Pardon Our Dust

Miguel's Diving has just finished renovating the office in time of opening of diving season. However, our construction work at the dock is still in progress. So we ask for everyone's patience and hope everything will be clean by early December.

Wings Air reduces flights from Manado

Wings Air has reduced its flights from Manado to Gorontalo to three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). The airline has given no explanation for the reduction in flights. The daily flights have been extremely popular. The current schedule is valid only until December 20, 2011.

New Mermaid in Gorontalo

Miguel's Diving is proud to announce the birth yesterday of Sabilah, daughter of senior dive guide Yunis. Both mother and daugher are doing fine and her older brothers are quite excited.

Web Site Language Pages

Thanks to friends across the world, Miguel's Diving now has basic information about diving in Gorontalo in German, Indonesian and Italian. We have also added a "LIKE" feature and "SEND" so that fans can send our link to friends. Please check out these new features and let us know of any problems.

Gorontalo Hidden Paradise at MIDE 2011

Miguel's Diving would like to invite you to visit our booth at the upcoming Malaysia International Dive Expo (MIDE) in Kuala Lumpur. The event will be held from 1 - 3rd July 2011 at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) from 10:00am - 7:00pm. The Gorontalo booth will be #B19, all the way in the back. One wall of our booth will feature underwater photos mostly taken by Malaysians.

During the exhibition we will be launching our "Gorontalo Hidden Paradise" T-shirt. These high-quality Hanes cotton shirts were custom-printed using silkscreen technique for longer lasting colour. The cost for you during MIDE would be RM30. The model for the design is Julianne who used to teach at a local university in Gorontalo and became an enthusiastic promoter of diving here. Her blogs are quite interesting! Click this link to see!

Le Petit Journal Singapour

William Tan's beautiful photos from Gorontalo are features in the on-line Le Petit Journal for francophone ex-pats. Try this link.

Garuda links Singapore to Makassar

Beginning today, Garuda Indonesia links Singapore with Makassar (Ujung Pandang) with daily flights. Leaving Chiangi at 1850 hrs, travelers arrive at 2200 hrs. After overnighting there in Makassar, divers can take one of three domestic flights to Gorontalo the next morning. Ask about arrival day diving! The trip back to Singapore takes only one travel day since the Garuda flight leaves Makassar at 1500 hrs, arriving in the Lion City at 1750 hrs.

Garuda In-flight magazine feature

Gorontalo is the featured destination in this month's edition of Garuda airline's in-flight magazine. The article appears in three languages: English, Indonesian and Japanese. Congratulations to local underwater photographer Dr Dedy Cono whose wide-angle shot of a diver hovering over a Salvador Dali sponge is featured on the cover.

Gorontalo in National Geographic Traveler

This month Gorontalo is the featured destination in the Indonesian edition of National Geographic Taveler. The extensive spread features various articles about Gorontalo accompanied by excellent photos. Congratulations to Gorontalo native underwater photographer Dr Dedy Cono who contributed three photos for the article on diving in Gorontalo.

Tsunami and the moon

There is no potential for tsunami to reach Gorontalo from today's huge earthquake in Japan. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those whose family and friends are affected by this disaster.

Oddly enough, the moon is approaching its closest position to the earth in the last 20 years. This will occur at the full moon on March 19th. Higher than usual tides are expected. It remains to be seen what other effects we will see the in marine environment here in Gorontalo.

Garuda Indonesia flies to Gorontalo

GARUDA INDONESIA opens its new Jakarta-Makassar-Gorontalo route on 16 February 2011. The airline is offering promotional rates of only Rp. 700.000 for Jakarta-Gorontalo flights taken 16 - 28 February. The promotional rate for Makassar-Gorontalo is only Rp. 300.000. Take advantage of these great rates and come dive in Gorontalo!

Gorontalo in Hungaria's Submarine

Gorontalo diving is featured in the December 2010 edition of Hungary's dive magazine SUBMARINE. Thanks to loyal guest Attila who wrote the text and supplied the great photos. Attila is currently enjoying his fourth trip to Gorontalo.

