Photo by Rantje Allen
Photo by William Tan
Photo by Rantje Allen
Photo by William Tan
Photo by Rantje Allen
Duncanopsammia peltata or pagoda coral form immense colonies in Gorontalo’s healthy waters. Stunning Pagoda Coral Colonies One of Gorontalo’s ancient and stunning coral formations is pagoda coral. Giant plates form spirals, hence the common name denoting pagodas. The colonies featured in this video measure over four meters across. The video is courtesy of @jhonheriano of… Continue Reading
Dendrodoris tuberculosa rarely appears on Gorontalo’s coral rich dive sites, despite its very large size. After years of absence, in late 2023 divers saw three in the same week! The Frilly Dendrodoris tuberculosa Sometimes called the Tuberculate Dendrodoris nudibranch, it can grow to twenty centimeters in length. Colors range from brown to green to pink.… Continue Reading
Dead nudibranch is rarely seen. But one of our sharp-eyed dive masters spotted one along an unnamed section of coral reef. A Black, Fleshy Mass Miguel’s Diving staff are always looking for marine life to show to our diving guests. They are skilled in spotting small critters, as well as pelagics that swim past divers… Continue Reading
Sargassum frogfish float on surface currents to dive sites in Gorontalo. Our diligent diver masters know how to find them, to the delight of guests. Floating Refuge As their common name implies, Sargassum frogfish hide among sargassum weeds. Although these weeds initially grow along shallow ocean bottoms, storms will rip them up. Then, these weeds… Continue Reading
Flower urchin looks like a lovely ball of trembling flowers. However, those flowers contain highly toxic venom. This sea urchin’s maximum diameter is about 15 centimeters. It lives in areas of sand and rubble along coral reefs. It also inhabits areas of sea grass. Beauty to Avoid Although commonly known as the Flower urchin, the… Continue Reading
Fin whale surfaced right next to one of our staff while he was fishing for yellowfin tuna. Tomini Bay where we dive is over four kilometers deep. So, large cetaceans are part of the marine environment in Gorontalo. Surprise Encounter Boka, one of Miguel’s Diving dive masters, headed to deep waters offshore. On his day… Continue Reading
Yellow lace coral thrives below thirty meters in Gorontalo. Its bold honey-lemon hue adds distinctive color to deep reefs where ambient light is low. Not a Reef Building Coral Although they have some similarities, lace corals are not fire corals. Millepora fire coral species have symbiotic algae living inside their tissues. These algae contribute nutrients… Continue Reading
Leopard sea cucumber is a beautiful creature of the ocean floor. However, divers should avoid touching its sensitive body. Spotted Beauty The Leopard sea cucumber lives in the eastern Indian and the western Pacific oceans. In the areas we dive in Gorontalo, it can only be found dependably at a single dive site. This sea… Continue Reading
Arothron caeruleopunctatus is a large pufferfish that hid in plain sight until a Japanese researcher named it in 1994. Not the Other Blue-spotted Puffer Scientific names are always best to identify marine life. Although the name of the large puffer Arothron caeruleopunctatus means “blue-spotted,” another small pufferfish is often called the Blue-spotted puffer. That fish… Continue Reading
Thylacodes grandis, or the Grand Worm Sail, uses mucous like a net to capture plankton. Its beautiful batik-patterned head is unmistakable. Grand Worm Snails in the Reef Worm snails are a family of marine molluscs. They live in long tubes rather than the usual coiled chambers of other snails. Worm snail tubes are irregular. Grand… Continue Reading
