Photo by Rantje Allen
Photo by William Tan
Photo by Rantje Allen
Photo by William Tan
Photo by Rantje Allen

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Category Archives: Sulawesi Diving

Blue Whale sighting goes viral

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Blue whale sightings are extremely rare. They are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth. So, imagine our awe when a blue whale surfaced and breached in the waters off Gorontalo.

Deep Seas of Gorontalo

The deep offshore waters of Gorontalo create ideal conditions for pelagic encounters. Ocean depths along Gorontalo’s southern coastline plunge to four kilometers. These are the waters of Tomini Bay that separate Gorontalo and Central Sulawesi provinces. Encounters with large pelagic animals are common. However, sightings of a blue whale are extraordinarily rare.

On this remarkable day, the ocean revealed something unforgettable. A massive blue whale surfaced within 100 meters of shore. It exhaled powerful blows upon breaching. Then it descended into the calm, blue waters. Its immense size was unmistakable. Villagers for several kilometers along this coastline saw this whale as it passed.

Drone Footage Goes Viral

Fortunately, a friend from shore launched his drone. This allowed documentation of the encounter from above. The aerial perspective shows the true scale of the blue whale. The video captures both the breaching behavior and the iconic blow, offering a rare glimpse into the life of this gentle giant.

You can view the drone video on our Facebook page and Instagram (@gtomiguelsdiving). The video has captivated viewers from around the world. It has over 17,000 views on our social media accounts.

Blue Whale, Ocean Giant

The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) can reach lengths of over 30 meters. It can weigh more than 150 tons. Despite its enormous size, it feeds almost exclusively on plankton. The heart alone can weigh as much as a small motorcycle.

Blue whales are migratory and typically found in deep offshore waters. Our sighting nearshore in Gorontalo is especially significant. Miguel’s Diving staff sighted another blue whale near the same location about 20 years ago. Although their populations are slowly recovering, they remain endangered. Every encounter serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of ocean conservation.

Gorontalo: More Than Just Diving

This blue whale sighting highlights Gorontalo’s extraordinary marine diversity. While the region is best known for pristine coral reefs, rare critters, and world-class diving, encounters like this show that Gorontalo also plays a role in the lives of the ocean’s largest inhabitants.

Moments like these remind us why we explore, protect, and share the stories of the sea. For your chance to make memories in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Location of Miguel’s Diving Gorontalo

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Location is key for any business, including Miguel’s Diving. Less than an hour from Gorontalo’s airport, our dive center rests in a safe location inside the Bone River. This provides direct access to the vast Tomini Bay.

Our Airport Code: GTO

Daily, direct flights from Jakarta land at Gorontalo’s Jalaluddin Airport. It is modern and spacious. Our package options include airport transfers. Upon exiting baggage claim, divers simply look for a driver holding a paper with their names on it. The ride into town is less than an hour.

location of Miguel's Diving — Our Google Earth location

One option we offer is diving upon arrival. This is possible for passengers of Batik Air whose flight arrives here at about 8 a.m. Prior arrangement is required.

Google Map Location

Finding us on Google Maps is easy. Just type in Miguel’s Diving Gorontalo in the search bar. This is our location link.

However, this location is about five meters off, which is within the error margin for Google Maps. Travelers can be confused when they arrive at a block ice factory used by fishermen! Google still has a picture of this blue factory for its street photo of Miguel’s Diving. Actually, we are the two-story yellow building next door. A huge dive flag is painted on the street-facing side of our dive center. Slide the gate open and enter.

To help travelers visualize our location, we have created a short video that starts in space and zooms all the way into our dive center in Gorontalo. It includes satellite animation using Google Earth, plus drone footage of our dock, dive boats, and the expansive blue waters we explore daily during dive season.

Strategic Dock Location

Our dive center and dock are located just inside the estuary of Bone River. The name is pronounced boh-nay. This gives our divers a clean, secure area to organize gear prior to diving. They can also relax there after the dive day.

Travelers may question why we do not anchor our boats along the ocean. Because of Gorontalo’s unique geography and rapidly changing weather, that option is not wise.

Also, we guard our speed boats round-the-clock against sudden storms and waves. Over our two decades of operation, our strategic location and dedicated staff have prevented our boats from damage or sinking.

Miguel’s Diving is located along the northern coast of Tomini Bay in Sulawesi, Indonesia. This bay is one of the deepest in the world and offers pristine diving conditions and rare marine life—like our iconic Salvador Dali sponges.

To assist in your dive trip planning, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Thysanozoon nigropapillosum Swims & Dazzles

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Thysanozoon nigropapillosum is a dazzling flatworm. Yellow- or gold-tipped papillae cover its black body. Its body margin has bold white edges.

Many Confusing Names

Thysanozoon nigropapillosum lacks a standard English name. Some call it the Yellowspotted, Yellow-spotted, Yellow Spot, or Yellow-speckled Flatworm. Others refer to the spots as gold. Some online sources call it the Galaxy Flatworm since its body looks like a maze of stars.

Appearances of Thysanozoon nigropapillosum in Gorontalo

Before opening diving in Gorontalo, Miguel’s Diving surveyed potential dive spots. In May 2000, we recorded our first sighting of Thysanozoon nigropapillosum off the coast of Bone Pantai Regency. Since then, we have rarely encountered this beautiful flatworm—perhaps only once every five years!

In 2025, one of our guests captured Thysanozoon nigropapillosum on video, creating an intriguing clip. Flatworms can swim short distances by waving their flat bodies. The video shot by Rainer de Reuter captures this undulating motion perfectly!

Notice the two white-tipped protrusions at the front of the flatworm. These are pseudotentacles. They sense light and motion, helping the flatworm navigate.

Favorite Food

Thysanozoon nigropapillosum feeds on certain species of tunicates. One of its favorites is Didemnum molle, which is very common in Gorontalo. The flatworm engulfs the tunicate’s thin body with its mouth. However, it does not digest the hard calcium spicules that give the tunicate structure. Instead, these are expelled as pellets.

Savage Mating

All flatworms are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs. Thysanozoon nigropapillosum also has two penises. During mating, each flatworm attempts to inseminate the other. First, special structures called rhabdites grip the partner’s edge, providing a strong hold even while swimming. Then, the two try to stab each other with a penis—or both! The maze of yellow papillae makes aiming difficult, and missed attempts often result in dermal impregnation.

Where to Find this Dazzling Flatworm

Found throughout Indo-Pacific waters, this dazzling flatworm can grow up to 8 centimeters long. Divers can spot it at depths ranging from one to twenty meters.

For your chance to see unusual marine life in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Redlined Jorunna Love Triangle

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Redlined Jorunna nudibranchs made a rare appearance in Gorontalo. During the required safety stop, divers hovered over a patch of sandy rubble as they rested for three minutes. Looking at the sandy bottom, they discovered a cluster of black Long-spined sea urchins, several shy pipefish, and sea stars. Then, in the gentle surge, they noticed a moving, intertwined mass. It was three Redlined Jorunna nudibranchs engaged in group mating!

Love among Redlined Jorunna

Like other nudibranchs, this species is hermaphroditic. This means each nudibranch has both male and female reproductive organs. To fertilize the eggs, sperm must come from another individual.

It seems the three Redlined Jorunna we saw were donating sperm to each other. Nearby, divers noticed a pinkish ribbon of eggs already laid. According to scientific observers, this nudibranch species only appears in the open during mating. Otherwise, they hide in the reef.

Red lines and Fur

The scientific name for this species is Jorunna rubescens because of its reddish lines and markings. Underwater, divers can use additional light to bring out the reddish color.
Like other dorid nudibranchs, Redlined Jorunna have twin rhinophores on their heads and a bushy tuft of gills at the tail. These three parts can be pulled inside the body when the creature feels threatened.

Unique to dorids, fur-like caryophyllidia cover the body of Jorunna rubescens. Tiny spine-like spicules surround these sensory tubercles. Together, they give the body of this nudibranch a velvety appearance. As a result, some observers commonly call this species the Pink Furry Nudibranch.

