Killer Dolphin

The water was pink with blood. Miguel?s Diving staff were out on a run testing a new boat when we saw the large Bottlenose dolphin (Torsiops truncatus) jump a couple meters out of the water, make a tight loop in the air, and plunge straight down, making hardly a splash. We watched as the dolphin repeated the dramatic leap twice more before we passed. Although the ocean surface was perfectly calm, the place where the dolphin had been leaping was bubbling from some unseen disturbance below. What was the dolphin so vigorously killing? Or was she calving? Our cetacean expert is unsure. Local fishermen, who have witnessed this behavior before at close range in their tiny canoes, say that the water is always pink and is caused by, well, dolphin diarrhea. Hmmm?.

This strange cetacean sighting took place in waters several hundred meters deep just off the Honeycomb dive site. Three days prior fishermen friends saw a school of Cuvier?s Beaked Whales (Ziphius cavirostris) about a half hour south of our Traffic Jam dive site. The whales were breaching the surface as they slowly swam. These numerous cetacean sightings indicate the beginning of an interesting season for those who venture to Gorontalo for diving.

Churning Waters for Specie Count

With calm conditions returning to Sulawesi?s Tomini Bay, Miguel?s Diving staff conducted a species count for one of our new dive sites, Sponge Wall. Although seas were flat, below the surface cool upwellings collided with warm surface waters, creating cloudy conditions at lower depths and numerous thermoclimes in unexpected places. Mild currents changed directions several times during the dive.

For those familiar with diving in Sulawesi, the sheer variety of fish at this site should come at no surprise. Our dive master recorded 138 species of fish during the 69-minute dive. First time discoveries included a frenetic school of distinctive wrasses (Thalassoma sp.) at the reef crest that are not in any of our books, Double-pore fangblennies (Meiacanthus ditrema) schooling in a tangle of hanging rope sponge, and a Banded snake eel (Myrichthys colubrinus) that mimics the poisonous sea krait. Among other things, Dive guide Yunis turned up a Bicolor dragon aeolid nudibranch (Flabellina bicolor) plus a very cute octopus.

Whale Shark Visits Again

For the second time this month, a five-meter long Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) visited the protected bay where Miguel?s Diving brings divers. In fact, this spotted creature showed up in front of the house where one of our staff lives. Dive guide Yunis reports that the Whale shark was merely ten meters from the beach. His four-year-old son, who normally has to be cajoled to get out of the water, refused to swim in the sea with such a big fish. Because Gorontalo?s coral walls begin just off the shoreline, cetaceans come in very close to land.

Now that calm seas are returning to Gorontalo, the Whale shark was not the only cetacean seen. Miguel?s Diving staff observed two small schools of Risso?s dolphins (Grampus griseus), about 15 individuals in all, playing in waters above the Japanese cargo wreck. Although not seen regularly elsewhere, Gorontalo seems to have several resident schools of this ghostly white dolphin.

Avoiding Waterloo 2

Participants of last week’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) held in Bangkok agreed to put restrictions on the trading of Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus). Enjoyed as a highly expensive delicacy in certain Asian markets, this slowly growing specie is under pressure from over catching. The new restrictions were jointly proposed by the European Union, Fiji, and The United States.

Here in Gorontalo the herds of these giant fish that greeted Miguel’s Diving staff five years ago during our initial survey work have long since disappeared. We keep a close guard on the whereabouts of those remaining. Local fishermen are asking the provincial government to forbid catching this fish. Since this fish must arrive alive to its market in another country, those who catch it use cyanide poisoning to stun the fish. Once in the water, this poison has caused some dramatic damage here.

Flasher Wrasses of Indonesia

Seven described flasher wrasse species (Paracheilinus) live in Indonesia waters. Sometimes flasher wrasses are called fairy wrasses, given their magical appearance. Two of the seven are considered endemic to Indonesia. One is the Togean flasher wrasse (P. togeanensis), pale white in color with outlined fin segments. The other is the iridescent Cyan flasher wrasse (P. cyaneus), found in Papua, Kalimantan, and the Togean islands. Both species were named in 1999. But several distinctive ones have been photographed but not yet described scientifically. This includes what is usually called the Hybrid flasher wrasse. This is the one we see at a few dive sites here in Gorontalo.

