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

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Tag Archives: dive gorontalo

QRIS now available at Miguel’s Diving

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

QRIS is now available for our divers. Guests can enjoy faster and easier payments using Indonesia’s national QR-code standard.

QRIS, Indonesia’s Payment System

QRIS stands for Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard. It is a national payment system regulated by Bank Indonesia. With QRIS, guests can make cashless payments by scanning a single QR code using their preferred Indonesian digital wallet or banking app. All major apps in Indonesia support QRIS, including OVO, Dana, GoPay, ShopeePay, and mobile banking from BCA and other banks.

QRIS has grown rapidly across Indonesia in recent years. Bank Indonesia reports that QRIS transaction volume jumped over 175% year-on-year. This reflects how widely locals and travelers now use this cashless option. The value of QRIS payments has also increased sharply. They reached more than Rp 300 trillion nationwide as of 2025. At the same time, the number of people using QRIS has expanded to over 50 million users. More than 30 million merchants across the country now accepting it. This strong national adoption is one reason Miguel’s Diving has added QRIS to our list of guest-friendly payment choices.

For our diving guests, this means there is no need to carry extra cash. Simply open your digital wallet, scan the QR code, and confirm the payment. The process is instant and secure.

A Convenient Option for Travelers

QRIS is especially helpful for domestic divers who already use digital wallets. For international guests, VISA and MasterCard remain available for larger payments. Many foreigners also prefer making a local rupiah transfer using Wise or BCA. Adding QRIS gives guests another fast and modern way to settle their dive arrangements.

QRIS offers two types of QR codes. Small shops often use a static code, while larger businesses use a dynamic code for each transaction. Miguel’s Diving uses a static code that best suits diving services, so guests can expect smooth and reliable payment processing.

Safe & Standardized

Because QRIS follows a national standard, the QR code at our dive center works across all supported apps. Each transaction is encrypted and must be confirmed inside the user’s own payment application. Even if the code is printed on a sign, it holds no personal information. This makes the system both simple and safe to use.

QRIS also reflects Indonesia’s move toward modern, cashless transactions. It is widely used throughout the country —from cafés and supermarkets to small shops and tourist services. By bringing QRIS into our dive center, we hope to make check-in and check-out more convenient for everyone.

Guest-Friendly Payment Choices

Guests of Miguel’s Diving now have four easy ways to make payments:

QRIS for instant cashless transactions
Cash rupiah for those who prefer traditional payment
Rupiah transfer using Wise or BCA
VISA / MasterCard for international card payments

This wide range of options lets divers choose the method that works best for them.

We hope this new QRIS option makes your time in Gorontalo even smoother. Whether you come for coral walls, marine life, or Salvador Dali sponges, we want every part of your visit—including payments—to be easy and enjoyable. To join one of our dive trips, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Pinktail Triggerfish & its Coral Hideout

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Pinktail Triggerfish, stylish and sleek, delight divers lucky enough to see even one, especially fans of pink. Although only occasionally found in Gorontalo, its coloration is bright and distinctive.

In the Pink

This fish’s body color is dark, from olive-brown to almost black. This helps the fish blend into the shadows of the coral reef. However, its active tail is magenta/pink with a distinct white base where the tail joins the dark body. Its elegantly paired dorsal and anal fins are ghostly white and edged in black. Yellowish are its pectoral fins and snout.

Many fish species can lighten and darken their body colors. If a Pinktail Triggerfish is in lighter mode, a crosshatch pattern appears on its body.

Its official name is Melichthys vidua. The genus name means “black fish” in Greek.

Active & Shy

Divers will find this fish both active and shy. Only when a Pinktail Triggerfish is hunting for food will it allow a closer approach. This fish eats mainly algae and detritus. However, using its dental plates, it can also eat crustaceans, octopuses, sponges, and even small fishes.

Locking a Trigger

The Pinktail Triggerfish has a locking mechanism in its dorsal fin spines. This body feature is unique to all triggerfish species. The fish can erect its first dorsal spine and lock it upright using its second spine. In order to unlock its trigger, the fish must first depress the second spine, allowing the first one to relax.

Triggerfish that feel threatened quickly jump into a hole or crevasse in the reef. By locking the trigger, it is wedged in and cannot be pulled out. The predator can only nip the edges of its unprotected tail while the fish hides.

Where to Find Pinktail Triggerfish

This delightful fish lives through Indo-Pacific region, including Tomini Bay where Miguel’s Diving offers scuba diving. Although this fish can gather in schools in other ocean locations, we only see it singly in Gorontalo.

