Wonders of the North Coast

Gorontalo’s northern coastline marks the southern boundary of the Sulawesi Sea. This week Miguel’s Diving staff took a day for diving around one of the offshore islands about three hours from Gorontalo City. The long drive was worth sightings of creatures we have not seen in Tomini Bay, where we offer diving along Gorontalo’s southern shore. This includes the Tawny nurse shark (Nebrius ferrugineus) we found resting on the sand bottom. Nearby several patches of Black Garden eels (Heteroconger perissodon) swayed hypnotically. This eel is known only from Indonesia and the Philippines. We have only found one small colony in our Tomini Bay sites. On a clump of coral a Crocodile fish (Cymbacephalus beauforti) lay motionless not far from a Hawksbill sea turtle. Doublebanded soapfish (Diploprion bifasciatum) glowed in stylish yellow. In addition to this soapfish, Anchor coral (Euphyllia ancora) and Grape cluster colonial tunicates (Oxyxorynia fascicularis) are not present at our regular dive sites.

In midwater, countless fairy wrasse dashed about searching for current-borne tidbits. Possibly Bluesided fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura), these half blue fish are not found in Tomini Bay where our endemic Orangeback wrasse dominates. While ascending after a safety stop, we were surrounded by millions of minnows swimming frantically to elude predators.

The sea grass beds and sand slope were just as fascinating as the coral and shallow sand channel. A pair of Flying gurnards (Dactyloptena orientalis) spread their blue-edged fins in flight. A Cockatoo leaf fish (Ablabys taenianotus) bobbed in perfect imitation of a nearby mangrove leaf. Intricately coiffured, a Rockmover wrasse (Novaculichthys taeniourus) turned over rubble under the wary gaze of an octopus in its den. Several commensal shrimp species that we have never seen bear need for a closer inspection – with a camera! One compact, deep red anemone sheltered a number of purple-spotted shrimp. Although we found two colonies of Pinkeye gobies ( Bryaninops natans), most of the unique species we promote in Tomini Bay were not available around this island in the Sulawesi Sea.