Olele Go Underwater Photo Contest

Congratulations to the winners of the recent underwater photo competition held in Gorontalo. The winning photos are available to view on this Facebook link.

New daily flights from Manado

At long last Miguel's Diving is happy to announce daily flights to Manado in North Sulawesi. Wings, a subsidiary of Lion Air, opened this new route on January 22. The 52-seat, twin-prop DASH8-300 series airplane leaves Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado at 1825 hrs, arriving 40 minutes later in Gorontalo. After spending the night here, the plane returns to Manado at 0530 each morning. This means that divers can connect with incoming & outgoing SilkAir and AirAsia flights from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. Baggage allowance is 15 kilos and overweight is charged at Rp. 22,000 per kilo. Reservations can be made on-line at Lion Air website by clicking this link.

Asian Diver Magazine sizes up Gorontalo

Editor Sol Foo gives her impressions of diving in Gorontalo in this month's edition of Asian Diver Magazine. For a sneak preview, click this link.

XRAY Magazine book review

The current edition of the on-line diving magazine XRAY (#32) features a review of our book Gorontalo: Hidden Paradise. The full review is available on Section III page 55.

Here is an excerpt:

A fantastic coffee table book by Gorontalo dive pioneer Rantje Allen, Gorontalo Hidden Paradise says it all. Gorontalo is located in north Sulawesi and is recently becoming the hottest dive destination in Indonesia.

It features superb photographs by world renowned underwater photographers William Tan, Takako Uno and Stephen Wong (their names alone are justification to buy this book).

Flat Seas, Surface Winds, Traditional Divers

Miguel's Diving staff have been busy the last four days assisting the filming of a Gorontalo episode of the children's adventure show "Bocan (Bocah Petualang)" for Trans7 television. Today's underwater sequence went well with shooting of village children in hand-made traditional goggles swimming and diving the coral garden in front of their homes.

With the change in seasons, seas are generally flat but with a stiff surface wind.

Sport Diving Cover

Congratulations to William Tan for his cover photo on the current edition of Sport Diving (Issue 136). It is a colourful face shot of a male Randall's anthias and taken here in Gorontalo. Anyone who has encountered this frenetic fish will appreciate the great challenge to get any of it in focus, let alone its teeth plate!

William Tan General Underwater Photography Skills Course

Imagine learning to shoot from award-winning underwater photographer William Tan in the equatorial waters of Gorontalo, Indonesia's hidden paradise! Classroom sessions will include understanding equipment limitations, shooting skills, underwater etiquette, composition and wide angle challenges. Participants will dive in rotating pairs with William on one day; on other days William will be available on board after diving for advice and trading stories. Evening sessions with him will focus on shooting problems with review of photos taken that day. The five-day course will run 6 to 11 November and include five nights with full board at Gorontalo Oasis Hotel, 11 dives with Miguel's Diving and airport transfers in Gorontalo for USD565 per person twin/double share.

Gorontalo itself provides an incredible variety of marine environments for photographers to hone their skills. Pristine coral walls, multiple pinnacles, caverns, muck, current swept submerged points and wrecks are all available within a short travel time. In addition to new and endemic species, the likes of boxer crabs and anemonefish eggs are usually available for macro photographers. Gorontalo's unique and gigantic Salvador Dali sponges with their surreal surfaces are trophies for the wide-angle enthusiast.

5 nights @ Gorontalo Oasis Hotel (air-conditioned room & full board)
11 dives (tanks, weights, bottled water, transport)
Airport transfers in Gorontalo
Photography skills course
Excluding air fares, dive equipment

Gorontalo @ Malaysia International Dive Expo

Look for Gorontalo at the Discover Indonesia booth B-16 near the Photo Gallery at this year's MIDE held at Putra World Trade Center 3 - 5 July in Kuala Lumpur.

ScubaDiver Australasia Issue 3/2009

Gorontalo Oasis Hotel where Miguel's Diving operates is included in the current edition of ScubaDiver Australasia. The cover photo is a stunning face shot of a ribbon eel. Look inside the pages to find us!

