Gorontalo Options

[h2o]

Hi All,

I've just returned from a trip to Gorontalo, an Indonesian province north of Sulawesi.

Have some pictures to share and at the same time would to hear any constructive criticisms you may have.

Many thanks.

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[loftus]

Very nice; I like the dramatic effects of your lighting. Looks like one strobe, am I correct?

[h2o]

Very nice; I like the dramatic effects of your lighting. Looks like one strobe, am I correct?

thank you....i used 2 strobes....

[loftus]

thank you....i used 2 strobes....

Well I like the texture / shadows you've achieved. Were they set equally or higher on one side than the other?

[Steve Williams]

Well I like the texture / shadows you've achieved.

Part of the reson they work so well is the use of vertical format. It allows the broader range of exposures. I'll plug that into the memory bank. Great to see such a nice example of beautiful images. Thanks for putting them up!

Steve

[h2o]

Well I like the texture / shadows you've achieved. Were they set equally or higher on one side than the other?

depending on situation....generally, I use the strobe to subject distance as a guide to position the strobes or what power to use on the strobes or a diffuser on it....

Part of the reson they work so well is the use of vertical format. It allows the broader range of exposures. I'll plug that into the memory bank. Great to see such a nice example of beautiful images. Thanks for putting them up!

Steve

thank you........

[JennyHuang]

Beautiful. I also love the contrast of lighting! Thanks for sharing.

How about diving in Gorontalo? Is there any good diving center over there?


Cheers,

Jenny

[h2o]

Beautiful. I also love the contrast of lighting! Thanks for sharing.

How about diving in Gorontalo? Is there any good diving center over there?
Cheers,

Jenny

Thank you....

There is only one dive operation there: http://miguelsdiving.com/. It can take up to 8 underwater photographers on the boat.

Most of the dives are wall dives and they do have some sites to offer muck diving. Gorontalo seems more popular for macro subjects due in part to the book bearing the same name. The reefs are pristine and cover with dense corals formation. This is possibly due to the short season from Nov - April in addition to the fact that there is only one dive op. Visibility averages about 20m and water is warm at about 27-29 degrees Celsius.

Sponges are pretty much everywhere in varied shapes and sizes. One of the main attraction would be the Salvador Dali sponge with its unique current swept texture (Pic 2).

Out of the five diving days, I was using wide angle lens for 4 days. I can't comment much on the macro subjects which it is popular for. There are some endemic species like the Blue Belly Blenny which I find absolutely beautiful. However, I had my fisheye lens on the camera at the time when it was shown to me, thus couldn’t share it with you.

You can check out the web site of the dive op to have a feel of what you can expect to see.

One thing that is a bit of a 'pain' is the travel to get there. There are 3 options: 1) Fly in to Jakarta to transfer to a domestic flight (about 5 hours) via Makassar (short stopover) to Gorontalo 2) Fly to Manado, where you can do some dives and take a road trip about 8 hours to get there or 3) Take a domestic flight from Manado (about an hour if I am not wrong) to Gorontalo. The issue with this last option is that the domestic flight schedule are less certain and less frequent which makes planning troublesome.

I took the Jakarta route. My flight to Jakarta is at 9:05 am and by the time I reached Gorontalo and stepped into the hotel, it is about 10 pm. I was rather 'stoned' by then.

This post has been edited by h2o: Mar 1 2008, 06:29 AM

[JennyHuang]

Most of the dives are wall dives and they do have some sites to offer muck diving. Gorontalo seems more popular for macro subjects due in part to the book bearing the same name. The reefs are pristine and cover with dense corals formation. This is possibly due to the short season from Nov - April in addition to the fact that there is only one dive op. Visibility averages about 20m and water is warm at about 27-29 degrees Celsius.
Sponges are pretty much everywhere in varied shapes and sizes. One of the main attraction would be the Salvador Dali sponge with its unique current swept texture (Pic 2).

Thanks for the details! I have had this site in my wish-list.

[dsbierman]

Thanks for the details! I have had this site in my wish-list.

I was in Gorontalo about three weeks ago. I agree with what h2o said about the reefs. Indeed, they were pristine. There were macro opportunities, but wide angle is definitely the way to go, unless you're doing a muck dive (which I did as well).

Unfortunately, getting there was a real hassle. Initially, I planned to fly from Manado to Gorontalo. I had just finished diving in Lembeh, and my resort dropped me off at the airport. After I got through security, I was informed that my flight had been canceled. Since there wasn't another flight for five days, I had to take a bus the next day. 9 hours!!!

Trip report with photos coming soon, Jenny.

Cheers,

David

[JennyHuang]

Since there wasn't another flight for five days, I had to take a bus the next day. 9 hours!!!

Trip report with photos coming soon, Jenny.

Cheers,

David

It's really hard to get there.....thank you for the information. It is still in my plan.

Great macro shots on your website!

This post has been edited by JennyHuang: Mar 3 2008, 05:44 AM

[vanveelen]

Some realy nice compositions.
Liked your boat, sunbust and reef shot!

[Erios513]

Gorontalo is one of my dream destinations, ever since I looked "Gorontalo - Hidden paradise" by William Tan, Stephen Wong and Takako Uno.

I feel compelled to go there some day!!

[Rin]

....what some terrific shots there.....breath taking!!
I've also have a copy of the above mentioned book, a very nice one.

[dsbierman]

Gorontalo is one of my dream destinations, ever since I looked "Gorontalo - Hidden paradise" by William Tan, Stephen Wong and Takako Uno.

I feel compelled to go there some day!!

Tan, Wong, and Uno did the photography for the book, however, the actual author of "Hidden Paradise," is Rantje Allen, the owner of Miguel's Diving. He's a bit on the serious side, but he's a virtual encyclopedia on the local wildlife and an excellent host. That's him on the top left.

[h2o]

Some realy nice compositions.
Liked your boat, sunbust and reef shot!

....what some terrific shots there.....breath taking!!
I've also have a copy of the above mentioned book, a very nice one.

thank you..........

[h2o]

Tan, Wong, and Uno did the photography for the book, however, the actual author of "Hidden Paradise," is Rantje Allen, the owner of Miguel's Diving. He's a bit on the serious side, but he's a virtual encyclopedia on the local wildlife and an excellent host. That's him on the top left.

Rantje is indeed 'serious'. He is serious about looking after the reef. Saw him picking up thrash and cutting discarded nets from the reef a number of times. As dsbierman has mentioned, he is knowledgeable and always armed with his slate to tell you what the name of the fish or coral is.

[Erios513]

Tan, Wong, and Uno did the photography for the book, however, the actual author of "Hidden Paradise," is Rantje Allen, the owner of Miguel's Diving. He's a bit on the serious side, but he's a virtual encyclopedia on the local wildlife and an excellent host. That's him on the top left.

Well, I mostly look at all those amazing pictures!! Thanks for the heads up though. If Rantje Allen have read my early post, I'm sorry for not mentioning his name...