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.

Tanks are Filled

Miguel's Diving staff is busy at work getting ready for season opening in November. We are watching the seas as they change from rough to calm and can hardly wait to get wet again. Please join us.

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.

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!

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.

See You at ADEX 2006!

Miguel's Diving will help represent Gorontalo at Asian Dive Expo in Singapore from 21 - 23 April 2006. This event will feature over 150 exhibiting companies. The Gorontalo booth will be #114. With only a month away, a record 1,800 local and international attendees have already pre-registered.

In addition to speaking to me about diving packages at our new Gorontalo Oasis Hotel, we are offering visitors three special opportunities.

1> Marine photojournalists Stephen Wong and Takako Uno will be at the booth with their blue water Ocean Odyssey book. They spent three weeks in Gorontalo shooting for a new book on marine life and the diving environment here, scheduled for publication later this year. They will be available to talk about their adventures.

2> Miguel's Diving is also offering second prize (a dive trip for two) in the ADEX Fun Tour. When you enter the exhibit hall, simply collect an ADEX Fun Tour map, visit all the booths on the map, and collect the stamps. Then turn in your map at the collection point. You could win one of the prizes. See this link for more information. ADEX promotions

3> We are also hosting a special seminar on Gorontalo diving and marine life featuring underwater photographs and comments by Stephen, Takako, and Singapore's own William Tan. Gorontalo's Governor Fadel Muhammad, himself an avid diver, is scheduled to welcome everyone. The seminar will be in the Manta Room on Saturday, April 22 for an hour beginning at 3 p.m. (1500 to 1600 hrs).

See you there!

Magazine Cover

Divers entering Sulawesi from North Sulawesi's Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado can now pick up a free copy of "What's Happening" magazine with cover photo from Gorontalo. Inside is an article by marine photojournalist Stephen Wong of Hongkong with photos he took underwater here. The cover photo shows one of Gorontalo's unique Salvador Dali sponges. In addition to its surrealisticly carved surface, this particular sponge has double vases. Salvador Dali sponges grow to over two meters.

No Flooding in Gorontalo

We are not sure what the international media is reporting about the flooding and landslides in Manado and North Sulawesi. However, Gorontalo has no flooding or weather-related hazards. Diving has not been interrupted here. Visibility the last two days has been about 20 to 25 meters. Typically, Gorontalo City receives half the rain that Manado does because we are on the leeside of the peninsula.

No Fuel Surcharges at Miguel's Diving

High fuel prices worldwide have had an impact on scuba diving operators including Miguel's Diving. Operators who must use large speedboats to carry guests to distant dive sites have been particularly hit. Divers have had to pay extra to cover the rise in fuel prices.

Divers with Miguel's Diving pay no additional fuel charges. We use a lightweight local style wood boat. Dive sites begin within five to ten minutes of the dock. Although fuel costs for us have doubled, these are still manageable.

Check out our packages, design your own, and contact us for excellent diving at a great price.

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.

Ready for the Season

Miguel's diving staff is ready for the 2006 – 2007 diving season. Our custom-built dive boat has been refitted and repainted with a few improvements. Dive tanks have been inspected, some hydro tested, and filled with fresh, cleaned air. Today we tested the boat engine and made a couple of dives to check out conditions.

Seas are incredibly calm but a bit churned up because of the change of season coinciding with the full moon. Plankton and baby jellyfish clouded the upper couple meters of water. All this should settle down during the coming week.

Dives at Shadowlands and Little Barrier Reef dive sites proved quite enjoyable. We had a hard time deciding which was more fun: searching for yet another nudibranch specie or flying through dizzying schools of fusiliers and unicornfish. Fish stocks look very healthy after months of weather too rough for much fishing.

Highlights included being shadowed by a large Napol.ean wrasse, several times venturing within two meters of us. A charged current dive off Little Barrier Reef pushed us past two large (old) green sea turtles. Our dive master found a rare puffer playing hide-and-seek in a huge Salvador Dali Sponge. We only find a Lantern toby (Canthigaster epilampra) every other year.
Everything looks set for a great diving season. Next time out we will even remember to bring the ladder!

