Wall of Blinking Yellow Dots

Southeast winds have made Sulawesi?s Tomini Bay rather choppy lately and clouded its waters. We noticed this especially at the far point where the Silvertip Grounds dive site is located. Visibility for diving was a respectable 20 meters. While several other dive sites here in Gorontalo had ripping currents, this dramatic wall did not. As I inspected the first cave that is tucked back into the wall, I clearly startled a large Blue-spotted puffer (Arothron caerulopuncatus). He gulped down then spit out the cleaner wrasse attending to him. I had to laugh through my regulator. While diving along the wall, I was buzzed several times by a school of Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus). A pair of Rainbow runners (Elegatis bipunnulata) swam in for several close inspections. A school of large Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) came by to see who was diving
their waters. The most amazing thing about diving that morning was the large schools of juvenile fusiliers of several species. This bodes well for later in the dive season when they will have grown to maturity. At one point I felt as if I was diving between two walls: on the left a wall covered in coral and on the right a wall of blinking yellow dots as hundreds of Yellow-dash fusiliers (Pterocaesio randalli) wiggled past. With my computer indicating only a few minutes left of non-decompression time, I began ascending near several huge sponges only to discover a Giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus).