Where? Sulawesi, Indonesia. Opposite side of the penninsular to Manado, further south.
When? November to April, as the weather turns nasty the rest of the time.
Visibility? Up to 30m, sometimes less due to plankton.
Food? Hmmm, take a Bahasa phrasebook, all Ikans are not the same.....
Accommodation? Hotel, basic cheap and nice except for the mandai style toilet.
Nightlife? Err, no. Except the markets and mosques.
Other stuff? Tarsiers, small Portugese forts, waterfalls and babirusas (sp?)
Some stuff we saw:
http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/907/ppuser/
Gorontalo is currently tough to get to, you can fly from Manado or Jakarta, but the connections are badly timed. There is only one dive operator and they can only take 5-6 people, so you know you will not encounter any crowds. Actually you won't encounter anyone apart from fishermen in little boats.
The water is even deeper than Manado (4km!!!), so lots of stuff comes up from the depths. Since it is so new and undived, the coral is pristine. The best I have ever seen. Mostly wall dives, some caves.
There are a couple of nice wrecks, and some muck diving (we didn't have time to try it).
The cost was very reasonable, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for exciting diving without luxury hotels and crowds. The locals were very friendly, and curious. The place felt totally safe too, but don't wander around town in a bikini.
When? November to April, as the weather turns nasty the rest of the time.
Visibility? Up to 30m, sometimes less due to plankton.
Food? Hmmm, take a Bahasa phrasebook, all Ikans are not the same.....
Accommodation? Hotel, basic cheap and nice except for the mandai style toilet.
Nightlife? Err, no. Except the markets and mosques.
Other stuff? Tarsiers, small Portugese forts, waterfalls and babirusas (sp?)
Some stuff we saw:
http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/907/ppuser/
Gorontalo is currently tough to get to, you can fly from Manado or Jakarta, but the connections are badly timed. There is only one dive operator and they can only take 5-6 people, so you know you will not encounter any crowds. Actually you won't encounter anyone apart from fishermen in little boats.
The water is even deeper than Manado (4km!!!), so lots of stuff comes up from the depths. Since it is so new and undived, the coral is pristine. The best I have ever seen. Mostly wall dives, some caves.
There are a couple of nice wrecks, and some muck diving (we didn't have time to try it).
The cost was very reasonable, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for exciting diving without luxury hotels and crowds. The locals were very friendly, and curious. The place felt totally safe too, but don't wander around town in a bikini.