Photographing this undescribed flasher wrasse requires a certain strategy. Always in small schools, these wrasse stay close to loose rubble along slopes, often ducking for cover if threatened. Only one or two fish in the school will be the spectacular male with tall fins and trailing filaments, which he flashes at regular intervals. This particular specie is also highly territorial. If a patient photographer simply waits, the school of Hybrid fairy wrasse will come right back to the same place. Although we have a photograph of the females, no one has yet to capture the male on film. Since Miguel?s Diving staff knows exactly where these rare beauties live, you can get your shot when diving resumes in November.

Around the Rock

Miguel?s Diving staff took a quick break for a beach dive at a location we consider too ugly to offer to guests. But what a great dive! Off a sand slope one huge rock pile forms a wall beginning at 18 meters down to a sand shelf at 30 meters. In an otherwise barren area, these rocks shelter an amazing collection of creatures. As we approached to check out the swirls of golden sweepers, cardinalfish, and Pink fusiliers, a white-tipped ray darted from the sand right as a Spanish mackerel made a pass to check us out. Around the corner darted a school of Silver pompano (Trachinotus blochii). Despite choppy surface conditions, visibility below was quite good. That?s why we saw them.

Rising from the sand below the rocks in deep water, a colony of strange, dark, eel-like fish nibbled at morsels passing in the light current before returning tail first to their individual burrows. They measured about 20 cm long. We suspect they are bannerfish (Acanthocepola sp.), an uncommon fish, one specie of which is only found in Indonesia. The ones we saw had distinct golden blotches on their tails, a feature not visible in photos of other bannerfish. Other rocks in the area hosted three species of morays. One rock was infested with Durban hinge-break prawns. Another rock clump was home for a family of lyre-tailed, undulating dottybacks, also not found in our fish books.

Canoe Diving

Back in the old days, Sulawesi diving was only accessible to the intrepid diver. This typically meant using whatever transportation was available, including small outrigger canoes favored by local fisherman. Only a few meters long, the boat is stabilized by ?wings? on either side. Together with a couple local lads paddling, divers could be taken to a pristine site. This week an ex-pat businessman got to experience this traditional way of Sulawesi diving. Because winds are still too strong to take out the large boat, Miguel?s Diving arranged for outrigger canoes (one per diver) to carry us to a prime dive site in the confines of a sheltered bay. A small motor powers each canoe, making for easy pick-up after the dives and a quick ride back to the beach.

So how was entering and exiting the water from a tiny canoe? ?A piece of cake,? according to our guest. He found the site amazing, particularly the dense schools of deep blue Red-tooth triggers (Odonus niger). After seeing Gorontalo?s new species of commensal shrimps, he remarked, ?How do you find these things?? When diving season resumes in November with the shift in the winds, we will be back to our regular dive boat. Although diving by canoe is no longer common in Sulawesi, diving by kayak is popular in some places in the Caribbean, like the British Virgin Islands. Divers in Bali typically use a larger outrigger canoe.

Whale Shark Sighting

Miguel?s Diving staff missed the whale shark this morning by one hour. Winds from the open sea are still quite stiff, but we ventured out anyway, diving twice in the confines of a bay that is mostly protected. Friends in the fishing village there told us of the five-meter long Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) that entered the bay earlier on its way along the coastline. Since ocean depths immediately off the beach measure hundreds of meters deep, whales and other large cetaceans swim very close to land. We also found another denizen of the deep, a nautilus shell being tossed by the waves. After our dives, we selected and bought one of the Mahimahi (also known as Dolphinfish or Dorado; Coryphaena hippurus) that our fishermen friends had just caught. It is filleted and waiting right now. Would you like to join us for dinner?