National Geographic Magyarorszag

The underwater paradise found in Gorontalo is revealed in the current edition of National Geographic Hungary. To see the article on line, go to this link. Thanks to Gabor (text) and to William Tan (underwater photos).

Film Award

Documentary destination film Gorontalo Hidden Paradise by Gabor Lowry recently won a second place award at the fifth Eastern Mediterranean International Underwater Photography and Film Festival held earlier this month. Congratulations!

Earthquake

A 7.7 scale earthquake that hit Gorontalo last night. Gorontalo City was not affect and Miguel's Diving, Gorontalo Oasis Hotel and the homes of our staff sustained no damage whatsoever. The affect area is along the remote northwest coast along the Sulawesi Sea. An earthquake is this area cannot generate a tsunami in the southern bay where we dive. Thanks to the many friends and guests who have enquired after our well being.

Asian Diver Magazine

Diving in Gorontalo is featured in the current edition of Asian Diver. We haven't seen the article yet but here that the picture of the coconut shell octopus looks really good. Thanks, Sol Foo and William Tan.

Season Opening

Miguel's Diving just finished opening week of the new dive season with guests from USA, UK and Germany. Because of ocean conditions, dive season officially runs November to April. Each year we add improvements. This year we have our own dock built behind the new dive shop. This week we are laying sod and planting other greenery. Seas are calm, blue, warm and waiting for you.

Batavia Air Arrives in Gorontalo

Indonesian carrier Batavia Air has just opened a red-eye non-stop flight from Jakarta to Gorontalo. The flight departs from Jakarta at 0100 hrs and arrives in Gorontalo at 0500 hrs, then leaves Gorontalo at 0600 hrs, arriving back in Jakarta at 0730 hrs. There is a one-hour time difference between Jakarta and Gorontalo. The actual jet used arrives in Jakarta from an international flight from China. This schedule is anticipated until Gorontalo's tarmack expansion is completed late in 2008 when night flights can resume.

Web Site Update

Miguel's Diving web site has just been updated with changes in information on travel options. For example, Air Asia now connects Kuala Lumpur with Makassar (Ujung Pandang) and beginning in September with Manado. Gorontalo is located in between these two Sulawesi cities.

Also, we have dedicated one page for Gorontalo Oasis Hotel. Current package information in available on a separate page.

Asia Diver Magazine Cover

Congratulations to Stephen Wong for his dramatic photo of one of Gorontalo's Salvador Dali sponges on the cover of the current edition of Asia Diver Magazine. It has been quite a while since a silhouette shot has been selected to grace the cover.

DEEP & ADEX

Thanks to all of you who stopped by to say hello at the Gorontalo booth at DEEP in Jakarta last month. For those planning to be in Singapore April 18 to 20, stop by the Gorontalo booth C10 at Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) again at Suntec Halls 602 & 603 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday is for trade visitors only but Saturday & Sunday are open to the public.

Also, on Sunday April 20th we will be the premier showing of the film
Gorontalo Hidden Paradise produced by Gabor Lowry at 12 noon at the theatre
the Eco Village inside the ADEX halls.

For more information about ADEX, please access www.asiadiveexpo.com. Its
website, by the way, features at least 2 of William Tan's photos from Gorontalo.

Photos of Gorontalo Underwater

The marine environment of Gorontalo is currently on display, thanks to two great underwater photographers. Australasia Scuba Diver current issue features William Tan in its "Through the Lens" sections. Several of the photos were shot in Gorontalo including the full-page picture of a boxer crab with eggs in which embryonic eyes are visible through the egg casings.

Check out Phua Boon Wah's on-line posting from his February trip here. One of the few intrepid divers who concentrates on shooting wide-angle photos, his results are spectacular. The picture of the giant multi-tube pipe sponge growing atop on of Gorontalo's pinnacles has Miguel's Diving dive boat floating on the ocean surface above. This shot took a half hour of patient effort.

Congratulations to both of you!

Gorontalo Diving in Jakarta Post's Weekender magazine

Miguel's Diving was featured yesterday in Jakarta Post's Weekender magazine. Writer Maria enjoyed her first trip to Gorontalo in October so much that she came back to spend her New Year's break in Gorontalo diving. Thanks to JP editor Bruce for all the support and to Dan C, another guest, who provided the underwater photos from Maria's first trip

Asian Diver Magazine Annual

We are proud to announce that Gorontalo is one of the featured dive destinations in this year's prestigious Asian Diver Annual. Our facilities at Gorontalo Oasis Hotel are also included. This edition of the magazine is currently on sale in newsstands and bookstores.

Calm Seas

Despite the bad weather over the last week that has hit many coastal locations in Indonesia, diving in Gorontalo continues as usual. Typically, inclement weather in other areas is moderated where Miguel's Diving operates because we offer diving in Tomini Bay and are almost exactly on the equator. Last week of strong surface winds did not prevent diving because our staff has detailed knowledge of the coastline. Guests enjoyed three dives a day. The surge generated by the winds did cut visibility, but seas are again flat and blue. Divers enjoyed the usual 20-meter vis yesterday.

Film Shooting

Miguel's Diving just finished an intensive two-week underwater film shoot. The filmmaker managed to gather some excellent footage that included many of Gorontalo's unique marine life. There was also some very funny footage of a Blackray goby getting his burrow cleaned out by his shrimp that literally kicked dust all over him. Then there was the coconut shell octopus that like many people want more spacious lodgings but find it a bit of a burden to carry. In the octopus' case his overly expensive deluxe home came in the form of a beautiful but too large Nautilus shell. We are hoping that the film can be screened during Asian Dive Expo 2008 in Singapore in April. Best wishes to Gabor and Berenike in making sense out of all the footage!

Olele Village Marine Reserve

Miguel's Diving was proud today to bring the first divers to the newly formed Olele Village Marine Reserve. Set aside by village residents themselves, the reserve protects about 300 meters of coral reef that includes its famous multiple towering pinnacles. This represents the culmination of the process begun about five years ago by Miguel's Diving to educate Gorontalo fishers about the need to protect the reefs in their own villages. The payment of Rp. 5.000 per diver is divided 25% to the village treasury and 75% to those village residents who maintain the reserve, which is marked off by buoys. No fishing of any kind is allowed and boats must go around the site rather than pass through. Divers today descending to the first pinnacle were greeted by a large Napolea.n wrasse, a school of batfish, eight young Bumphead parrotfish, and a Blue-spotted puffer so large that it had a remora attached.

Indonesia Book Fair

Our book Gorontalo Hidden Paradise was the theme of the annual book fair in Jakarta attended by scores of publishers and book lovers, which concluded today. Gorontalo Province had the stand directly in front of the entrance. The book's author Rantje Allen from Miguel's Diving spoke about the book's development process and the special features of Gorontalo's underwater world. The book can be ordered via the Internet from Miguel's Diving. For more information click this link.

Guest Photos

Ted (USA) spent the final days of Gorontalo's dive season diving about 15 times, enjoying great visibility, and taking photos. Traveling from Penang, Malaysia to Gorontalo in one day allowed him to make the most of his time here. Highlights included mating sea turtles, jumping dolphins, an endemic lionfish species, and his introduction to muck diving. You can access almost 200 of his underwater photos by clicking this link. The first photo is an impossible-to-shoot string of transparent, colonial tunicates against the background of blue sea. These are actually some of Gorontalo's pelagic (open ocean) marine life, which off shore winds blow towards the reef several times a season. Thanks to Ted for sharing these photos!

Book Review on Wetpixel

Willy Volk has posted an extensive review of our book Gorontalo: Hidden Paradise on Wetpixel along with about ten of the book's amazing photos taken by top underwater photojournalists William Tan, Takako Uno, and Stephen Wong. To read the review, click this link. Information about ordering your own copy is found on our main website.