For additional underwater photographs of Jorunna rubescens, including close-ups of the caryophyllidia, open this link.

Life and Environment

One of the larger dorid nudibranch species, Redlined Jorunna can grow up to 15 centimeters in length. The largest of the three we saw measured about nine centimeters. Jorunna rubescens lives on the seafloor in Indo-Pacific waters, including areas of coral reef and sandy or rocky bottoms like those found we found. For your chance to see unusual marine life in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Alligator pipefish hunts for lunch

Posted on January 21, 2025 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Alligator pipefish are rarely seen, despite their size. Even more remarkable is to follow one as it searches for something to eat. Yet that happened one day in Gorontalo – and we have the video to prove it!

A Mangrove Seed or a Blade of Grass

The Alligator pipefish (Syngnathoides biaculeatus) has a long, slender body that mimics a blade of seagrass. Some divers could also mistake it for a floating seed of a mangrove tree. Its body is usually green or brown. This camouflage helps it blend into its habitats. These include seagrass beds, mangroves, and estuaries. Predators and divers have difficulty recognizing one, even though it can grow quite large – up to 50 centimeters in length!

Most pipefish have paddle-like tails. But not Syngnathoides biaculeatus. Its body tapers to a point. That earns it the common name “Double-Ended Pipefish.” However, most divers call it the Alligator or Crocodile pipefish. Although it lacks a true prehensile tail like seahorses, it can bend its tail to form a hook. This allows the fish to hook onto something on the sea floor and remain motionless.

One Hungry Alligator Pipefish

One day in Gorontalo, we made our safety stop in a sandy area. Suddenly, one of our dive masters waved excitedly. He pointed to something floating motionless above the sand. It was an adult Alligator pipefish, measuring about 20 centimeters. While other divers relaxed and lunched above in our dive boat, we grabbed a video camera and followed the pipefish around.

The pipefish ignored us as it slowly surveyed the area. Soon, we noticed it was actually searching for something to eat. First, it swam across the seagrass bed, then among some coral boulders, and finally among clumps of dead Turbinweed. With the noonday sun beating down, it finally spied something to eat.

Syngnathoides biaculeatus Inhales its Food

The Alligator pipefish uses its elongated snout to suck in tiny prey. It likes to eat mysid shrimp and copepods. While on the hunt, a pipefish moves slowly through the water, probing and looking. When it spots prey, it quickly sucks it into its snout with a powerful vacuum-like motion. We caught all of this in our video.

Although we have seen this pipefish since the initial encounter, we cannot know how long it will stay. For your chance to see unusual marine life in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Striped Barracuda Warily Eye Divers

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Striped Barracuda schools on Gorontalo’s shallow reef flats. Smaller and more cautious than its larger relatives, this species dazzles with its streamlined body.

How to Identify Striped Barracuda

In contrast to other barracuda species, the Striped Barracuda is smaller, reaching about 55 cm in length. Also, its body features two thin, dark horizontal stripes running along its silvery body. These stripes are its defining feature and help divers distinguish it from barracudas that look similar.

Sometimes, it is called the Obtuse Barracuda, which translates its Latin name of Sphyraena obtusata.

Other Barracudas found in Gorontalo

Occasionally, divers in Gorontalo will see a Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda). As the largest barracuda species, it can grow over a meter in length. Often, it swims alone. Its imposing size and solitary nature make it easy to differentiate from the smaller, schooling Striped Barracuda.

Also found in Gorontalo is the Yellowtail Barracuda (Sphyraena flavicauda). As its name suggests, its yellowish tail is the most prominent feature. Its body has faint spots instead of the distinct stripes seen on the Striped Barracuda.

The Black Barracuda (Sphyraena qenie) is slightly larger than the Striped Barracuda and is known for its dark fins and body markings. While the Striped Barracuda has clean, horizontal stripes, the Black Barracuda’s markings can appear as a combination of dark smudges and irregular lines, giving it a more shadowy appearance. These features, along with its tendency to inhabit deeper waters, help divers tell the two species apart.

