October 28, 2006
Ribbons of Blue and Yellow
The coral wall at Honeycomb was streaming with ribbons of blue and yellow in the morning light. Thousands of Blue and Yellow fusiliers (Caesio teres) enveloped divers in Gorontalo this morning. Sometimes mixed with other fusilier species, these brightly colored fish poured down the wall then circled around for another sweep mid-wall. Evidently in search of food, these fish never left the reef during the course of the dive. Their size and numbers confirms that local fish stocks are high and healthy.
October 26, 2006
Breeding Grounds
Divers enjoying pre-season diving in Gorontalo today got a glimpse of the result of months of bad weather that prevents people from fishing. We saw a pair of large Coronation lyre-tail grouper (Variola louti) swimming together. Usually seen only singly, we hope they are a breeding pair. Not far away was a juvenile Napol.ean wrasse. Both species were in places that Miguel's Diving staff had not seen them previously. We hope this indicates that these large fish are expanding their ranges. The dive sites today are part of an area soon to be set aside for conservation, which will provide a secure nursery for future generations of these spectacular fishes.
October 19, 2006
New Dive Boat for Miguel's Diving
Miguel's Diving staff has been quite busy preparing for season opening in November. Our new dive boat has just been completed and is ready for transport to Gorontalo. Its sleek design provides for easy entry and exit for divers and comes complete with insets for tanks. We can hardly wait to try it out!