TV Crew from Steps of the Adventurer

The location crew for Indonesia's Trans 7 TV's weekly series Jejak Petualang (Steps of the Adventurer) spent about a week in Gorontalo shooting for upcoming episodes. Among their adventures was a day of scuba diving the biodiversity waters with Miguel's Diving. Series hostess Medina Kamil enjoyed touring the multiple pinnacles of Sentinels dive site and even spotted one of Gorontalo's special Salvador Dali sponges without help from our dive staff. One highlight of the dive at Traffic Jam was watching the remarkable color changes of a large Broadclub cuttlefish. The filming guys appreciated the 25-meter vis. We will inform our Indonesian-based guests when the Gorontalo episodes will air.

Book Review: Asian Diver Magazine

The current edition of Asian Diver magazine contains a review of our new book Gorontalo: Hidden Paradise, which details and portrays the beautiful underwater environment here. We at Miguel's Diving have yet to get our hands on a copy but eagerly listened to excerpts read over the phone. Most newsstands and books shops regionally should carry this magazine, so you can get your copy if you are not a subscriber. Thanks to Ned for the complimentary review. For more information on the book, click the Weather tab; it will lead you to the Hidden Paradise book page on the main web site.

Book Review: Australasia Scuba Diver

A review of our book Gorontalo: Hidden Paradise appears in the current edition of Australasia Scuba Diver (issue 6 / 2006). In his article entitled "The Power of Three," Editor David Espinosa says that photographers William Tan, Stephen Wong, and Takako Uno "have accomplished is more than just create a masterpiece that would be one of the crown jewels in any book collection." To order your copy of the book, please send us an email.

Sponge Wall Dive Site

In the midst of repairing Miguel's Diving web site that was destroyed by a nasty hacker, we have also posted information and pictures for one of Gorontalo's most distinctive dive sites: Sponge Wall. We have taken guests diving here for a couple of seasons but just found some time to create a new post. As a result to damage to our web site, the partial species list pages are not working. We will probably not be rebuilding these pages since it is proving extremely time consuming. But you can enjoy the Sponge Wall dive site before you dive here by selecting it under the Dive Site menu.

Garuda Indonesia In-flight Magazine

For travelers flying Garuda Indonesia in August, the in-flight magazine has a four-page article on diving in Gorontalo. Singapore-based underwater photographer William Tan contributed the many pictures that appear. The article is in Indonesian.

Asian Diver Magazine Feature Destination

This month's edition of Asian Diver Magazine features Gorontalo and the amazing diving here. Singapore-based William Tan took the photos for the spread as well as wrote the witty article. His Teddy bear crab, shot here in Gorontalo, is on the magazine's cover.

Gorontalo in Scuba Diver Australasia Magazine

The current issue of Scuba Diver Australasia features Takako Uno's dramatic photo of one of Gorontalo's Salvador Dali sponges on page 7. Check out her comments in the X-traOrdinary Dives section. Congratulations on the 25th anniversary of this fine dive magazine.

Winning Photo of Shrimp in Gorontalo

Congratulations to Suzannah Browning! This tall blonde member of Singapore's Free Flow Divers entered its first underwater photography competition. We just learned that a photo she took while diving here with friends over last Chinese New Year holidays won Overall Winner. The photo shows two pregnant Sarasvati shrimps, one of the new species available in Gorontalo. If you have a copy of FiNS magazine's September/October 2005 issue, turn to page 59.

Aerial Views of the Togian (Togean) Islands

Travelers flying into Gorontalo?s new Jalaluddin Airport from Makassar (Ujung Pandang) to the south have a chance to see the Togian (Togean) Islands from the air. Those sitting on the aircraft?s port (left) side (seat A) can see these jungle-covered gems on the plane?s approach to Gorontalo.

Within a few minutes of take off from Gorontalo bound for Makassar, travelers quickly pass over the steep coastal mountains and cross the equator. Those sitting on the starboard (right) side of the aircraft (seat F) should be able to see the Togian (Togean) Islands, depending on cloud cover. If the weather is clear, even more distant Una-Una is visible. Togian Island?s notorious Colo volcano blew Una-Una apart in July 1983.

During dive season in Gorontalo (November to April), Miguel?s Diving can arrange for double location diving for those who want to dive both sides of the equator, Gorontalo and the Togian (Togean) Islands.