Oasis in Gorontalo

Miguel's Diving is pleased to announce that the first phase of our new Gorontalo Oasis Hotel will be ready for divers beginning in early December 2005. We have planned the facilities around the needs and suggestions of divers in Gorontalo from past dive seasons.

Rooms have:

• Air-conditioning or fan-only


• Spring bed (double or two twins)


• Western-style toilet


• Hot water


• Cable TV


• Minibar


• High-speed internet connection

See you soon!

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.

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.

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.

Gorontalo Featured in Jakarta Post

Visitors to Gorontalo are sure to want to read two articles in Sunday?s edition of the Jakarta Post, Indonesia?s English-language newspaper. One focuses on Gorontalo?s unique embroidery, called kerawang. The other is about interesting sites near Gorontalo City. Diving in Gorontalo is mentioned as well. Here are the links:
Kerawang article
Tourism & diving article
Bruce, thanks for visiting Gorontalo. We hope you can come back during dive season.

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.

SilkAir Hot Deal: Fly to Manado for S$100!

Actually the deal is hotter than that. If you place a 45-day advance booking for a round trip Singapore – Manado – Singapore flight, your fare is only S$180 per person. Even with only 15-day advance booking, you pay only S$220 for the round trip fare.

Is there fine print? Of course. These special fares exclude service fees, airport taxes, and insurance charges. Travel period is 7 July to 30 November 2004. For exact details, please click this SilkAir link.

Miguel’s Diving staff thinks this is a great deal for those of you able to leave out of Singapore. Gorontalo is about an hour flight from Manado. Let us know when you are coming, so we can build a custom diving package for you!

Diving in Gorontalo reopens 1 November. In respect for our local staff, we are closed on Idhul Fitri, which should be about 15 November.

Thanks so much to Grace for letting us know about this hot deal!

Hydrostatic Testing: Your Safety is Our Concern

About two-thirds of Miguel’s Diving scuba tanks passed hydrostatic testing this week in Manado. The remaining third of our scuba tanks are due for hydrostatic testing next year. We use the standard aluminun cylinders. Not only do our tanks undergo this once-every-five-year testing, but they are also visually inspected annually. In addition to that, our tanks are immersed in fresh water after each use, so that corrosive salt water will dissolve. Guests comment on how new our tanks look. Indeed, our tanks are new. But they also receive good care. See for yourself when diving season resumes in November.

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!

Changing Seasons

May is transition month for weather on Tomini Bay. One of the sure signs of changing weather is when lines of floating debris appear. This debris is typically branches, leaves, coconuts, and foam. In early May when heavy rains allowed us to continuing diving, we noticed about ten sea eagles circling the river mouth as we were heading for a dive site. We watched as one by one the eagles swooped down to the water’s surface to grab not a fish but a branch. Evidently, changing weather also means nesting season.

Gorontalo: Where is this place?

Thanks to all the visitors to our stand at last week’s Asian Diving Expo (ADEX) in Singapore. We handed out an estimated 1,500 brochures about diving in Gorontalo. There are only a couple more weeks of diving left of this season before the winds shift. It was great to see old friends and make new ones. We hope to see you soon in person here in Gorontalo, the hidden paradise.

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.

See You at ADEX

Miguel’s Diving with be introducing Gorontalo to the international diving community at this year’s Asian Diving Exhibition in Singapore at Suntec City from April 16 to 18. Look for the stand Gorontalo: Hidden Paradise right next to the Maldives exhibit on the right side of the hall after you enter. Diving in Gorontalo will resume April 20 after our technical staff return from Singapore. We are not sure if we will be able to pick up email and apologize for any inconvenience this causes you.

FiNS Magazine Features Gorontalo

Singapore-based diving magazine FiNS has an article on Gorontalo diving in this April’s edition, just in time for the Asian Diving Exhibition (ADEX). Famous underwater photographer, violinist, and snack connoisseur William Tan wrote the clever article and provided the stunning macro photographs taken here in Gorontalo. The pre-publication peek we received looks wonderful. Great job, Edric and team!