Divers here will most likely see it in very shallow waters on coral rich dive sites where ocean currents sweep by. In other places, scientists have found it below fifty meters.

Since divers are unlikely to spot a Pinktail Triggerfish unaided, ask one of our dive masters to point one out during your diving day.

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.

Risso’s Dolphins Sunbathe and Play

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Risso’s Dolphins thrive in the deep waters off Gorontalo’s southern shores. One day, we spotted a large, active pod. Using a drone, we watched as they sunbathed, played, and possibly mated.

Ghostly Apparitions

Risso’s Dolphins (Grampus griseus) are a distinctive species of dolphin. They are born gray but become whiter with age. The older one is, the whiter it appears. When passing under the dive boat or swimming nearby, they look like ghostly apparitions.

Their bodies also show visible scarring. Most scars come from fights with other Risso’s Dolphins, while other scars come from bites of deep-sea squid, their main diet. These features make them easy to identify.

Unlike other dolphins, Risso’s have rounded heads and no beak. They also have a crease running from the blowhole down to the upper lip. This unique feature is only visible up close or from a drone’s view.

Drone Video of Risso’s Dolphins

One day, our dive boat was heading to the second dive site when our captain spotted a pod of Risso’s Dolphins. They were sunbathing on the ocean’s surface, which is typical behavior in Gorontalo. Their distinctive white bodies confirmed their identity.

As we watched from a safe distance, one of our Indonesian guests launched his drone. Dr. Reyhan Aditya captured dramatic footage of this large pod. Some dolphins rested on the surface, while others played. One sequence even suggests mating behavior.

Risso’s Dolphins typically grow to three to four meters long and weigh between 300 and 500 kilograms. Clearly, most dolphins in this pod were adults. At other times, we have seen baby Risso’s among them. Usually, we see pods of about ten individuals, but this pod was much larger.

Worldwide Sightings

Risso’s Dolphins live in temperate and tropical oceans worldwide. They prefer deep offshore waters. Sometimes, they swim closer to land or oceanic islands when the continental shelf is narrow. This is true of Gorontalo’s southern coastline. Here, the continental wall of Sulawesi lies just a few meters from shore, plunging to four kilometers deep. This unique geography makes Gorontalo a great place for pelagic encounters.

Antoine Risso, a French naturalist, first described this species in 1812. Later, the dolphin was named in his honor.

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.

Phyllidia elegans decorates reefs

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Phyllidia elegans is a dorid nudibranch found occasionally on Gorontalo’s coral reefs. Oftentimes, divers see it among rubble. We call it the Elegant wart slug.

The Showy Peaks of Phyllidia elegans

This elegant wart slug has distinctive whitish to pinkish protrusions. These are called tubercles. They look like snowy mountain peaks. A few tops of those tubercles are yellow. This is a distinguishing characteristic of Phyllidia elegans.

Irregular black lines look like rivers running in the valleys between peaks. Some blackish spots can appear along the slug’s edges. Also, for this elegant wart slug, yellow rhinophores are distinctive.

Although divers rarely look at the underside of the slug’s foot, Phyllidia elegans has a median longitudinal black line on its sole. Uniquely, this slug also has black lines on the sides of its foot.

Rare photographs of the Elegant wart slug

The archived website of Sea Slug Forum has several unique photographs of Phyllidia elegans. One shows the gills, which are underneath this critter, between its foot and mantle. Another photo shows the Elegant wart slug laying eggs. The moderator notes this may be the first photo of the egg mass. Moreover, one of the photos is from Gorontalo, taken and submitted by one of our diving guests.

Unknown Life Cycle

Scientists know little about the life cycle of Phyllidia elegans. It is a simultaneous hermaphrodite. That means a single individual is both male and female at the same time. When two of these wart slugs come together for mating, each with stab its penis at the other. The first one to penetrate the other’s skin will be the male for that coupling.

Most phyllidiid nudibranchs, like the Elegant wart slug, feed on sponges of the Phakellia genus. These are usually red-orange in color.

Phyllidia elegans lives in the Western Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as in the Red Sea. Its maximum length is about five centimeters. Divers are more likely to spot it in shallow waters where hard coral growth is poor. For your chance to see this elegant marine critter in Gorontalo, please make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Razorfish keep their noses down

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Razorfish and shrimpfish swim in synchronized groups. Typically, they keep their noses down. They are a graceful sight for divers to enjoy.

Distinctive behavior & appearance

These fishes look like flattened razors. Their bodies are light in color with a dark body line. This line reaches from their long noses all the way to the back. Also, the line passes over the eye.