Viewing the Togian (Togean) Islands

When Tomini Bay receives heavy rains, especially from the southwest, humidity clears. This allows people in Gorontalo to see all the way across the huge bay to Central Sulawesi. Rains in early May gave us in eastern Gorontalo a clear look at the islands north of Pagaimana. From western Gorontalo, like the locations of Miguel’s Diving’s recent Coral Preservation Campaign, the Togian (Togean) Islands are visible in similar conditions.

Coral Preservation Campaign in Gorontalo

This past week Miguel’s Diving staff has been busy with the Coral Preservation Campaign that we conduct in cooperation with Gorontalo Provincial Fisheries Department and the police. This is the third year of our continuing effort to inform local fishing communities about the need to protect their own reefs against destructive fishing practices. Our staff was wildly received at three high schools with over 1,100 students in attendance. We also spoke with 115 fishermen in three villages and have collected suggestions from them to relay to the governor, who is an avid diver and supporter of sustainable fishing practices.

Miguel's Diving Leads in Coral Preservation Campaign

In conjunction with World Environment Day, Miguel?s Diving is sponsoring a public awareness campaign on coral reef preservation. The target audience is fishermen whose livelihood depends on a healthy marine environment. The biggest threat is the practice of making fertilizer bombs to blast fish. Although this results in a huge catch initially, many fish and marine life unsuitable for market die as well. Live coral formations are ruined. This loss of habitat has had dramatic, negative impact on fish catches elsewhere. Fortunately, along the coastline where Miguel?s Diving bring divers, damage is confined only to certain places with many locations untouched.

Our emphasis is the need for local fishermen to guard their own reefs. Along this coastline of Gorontalo, those who fish with bombs are no longer locals but outsiders. As a direct result of this campaign in past years, local fishermen have rowed out to meet outsiders who have entered the area to blast fish. They deliver the message that blast fishing is not allowed in this area designated for marine tourism. They also mention that the governor likes to dive here. As a result, the intruders quickly leave without throwing their bombs. This is a clear victory for local fishermen and their families.

Miguel?s Diving visited five villages this week accompanied by representatives from the Provincial Fisheries Department and law enforcement. Our part of the campaign involves a great flip chart on marine environments courtesy of North Sulawesi?s Bunaken Marine Park, plus a house-of-cards demonstration on the effects of bombing, and samples of different kinds of coral where the coral polyp skeleton is clear. We also leave behind several cartoon, color posters telling the story of a coral reef that is destroyed by bombing. The caption in Indonesian and Gorontalo languages reads, ?Destroying coral reefs destroys the livelihood of fishermen. Don?t let it happen here!?

New Dive Site for Next Season: Mini Mount

Pinnacle diving in Sulawesi will jump another notch in November when Miguel?s Diving opens Mini Mount dive site. In March we discovered its existence after hearing reports from local fishermen. Adjacent to our popular Alleyways dive site, this large pinnacle rises from deep water and is separated from the main wall by a sand channel. Barracuda, unicornfish, and Spanish mackerel are easily seen here. Blue ribbon eels like its shallow slopes. The pinnacle?s ocean side drops vertically below safe diving limits. Dense schools of Ambon chromis (Chromis amboninensis) swarm the fields of branching Acropora that edge the mount?s channel side. The coral is in good condition and includes some huge cabbage coral colonies also found in Sulawesi?s Togian (Togean) Islands.

Miguel?s Diving staff has taken a few guests diving here recently since this pinnacle can be accessed from the beach some mornings before the winds begin to blow. Earlier this week Rich from Saigon toured the mount and was impressed by the numbers of fish. So was the dive master who suddenly found himself enveloped in a school of Spanish mackerel! Unique in Sulawesi diving is our multiple pinnacle dive site, Sentinels, also available when diving season reopens in November.

