Photo by Rantje Allen
Photo by William Tan
Photo by Rantje Allen
Photo by William Tan
Photo by Rantje Allen
Tiger Cowrie can be found occasionally along Gorontalo’s coral reefs. A Tiger with Spots Cowries are a family of marine gastropod mollusk. They are basically large snails that live in the ocean. The cowrie pictured here is called Tiger Cowrie because of the original Latin name Cypraea tigris. The famous scientist Linnaeus named it in… Continue Reading
Blacktip shark mating is a rarely witnessed event. But that is just what happened one dive day in Gorontalo. The Tell-tale Fin The Blacktip Reef shark is the most common shark sighted in Indo-Pacific waters. Its scientific name is Carcharhinus melanopterus. Divers can easily identify this shark by its distinctive, black-tipped dorsal fin. Additionally, its… Continue Reading
Juvenile trevally escorts jellyfish in Olele Bay, Gorontalo. Travel Buddies Several times , Miguel’s Diving staff have observed juvenile trevally travelling with large jellyfish. Oftentimes, the young fish hide inside the bell of the jellyfish. They are safe there from predators and from the bushy, oral arms of the jellyfish. Usually, these large jellyfish travel… Continue Reading
Bigeye scad can form large schools in quiet inshore areas of Gorontalo. Thousands in Synchronized Motion For several weeks in October 2016 a large school of Bigeye scad called Olele Bay home. Actually, this is a typical pattern for this fish. Since they hunt for food mostly at night, they gather in large schools during… Continue Reading
Seahorses are favorites of many divers. Gorontalo waters host several different species. Pygmy seahorses are so cute, but many divers love ones that are big enough to see. The Common Hippocampus kuda Hippocampus kuda is the most predictable seahorse for divers to see. Its English name varies considerably. Some call it the Common seahorse. Others… Continue Reading
Scuba Diver Ocean Planet magazine recently featured the whale sharks of Gorontalo. Scuba Diver Ocean Planet Magazine Featured Destination Gorontalo’s new whale shark reserve at Botubarani Village became a featured destination in Scuba Diver Ocean Planet magazine. “Gorontalo Botubarani” encompasses four pages. This includes a dramatic double page photo of a whale shark swimming above… Continue Reading
Whale shark sightings have always been common in Gorontalo. But this month we are encountering these giants daily. Sightings in Gorontalo Since beginning operations in 2003, whale shark sightings with crew and guests have been numerous. On average, we encounter these giants twice per month. Any month will do. In other places in the world,… Continue Reading
Mackerel feeding frenzy! Right beside the dive boat, guests of Miguel’s Diving watched schooling Big mouth mackerel feeding off Jinn Caves dive site. Regional Names This small mackerel is found throughout tropical Indo-West Pacific seas. Its scientific name is Rastreliger kanagurta. In the Indian Ocean it is commonly called Indian mackerel. In the western Pacific… Continue Reading
Sacoglossans are vegetarian sea slugs or snails. They bite into algae. Then they suck out the contents. Sometimes they are called sap-sucking sea slugs. Several species are found in Gorontalo’s diverse marine environment. Blue-spotted bubble snail One of the sacoglossans found in Gorontalo is Oxynoe viridis. Although it looks like a simple slug Koupit Lioresal… Continue Reading
Gymnodoris ceylonica were everywhere! Pearly white nudibranchs with orange spots were crawling along the ocean floor. What was going on? Watching a Rare Event The dive site was Tambo’o Fish House. It is a favorite muck diving site in Gorontalo. No nudibranchs were seen the previous day. Then suddenly one day in November, there were… Continue Reading