Yes, We Are Operating

The winds that have prevented diving in North Sulawesi’s Bunaken Marine Park part of this past week also affected Tomini Bay. Guests tell us that dive operators are transporting guests to the quieter waters of Lembeh Strait. Also, diving in the Togian Islands has been limited because of bad waves. Although the far point here is still being hit by waves, dive sites near Gorontalo City and an alternate location we use to the west have flat, calm water. Visibility is 12 - 15 meters. Water temperature has dropped to 27 degrees Celsius because of cold upwellings usually coinciding with the new moon. Guests today were thrilled to be able to dive and loved Gorontalo’s distinctive Salvador Dali sponges. One guest’s screams were clearly audible underwater when she finally saw the tiny (3 mm) purple-spotted pink shrimp discovered here among a certain type of bubble coral; it is not yet scientifically described.

A Long Way to Swim

While not below the water, Miguel’s Diving staff are busily preparing for this year’s Asian Diving Exhibition (ADEX) in Singapore April 16 - 18. In revising all the profiles on the 14 dive sites currently offered, an astounding fact surfaced: the horizontal length of those dive sites totals 4,976 meters. Divers in Gorontalo have nearly five horizontal kilometers of dive sites to enjoy! That does not include the alternate sites we have used when winds blow from the southwest. This season we added two wrecks, although these do not yet appear on the web site. Maps of these wrecks are in process. For next season, we are planning to add three additional sites: a sand pit for all you photographers, a recently discovered sunken hill, and a giant staircase where currents swirl.

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!

Glorious Weather for Sulawesi Diving

The weather has been typical for dive season here in Gorontalo. The seas today were incredibly calm with barely a ripple. Flying fish fleeing the dive boat sailed quite far before dropping back into silky smooth waters. The reef sparkled in the sunlight. Looking up from 18 meters, the entire dive boat was clearly visible, including the canvas awning that shades divers and crew. In the late afternoon, there were a few scattered showers in-land, lasting less than half an hour. Glorious weather for diving in Sulawesi!

Gorontalo Diving for TV Broadcast

When Gorontalo?s scuba diving governor Fadel made reservations to dive this morning, we at Miguel?s Diving didn?t realize he was bringing a television crew with him! They shot footage of our boat leaving the port, the governor suiting up and doing the backward roll into blue water, and the stunning cliffs edged in shallow coral. The governor opted to go to his favorite dive sites. At Traffic Jam a Hawksbill turtle ( Eremochelys imbricata) appeared. At the Sentinels dive site we counted five lionfish at the top of the third pinnacle. The RCTI TV crew took advantage of our surface interval to interview both the governor and Miguel?s dive staff. Broadcast on the local station should be tonight with national broadcast to follow.

Miguel’s Diving on Display

Visitor’s arriving at Gorontalo’s Jalaluddin Airport can now view promotional material for diving in Gorontalo. Earlier today with drill in hand we hung a glass frame with six beautiful glossy prints of marine life here. These are on display in the place where visitors arrange for transport to Gorontalo City. The provincial tourism department plans to make that area of baggage claim into an information center. This would be similar to airports at some Sulawesi diving destinations.

A Third Wreck

Miguel’s Diving staff accidentally heard about another shipwreck long known to locals in one seaside neighborhood in Gorontalo. The wreck has been lying on its side for over 60 years in three to thirteen meters of water near the mouth of the river. Locals have fished the wreck with hand line and spear guns for decades, so large fish are rare. Most of the wreck itself is buried in mud. In fact, it rests atop a steep mud bank. Various sea pens protrude from its slope and very large Steinitz’s shrimpgobies (Amblyeleotris steinitzi) and their crustacean pals live there. A weirdly coiffured juvenile Peacock razorfish (Iniistius pavo) darted along the mud bottom. A sea horse drifted down into the cold upwelling. The wreck itself hosted numerous lionfish, a couple of wicked looking scorpionfish, several nudibranch species, and wary batfish. In the mud underneath a section of heavily encrusted hull, a black juvenile Ribbon eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita) flexed its yellow dorsal fin. Suddenly a school of perhaps a thousand Purse-eyed scad (Selar crumenthalmops) enveloped the wreck. In Sulawesi diving in mud can be an adventure of discovery.