Most distinctive is their swimming pattern. Divers can see them in occasional pairs. Most often, however, they will gather in large schools, forming a shimmering curtain. Usually, they keep a cautious distance from scuba divers. When they decide to move, all the fish in a school will point their noses in the same direction and swim quickly away. Then, they will settle back to their head-down position.

Found through the Indo-Pacific and Indian oceans, they typically live at depth between two and fifteen meters. They tend to prefer areas with some potential for silting. They eat mysid shrimps.

The Razorfish common in Gorontalo

Centriscidae is a small family of fishes that tend to swim with their heads pointed downwards. They all look practically the same. There are two genera: Aeoliscus and Centriscus.

Centriscus scutatus is the species common in Gorontalo. Its common name is Grooved razorfish. This is because the fish has an interorbital groove. That is a narrow depression that runs between its eyes and along the skull. Only scientists in a laboratory can observe this.

Most helpful is for divers to observe the fish’s tail. Actually, what looks like the tip of the tail is the fish’s first dorsal spine. It lies flat along the top of the body and projects beyond the actual tip of its tail. To divers, the fish appears to have a long, thin, and rigid tail.

Confusing similarities

The fish most likely to be confused with the Grooved razorfish is Aeoliscus strigatus. Divers usually call this the Coral shrimpfish. Other common names include Jointed razorfish, Striped shrimp fish, and variations of those words. Careful observers look for the only visible distinctive of this species. This fish has a hinge on the end of its dorsal spine, which swings to the side as the fish moves. It functions like a rudder.

The largest of the shrimpfishes is Centriscus cristatus. It lacks the hinge and its stripe is yellowish with several perpendicular dashes above the stripe. We have not observed this fish in Gorontalo.

The fourth shrimpfish is Aeoliscus puntulatus. In addition to the hinged tail, it sports fine black spots above and around the mid-lateral stripe. We have not observed this species in Gorontalo.

The popular generic name shrimpfish comes from all the bony plates that compose the bodies of these razor-shaped fishes.

For your chance to see these beautiful fish in Gorontalo, make your dive reservations directly with Miguel’s Diving.

Funnelweed pass unnoticed

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Miguel's Diving • 0 Comments

Funnelweed, though found worldwide, lives in limited locations in Gorontalo. Divers certainly pass by without noticing. But scientists are researching it.

Delicate scalloped algae

Although funnelweed is a member of the brown algae family, its color here in Gorontalo is not brown. It grows in some sandy patches or substrate among other algae. Its color is pale cream. Sometimes, it has tinges of light green.

It grows in beautiful, radiating ribbons. Opaque bands alternate with more transparent ones. Often, this algae forms scallops that curve inwards. On the outer edges and surface sprout almost transparent filaments.

Divers, who take the time to notice funnelweed, quickly appreciate its unique beauty. However, they should not brush against it with unprotected skin. Something about these algae here leaves itchy stings.

Funnelweed around the World

In Gorontalo, this beautiful plant only grows in a few small areas. A few sandy patches are full of these algae. In a couple of other sites, it grows among other algae.

However, it is found worldwide. This includes the Caribbean and Atlantic oceans, as well as the Indian and Pacific ones. The detailed list of locations is quite long. The scientific name for funnelweed is Padina gymnospora. Since it lives in so many oceans, scientist the world over are researching its potential value.

Scientific Research on Padina gymnospora

One group has extracted sulfated polysaccharides from it. Their research indicates anti-inflammatory properties. They used mice in their studies prior to potential use on humans.

Other researchers discovered anti-amyloidogenic agents in funnelweed. This extract in an important component in drugs that combat Alzheimer’s disease.

Field research on Padina gymnospora has found significant absorbent properties in the algae. A synthesized compound from it is over 80% effective in absorbing industrial dyes. Removing these dyes from industrial waste is a priority to build a cleaner world. Using this extract is clean and green solution in reusing industrial wastewater.

Padina gymnospora produces an aragonite calcium carbonate compound as well as phlorotannins. These are found on the algae surfaces. These compounds play an important role in defending the algae from worms and snails.

That chemical protection has no effect on Green turtles, which are herbivores. Padina gymnospora is actually edible. Naturally, it contains no heavy metals or toxins. Although no one really uses funnelweed for human food, it has potential for as a natural fertilizer.

In Gorontalo, only staff of Miguel’s Diving will know where to find these beautiful algae. To see for yourself, please make your dive reservations directly with us.

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.