Habitat and Behavior

striped barracuda school — *Sphyraena obtusata* school in Gorontalo

This barracuda species is found in warm, shallow waters throughout the Indo-Pacific region. They prefer areas with coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, where food is abundant.

During the day, they form schools for protection, creating a shimmering spectacle as light reflects off their bodies. At night, they disperse to hunt small prey like fish and crustaceans.

Tips for your Encounter with Barracuda

The schooling behavior of the Striped Barracuda is a visual treat for divers. Seeing these sleek fish glide in unison over Gorontalo’s colorful reefs is unforgettable.

barracuda wary of divers — Barracudas are wary of divers

However, their cautious nature makes observing them tricky. We suggest divers move slowly, so as not to startle them. Also, try to approach from different angles. The barracuda school will maintain distance from divers if it feels threatened.

An encounter with a school of Striped Barracuda offers divers an opportunity to appreciate the beauty and diversity of the underwater world. So, plan your dive with Miguel’s Diving to explore Gorontalo’s vibrant marine life up close.

Kayak.com features Miguel’s Diving

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Kayak.com is a strategic player in the online travel market, processing billions of searches annually. Now, it’s information page on Gorontalo activities features Miguel’s Diving.

Gorontalo Travel Guide on Kayak.com

The booking platform Kayak.com is adding destination travel guides for its locations. Recently, they contacted Miguel’s Diving, asking for a photo and basic information helpful for dive travelers. We were happy to accommodate their request.

On their travel guide for Gorontalo, they provide information like population, weather, and hotel options. Now, that guide includes a photo of our dive boats moored along a deserted beach not far from our dive center.

The Kayak travel group began in 2004 with only fourteen staff. Now there are over one thousand, operating seven international brands. Searches for flights, ground transportation, and travel packages are currently available in more than twenty languages. Additionally, in 2013 they acquired Booking Holding, a major travel player in online travel.

Flights to Gorontalo

We have added a link to Kayak.com to the Flights & Travel page on our website. Oftentimes, Indonesian domestic airlines do not accept foreign credit cards for flight bookings. Fortunately, the Kayak website will.

The ease of payment with credit card is only one advantage for flight bookings. For mysterious reasons, domestic carriers in Indonesia supply only limited options on their own websites. One example is the Lion Air website. Travelers wishing to fly from Denpasar, Bali (DPS) to Gorontalo (GTO) are not given complete options. The best flights are via Makassar (UPG). However, flights with that transit option do not appear on the Lion Air website! They are available with Kayak.com.

Gorontalo’s Airport

Our modern airport is located in the central valley of Gorontalo. Because this valley is ringed with mountains, the air approach usually circles over our dive center, above Gorontalo City, and onwards to Limboto Lake. The drive from the airport takes less than one hour.

For flights to Gorontalo, Kayak.com is a great option. For diving, make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Schooling bannerfish found near pinnacles

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Schooling bannerfish are a rare sight in Gorontalo. Divers can see these beautiful fish at only two less-dived sites.

Trailing white ribbons

Like graceful dancers pulling long, white ribbons behind them, Schooling bannerfish are a distinctive addition to any dive site. The adult fish’s white dorsal fin extends past its tail. This looks like a long banner trailing behind the fish as it swims. Actually, this banner is only the first rays of its dorsal fin. The remaining dorsal fin is thick, deep yellow, and hugs close to the body.

Overall, the fish’s body is white, tall, and flat. It sports two large black bands. These bans cross the body diagonally. Also, the tail and pectoral fins are yellow. The fish’s snout contains a few dark spots.

Schooling bannerfish in Gorontalo

Although this fish lives through Indo-Pacific waters, divers in Gorontalo are not likely to see it. Schooling bannerfish only live in two dive sites here. These sites are rarely visited, and only Miguel’s Diving staff know where to find them. The rarity of this beautiful fish is one of the marine mysteries of the area.

