ReefSeason BETAPrologue
Atlantic sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis)
A dive briefing · Dominica

Champagne Reef

Dive site off Dominica’s west coast. 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.

Dominicareef
At this sitegeotagged 417 m from the site coordinates Atlantic sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis) · jimsox · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Atlantic sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis)
Chapter I · Arrival

Champagne Reef: dive site off Dominica’s west coast.

~15.294° N~61.385° W · Wikidata
3,708open records · GBIF
22species recorded
At this sitegeotagged 417 m from the site coordinates Atlantic sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis) · jimsox · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
II

Entry

Atlantic sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis)

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

Approximate positionThese coordinates are the position of Champagne Beach. 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 417 m from the site coordinates Atlantic sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis) · jimsox · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Atlantic sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis)
Open media · At this sitegeotagged 417 m from the site coordinates Atlantic sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis) · jimsox · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

The surface noise falls away.

Reds go first. The world turns blue-green.

Then Champagne Reef rises to meet you.

Atlantic sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis)
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 · 98 qualifying records
Life calendar · records per month for this site's most-recorded species (blank means not in that month's top list)
SpeciesJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Broadsaddle Cardinalfish
Black Brotula
Spotfin Goby
Candy Basslet
Caribbean Snow Bass
Sally Lightfoot crab
Cave Bass
Orangeback Bass
Sawcheek Cardinalfish
Flamefish
Striped Cardinalfish
Bayerotrochus pyramus

Most-recorded species, all months

  1. Broadsaddle Cardinalfish (7)
  2. Black Brotula (4)
  3. Sally Lightfoot crab (3)
  4. Spotfin Goby (3)
  5. Candy Basslet (3)
  6. Caribbean Snow Bass (3)
  7. Cave Bass (2)
  8. Orangeback Bass (2)
  9. Sergeant Major (2)
  10. Sawcheek Cardinalfish (2)
  11. Flamefish (2)
  12. Striped Cardinalfish (2)
  13. Bayerotrochus pyramus (2)
  14. Polylepion gilmorei (1)
  15. Bigarm river shrimp (1)
  16. Marbled swimcrab (1)
  17. Furcate spider crab (1)
  18. Batwing coral crab (1)
  19. Rhizosmilia gerdae (1)
  20. Yellowline Arrow Crab (1)

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. 3,708 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 “Leeward Caribbean Islands” region. These are NOAA Coral Reef Watch satellite figures for the whole region, not for this one site.

19852026
Reef health report · Leeward Caribbean Islands

Heat stress, measured from orbit.

Degree Heating Weeks · 2026-10-1310.1°C-weeks · NOAA status: Alert Level 2

NOAA CRW virtual station “Leeward Caribbean Islands”. 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 “Leeward Caribbean Islands” station climatology (monthly means).

Dominica Meteorological Service · forecasts →

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 Q19879397 (CC0) · position of Champagne Beach. OpenStreetMap (ODbL) dive-site nodes on the northwest coast; the Soufrière–Scotts Head sites use Wikidata (CC0) positions of the nearby beach or headland, so they are approximate.
Species records
GBIF.org, CC0 & CC BY 4.0 records. By license: CC_BY_4_0: 3,621, CC0_1_0: 87
Dataset
EOD – eBird Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/aomfnb (3,504 records) · GBIF
Dataset
iNaturalist Research-grade Observations · doi:10.15468/ab3s5x (53 records) · GBIF
Dataset
NABU|naturgucker · doi:10.15468/uc1apo (34 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Royal Ontario Museum - Mammalogy · doi:10.5886/gdcfc8 (32 records) · GBIF
Dataset
NMNH Extant Specimen Records (USNM, US) · doi:10.15468/hnhrg3 (26 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Birda - Global Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/6kud7x (24 records) · GBIF
Dataset
NMNH Material Samples (USNM) · doi:10.15468/jb9tdf (14 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Field Museum of Natural History (Zoology) Mammal Collection · doi:10.15468/n4zgxw (5 records) · GBIF
Query
https://api.gbif.org/v1/occurrence/search?decimalLatitude=15.284,15.304&decimalLongitude=-61.394999999999996,-61.375&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 “Leeward Caribbean Islands”
Hero photo
At this sitegeotagged 417 m from the site coordinates Atlantic sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis) · jimsox · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Species photos
Wikimedia Commons, credited with each species. Full list: Data & sources