Dutch Television Crew Films in Gorontalo

Lonny Gerungan and his crew from TROS TV-Holland?s ?De Reistafel? program just finished six weeks of shooting in Indonesia with several tightly scheduled days in Gorontalo. Filming included subjects from traditional dancing to net fishing in the ocean. In addition to his great cooking, the program will feature Lonny?s discovery of his family roots here in Gorontalo. This series shot in Indonesia, entitled ?De Koninklyte Reistafel,? will feature various old kingdoms across the archipelago and begin airing sometime in February on Channel 2 for Dutch viewers. Next time the guys would like to schedule a day off to check out the diving in Gorontalo.

Attractions in Gorontalo

The beautiful travel site Indonesia Photo now features an article on Gorontalo. Attractions mentioned include the 16th century Portuguese fort overlooking Lake Limboto and the waterfall near Lombongo hot springs in Nani Wartabone National Park. This article looks at how outsiders throughout Gorontalo history still influence the daily life of people here.

Miguel?s Diving supplied the text and seven photos from Gorontalo,
including two of its marine life. What can travelers to Indonesia experience? This site is an excellent source of first hand information. Good job, Bjorn!

A Really Big One

It wasn?t the Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) sighted three times. It wasn?t the huge Bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) herding their youngsters around the reef. It wasn?t the belligerent Titon trigger (Balistoides viridescens)guarding her nest. And it wasn?t even the Giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) that shocked me while diving Gorontalo?s City Limits dive site. In fact, if the visibility had not been 30 meters, I would never have seen it. Upon initial descent, I easily found the metal beams, heavily encrusted with coral, that we have long known were there. But that fine morning for diving in Sulawesi, I could see down the long beams hanging off the wall. And there in deeper water away from the wall was a white line: the bottom of a sunken ship! Those Bumphead parrotfish were swimming cartwheels around its highest point in 26 meters of water. Is this the rumored tanker that sank 15 years ago? It is certainly big enough to be. Will you be among the first to dive Gorontalo?s newest wreck and explore its mysteries?

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.

Wet suits now available

Miguel’s Diving is pleased to announce that Deep See shorty wet suits are now available for rent. Sea temperatures here in Gorontalo typically range from 28 – 30 C (80 – 86 F). This is much warmer than diving in other areas of North Sulawesi. However, guests who went diving here last season suggested that 3 mm wet suits would keep body temperatures comfortable toward the end of the dive. So, we have added new wet suits in sizes XS, S, M, L and XL.

Gorontalo - Togian Islands Dive Packages

We at Miguel?s Diving are pleased to announce joint dive packages with Black Marlin Diving of Kadidiri in the Togian (Togean) Islands. This will allow divers to enjoy two prime diving locations in Tomini Bay.

For example, our Diver?s Dream package includes:
Gorontalo portion
airport pick-up in Gorontalo
10 boat dives in Gorontalo with equipment and wetsuit
simple early lunch on Day 1 in Gorontalo
4N in A/C room at Hotel Melati and breakfast
excluding meals in Gorontalo, except simple lunch on Day 1
Togian portion
10 boat dives & 2 night dives with equipment and wetsuit
4N lodging and 3 meals per day
lunch on Day 10
airport drop-off in Gorontalo
excluding air tickets to and from Gorontalo

This 11-day package costs just $885 per person double occupancy including tax. This promotional price is only valid for this dive season (November 1, 2003 to April 30, 2004).

Other dive packages are available as well, including Transit Diving (4 boat dives and overnight in Gorontalo on your way to the Togians) and Just Get Me Wet (2 boat dives on the day you wait for the evening ferry to the Togians).

Contact us for further details and reservations!