 Risso’s dolphins entertained divers this week during a surface interval between dives. Taking advantage of the bright sunlight to sun on the surface, some of the dolphins also slowly raised then lowered their tails vertically in the water. Sunlight reflected off the white foreheads of these large dolphins, which can reach… Continue Reading
A happy group of dive buddies just returned home to Singapore from five days of diving in Gorontalo. Alvin has posted some of his photos, which are available by clinking this link. Despite Gorontalo’s reputation as a macro paradise, he found the wide angle opportunities bountiful including the many unique Salvador Dali sponges available only here. But his face-on… Continue Reading
Divers from various countries are not the only ones visiting Gorontalo these days. During a surface interval last week guests were fascinated to watch a juvenile trevally pushing a large jellyfishby nuzzling itself under the jelly’s bell. Sometimes it would dart entirely inside where it could be seen through the semi-transparent jellyfish. Shooting a picture in… Continue Reading
After a couple days of rain that provided a break in the stiff winds, Miguel’s Diving crew were able to venture out to do some reef cleanup yesterday. To our amazement billions of freckle-sized dots were in the water column. These turned out to be baby barnacles whose early life is pelagic. Some were visibly moving;… Continue Reading
Diving in Gorontalo never ceases to amaze guests of Miguel’s Diving. The other day our dive master spotted a Clark’s anemonefish fanning a large patch of mature eggs in order to aerate them. Unlike the reddish eggs of Saddleback anemonefish, these are golden green. The photo shows the pair of eyes in each egg and… Continue Reading
While out looking for a new muck site, Miguel’s Diving staff came across a Spiny devilfish (Inimicus didactylus). Although not as venomous as the deadly stonefish, devilfish will give anything touching its venomous spines a nasty shock. Devilfish are not only camouflaged but also like to stay semi-buried in the sand. This is one more reason for… Continue Reading
Last week Miguel’s Diving staff took a survey trip to one of the islands off Gorontalo’s northern coastline in the Sulawesi Sea. These waters are a different ocean that the one we usually dive and marine life is different. While absorbed in photographing Grape stalk tunicates that are not found in our southern dive sites,… Continue Reading
Durban shrimp (Rhynchocinetes durbanensis) are a favorite of divers not only because of their striking color pattern but also because of their behavior. The high rostrum (nose) is distinctive of hinge-beak shrimp. They are found in deep crevices and holes, usually living together in large numbers. When they move, they tend to hop about, which… Continue Reading
Miguel’s Diving staff gets a little stir crazy during off-season. This week we braved the growing swells of May to check out a new muck site. Directly below the dive boat, hiding in the shadow of a pink sea pen was the first of three baby cuttlefish we found during the dive. All were merely the… Continue Reading