New Dive Site: Japanese Cargo Wreck

Advanced divers who come to Sulawesi for wreck diving can enjoy a Japanese cargo vessel that sank in Gorontalo in 1942. Miguel’s Diving staff discovered this wreck at the beginning of last diving season. This new wreck dive has become a favorite of many, including Gorontalo’s diving governor. Check out our new Japanese Cargo Wreck dive site page where you can see the drawn-to-scale map of the wreck plus underwater photographs taken on site. This is the first of three new dive sites added this past season. Sulawesi diving keeps getting better!

Ask for a Window Seat

Divers flying out of Gorontalo bound for Makassar (formerly Ujung Pandang) would do well to ask for window seats. Citilink Garuda flies out over Gorontalo City before turning southwards over the deep blue waters of Tomini Bay. Those sitting on the port (left!) side of the plane (seat A) can clearly see the river mouth, the ferry terminal, and the Japanese fish factory. Following the coastline, divers can identify the steep, mountainous point where no road skirts the sea. With these landmarks, those who have been out with Miguel’s Diving can see sites where they have been diving. Aerial views area fantastic. The waters are deep indigo blue right up to a narrow band of coral or sand edging the coastline.

Tauchen in Gorontalo

Michael Bode?s web page on diving in Southeast Asia now includes information on Gorontalo diving in German linked to his Sulawesi diving page. The text is also available in English. It gives practical information plus simple descriptions of dive sites and includes a few pictures from Gorontalo. Danke sch?Michael!

New Wreck Dive!

Because of its coral walls and deep oceans, North Sulawesi and the Togian (Togean) Islands are not known for wreck diving. This is even truer of Gorontalo?s southern coastline where depths fall almost immediately to several hundred meters. However, we found an excellent wreck while diving this morning.

On December 26, 1993 a dredging barge was towed to the entrance of the ferry port, so the small harbor area could be cleared of silt. However, rains and massive night waves sunk the barge. Workers tried to use 3,000 barrels to re-float it, to no avail. It currently rests firmly on the steep slope at the ferry port entrance almost up side down, still trailing cables and numerous barrels now enveloped in marine life. The wreck peaks at 4 meters and bottoms out at 25 meters. The barge?s bottom is only sparsely encrusted. But everything that hangs below is a maze of sponges and encrusting corals. Some large soft corals grow on the ends of hanging cable. As expected, the wreck has attracted much fish life in its ten years below, including lionfish, large sweetlips, various angelfishes, and batfish. The barge also hosts an unusually large number of Raccoon butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunula), a pair of large Mappa puffer (Arpthoron mappa), and mature Painted lobsters (Panulirus versicolor). Various thorny and cock?s comb oysters grown on its surface. There is even a Giant giant clam (Tridnacna gigas)! The uncommon Twinspot chromis (Chromis elerae) thrives in its underbelly, as do many cardinalfish species.

Miguel?s Diving can now offer this wreck dive an alternative to the spectacular wall diving typical of Gorontalo.

Presidential visit

Miguel’s Diving felt honored to be invited by Fadel Muhammad, Governor of Gorontalo Province, to display underwater photographs aboard the Indonesian navy vessel Tanjung Dalpere when President Megawati Soekarnoputri visited on October 11th.

Several months ago Paola Bearzi had eleven amazing photographs printed from the slide originals that she and her husband Massimo took in Gorontalo earlier this year. These beautiful prints were arranged in two large glass frames with subtitles in English, Latin, and Indonesian. Both were displayed on the naval warship when the president, her husband, three governors, and several cabinet ministers, as well as other government officials and the press, came aboard. Ceremonies were held in Tomini Bay off several of the Togian (Togean) Islands in Central Sulawesi Province. The President inaugurated several government programs related to fisheries and coastal development. One new program is a vessel monitoring system to insure that large fishing vessels in fact have permits and are operating according to Indonesian law.

The digital photo of Megawati and her husband disembarking from the naval ship to return to Gorontalo is courtesy of Michel DeJean of Collecte Localisation Satellites. Merci beaucoup, mon ami!

One of the frames of underwater photos is on display at the branch office for Miguel’s Diving in Gorontalo City. The other will be displayed at Jalaluddin Airport in Gorontalo.