ReefSeason BETAPrologue
Swimming is Overrated
A dive briefing · Curaçao

Alice in Wonderland (Curaçao)

Dive site off Curaçao. Here's what has been recorded at this site month by month, how the region’s reefs have weathered ocean heat, and how to prepare.

Curaçaoreef
At this sitegeotagged 59 m from the site coordinates Swimming is Overrated · LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
From the Shadows
Chapter I · Arrival

Alice in Wonderland (Curaçao): dive site off Curaçao.

~12.375° N~69.158° W · Wikidata
8,636open records · GBIF
135+species recorded
At this sitegeotagged 144 m from the site coordinates From the Shadows · LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
II

Entry

From the Shadows

Entry points, depths, currents and any local rules will be added once we can verify them from official sources.

Approximate positionThese coordinates come from a crowd-sourced map or Wikidata item, not an official mooring list. Use them for orientation only.
To verifyDepth range, entry points and current notes. We publish them only with a citation. The coordinates mark the site in general, not a mooring or entry point.

At this sitegeotagged 144 m from the site coordinates From the Shadows · LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Swimming is Overrated
Open media · At this sitegeotagged 59 m from the site coordinates Swimming is Overrated · LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The surface noise falls away.

Reds go first. The world turns blue-green.

Then Alice in Wonderland (Curaçao) rises to meet you.

Swimming is Overrated
IV

What lives here, by month

Pick a month. These are the species most often recorded within about a kilometre in that month, from open survey records.

Oct
October · 602 qualifying records
Life calendar · records per month for this site's most-recorded species (blank means not in that month's top list)
SpeciesJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Boulder star coral
Lettuce Coral
Blushing Star Coral
Longjaw Squirrelfish
Bumpy star coral
Great Star Coral
Blackbar Soldierfish
Mustard Hill Coral
Keeltail needlefish
Boulder brain coral
Longspine squirrelfish
Caribbean Coralsnail

Most-recorded species, all months

  1. Boulder star coral (84)
  2. Lettuce Coral (68)
  3. Blushing Star Coral (44)
  4. Longjaw Squirrelfish (38)
  5. Bumpy star coral (36)
  6. Great Star Coral (35)
  7. Blackbar Soldierfish (30)
  8. Mustard Hill Coral (29)
  9. Keeltail needlefish (28)
  10. Longspine squirrelfish (25)
  11. Boulder brain coral (23)
  12. Caribbean Coralsnail (22)
  13. Smooth Flower Coral (21)
  14. Reef Squirrelfish (21)
  15. Boulder star coral (18)
  16. Lamarck's sheet coral (17)
  17. Maze Coral (15)
  18. Massive Starlet Coral (14)
  19. Dusky Squirrelfish (14)
  20. Helmet coralsnail (12)

GBIF.org (2026-10-15), occurrence records within ~1 km, licensed CC0 or CC BY 4.0 only. Birds and land animals are excluded. Counts reflect survey effort, not abundance. 8,636 qualifying records. See them on GBIF. Common names: Wikidata (CC0) / GBIF. Species photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited with each species.

V

Forty-one summers of heat

Each stripe is one year since 1985, colored by its peak heat stress across NOAA's “Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire” region. These are NOAA Coral Reef Watch satellite figures for the whole region, not for this one site.

19852026
Reef health report · Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire

Heat stress, measured from orbit.

Degree Heating Weeks · 2026-10-131.3°C-weeks · NOAA status: Bleaching Warning

NOAA CRW virtual station “Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire”. NOAA's alert thresholds are 4 °C-weeks (Alert Level 1) and 8 °C-weeks (Alert Level 2). Station page · Method. Credit: NOAA Coral Reef Watch.

Peak per year · dashed lines at 4, 8 and 16 °C-weeks
The past twelve months
VI

Conditions

Average sea temperature through the year. Check the live readings before you go.

Average sea surface temperature by month: NOAA CRW “Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire” station climatology (monthly means).

Meteorological Department Curaçao · marine forecast →

Buoy readings are measurements; forecasts are models. Use them for planning only, and assess conditions on site. Depth and visibility data aren't listed until we can cite a source.

VII

Plan & prepare

  1. Read the official marine forecast the night before.Offshore, wind and sea state decide the day.
  2. Confirm access, hours and any fees with the site.[Placeholder: verified operator list to come]
  3. Study this month's species above.You'll recognise more when you know the names.
  4. Hands off, fins up, buoyancy dialled. Log what you see.Your sightings can become tomorrow's open data.

Credits

Coordinates
Wikidata Q22330080 (CC0). OpenStreetMap (ODbL) dive-site nodes, plus two Wikidata (CC0) reef items. Crowd-sourced, approximate positions.
Species records
GBIF.org, CC0 & CC BY 4.0 records. By license: CC_BY_4_0: 7,823, CC0_1_0: 813
Dataset
EOD – eBird Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/aomfnb (7,276 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment - Benthic · doi:10.15468/vmcydh (422 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Vertebrate Zoology Division - Ichthyology, Yale Peabody Museum · doi:10.15468/mgyhok (323 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Vertebrate Zoology Division - Herpetology, Yale Peabody Museum · doi:10.15468/ypdvp9 (242 records) · GBIF
Dataset
NMNH Extant Specimen Records (USNM, US) · doi:10.15468/hnhrg3 (117 records) · GBIF
Dataset
NMNH Material Samples (USNM) · doi:10.15468/jb9tdf (104 records) · GBIF
Dataset
INSDC Sequences · doi:10.15468/sbmztx (30 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Birda - Global Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/6kud7x (27 records) · GBIF
Query
https://api.gbif.org/v1/occurrence/search?decimalLatitude=12.3649,12.3849&decimalLongitude=-69.16777,-69.14777&license=CC0_1_0&license=CC_BY_4_0&taxonKey=44&taxonKey=206&taxonKey=229&taxonKey=136&taxonKey=225&occurrenceStatus=PRESENT&limit=0
Heat stress & SST
NOAA Coral Reef Watch, 5 km Regional Virtual Station “Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire”
Hero photo
At this sitegeotagged 59 m from the site coordinates Swimming is Overrated · LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Arrival photo
At this sitegeotagged 144 m from the site coordinates From the Shadows · LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Gallery
7 photos, credited under each image
Species photos
Wikimedia Commons, credited with each species. Full list: Data & sources