In Gorontalo, this fish stays close to certain coral pinnacles. As ocean currents flow past the pinnacles, these bannerfish feed on passing plankton. As the common name suggests, Schooling bannerfish swim in schools.

Confusing, similar species

Although Schooling bannerfish have unmistakable features, determining the exact species is difficult. Moorish idols also have trailing white dorsal rays. However, they stay in pairs and close to coral rich reefs where they feed on coral polyps. They also have an unmistakable, bright orange patch on their snouts.

Bannerfish with long dorsal fins come in two seemingly identical species. They are Heniochus acuminatus and Heniochus diphreutes. In H. acuminatus, the rear edge of its anal fish is more rounded. In H. diphreutes, the rear edge of the anal fin aims almost straight down, coming to a sharp point. That sharp point is basically half white and half black. Moreover, H. diphreutes has a rounder face and generally feeds on plankton in the water column. H. acuminatus tends to feed nearer the substrate, have a longer snout, and can travel in pairs or even alone.

Both species have numerous common names. One common name for H. acuminatus is the Longfin bannerfish. Its other names are Pennant coral and Reef coachman. H. diphreutes is usually called Schooling bannerfish.

For your chance to search for this beautiful fish in Gorontalo, make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Duncanopsammia peltata forms pagodas in Gorontalo

Posted on February 6, 2024 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

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 Pertamina Dive Club.

Other colonies of this distinctive coral form single plates. Additional plates may take several centuries to form. In other coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific region, this coral forms pillars. That morphology has yet to appear in Gorontalo.

Descriptions of Duncanopsammia peltata

The scientific name for pagoda coral is Duncanopsammia peltata. When we consulted coral experts, they asked for a detailed photograph of the polyps. These are distinctive in determining the species. Usually, corallites measure between three and five millimeters in diameters. However, those of the giant colony featured here measure almost one centimeter!

As with other corals, polyps are only found on the upper surfaces of the colony. They need sunlight and easy access to plankton brought by passing ocean currents. Sometimes, the corallites are embedded flush with the coral plate. However, other times they protrude above the plate like little bumps. Typically, the polyps are extended during daylight hours, ready to sunbathe and catch plankton. Their many arms can measure up to one centimeter in length.

Tiny single-cell organisms called zooxanthellae live inside Duncanopsammia peltata. They turn sunlight into food that they share with their host coral.

Colonies of Duncanopsammia peltata live in coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific region. They thrive just below the surface, down to a depth of about forty meters. The color is grey to light brown.

Ask us to show you Gorontalo’s pagoda corals when you make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Sargassum frogfish delights divers

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

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 will float on the surface. They have air-filled bladders that look like berries, which helps the weeds float.

Over eighty species of fish use floating mats of Sargassum weed for part of their life cycle. Juvenile fish can hide there from predators. But predators also lurk unseen among the weeds.

Camouflaged Predator

One such predator is the Sargassum frogfish. Like other frogfish

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, this one has a small lure between its eyes and mouth. When the fish is hungry, it will wiggle its lure to tempt prey to approach too closely. With a sudden, giant gulp, the frogfish will ingest the small fish, crab or shrimp. Unhappily, baby frogfish may also be devoured.

This frogfish’s scientific name is Histrio histrio. It is the only species of this genus and no other fish looks quite like it. Its appearance is unmistakable, although finding it is difficult. Its coloration mimics that of Sargassum weed. Also, it has fleshy appendages that look like its weedy host. Although it can swim, this frogfish usually remains motionless. Instead, it grabs onto weeds with its pectoral fins and tail. When necessary, it can alter its color from lighter to darker, or vice versa.

Techniques for Finding Sargassum frogfish

Our dive masters are skilled in finding these shy and delightful critters. During surface intervals between dives, they will search floating weeds near the dive boat. If they find one, they will scoop it into a small bucket along with the weed on which the frogfish clings. That way guests on the dive boat can see it up close. Although this frogfish can survive quite a while above water, we always return it safely to the ocean.

For your chance to see a Sargassum frogfish Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.