A dive briefing · Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas

Elkhorn Garden

Dive site off New Providence, Bahamas. 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.

Nassaureef

Near this sitegeotagged about 2.6 km from the site coordinates Bar Jack (Caranx ruber) · Tommy · CC0 · iNaturalist

Chapter I · Arrival

Elkhorn Garden: dive site off New Providence, Bahamas.

25.023° N77.570° W · OpenStreetMap · relation/17987394

186open records · GBIF

21species recorded

Near this sitegeotagged about 2.6 km from the site coordinates Angular Sea Whip (Pterogorgia anceps) · Tommy · CC0 · iNaturalist

Entry

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

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.

Near this sitegeotagged about 2.6 km from the site coordinates Angular Sea Whip (Pterogorgia anceps) · Tommy · CC0 · iNaturalist

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Captain's footage: Elkhorn Garden
[video slot · coming soon]

The surface noise falls away.

Reds go first. The world turns blue-green.

Then Elkhorn Garden rises to meet you.

Bar Jack (Caranx ruber)

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 · 0 qualifying records

Life calendar · records per month for this site's most-recorded species (blank means not in that month's top list)

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Neogonodactylus bredini
Metallic lanternfish
Lantern Fish
Garman's Lanternfish
Keeltail needlefish
Royal Gramma
Longsnout Butterflyfish
Manytooth conger
Caribbean velvet shrimp
Common octopus
Pearl oyster shrimp
Caribbean reef squid

Most-recorded species, all months

GBIF.org (2026-10-14), 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. 186 qualifying records. See them on GBIF. Common names: Wikidata (CC0) / GBIF. Species photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited with each species.

Forty-one summers of heat

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

19852026

Reef health report · Central Bahamas

Heat stress, measured from orbit.

Degree Heating Weeks · 2026-10-1317.8°C-weeks · NOAA status: Alert Level 2

NOAA CRW virtual station “Central Bahamas”. 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

Conditions

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

Average sea surface temperature by month: NOAA CRW “Central Bahamas” station climatology (monthly means).

Bahamas Department of Meteorology · 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

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

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Photographs from Elkhorn Garden

Openly licensed photos, each checked for location against its title, description, category or geotag. Labels show how close each one is to the site.

**Atlantic Blue Tang (Acanthurus coeruleus)**Near this sitegeotagged about 2.6 km from the site coordinates Tommy · CC0 · iNaturalist

**Beaugregory (Stegastes leucostictus)**Near this sitegeotagged about 2.4 km from the site coordinates Tommy · CC0 · iNaturalist

Credits

Coordinates: OpenStreetMap relation/17987394 · source · ODbL. OpenStreetMap (ODbL) wreck and reef features; Southwest Reef from Wikidata (CC0).
Species records: GBIF.org, CC0 & CC BY 4.0 records. By license: CC_BY_4_0: 162, CC0_1_0: 24
Dataset: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/aomfnb (154 records) · GBIF
Dataset: NMNH Extant Specimen Records (USNM, US) · doi:10.15468/hnhrg3 (15 records) · GBIF
Dataset: University of Miami, Voss Marine Invertebrate Collections · doi:10.15468/qmckjq (5 records) · GBIF
Dataset: Vertebrate Zoology Division - Ichthyology, Yale Peabody Museum · doi:10.15468/mgyhok (5 records) · GBIF
Dataset: CAS Ichthyology (ICH) · doi:10.15468/efh2ib (3 records) · GBIF
Dataset: Museums Victoria provider for OZCAM · doi:10.15468/lp1ctu (1 records) · GBIF
Dataset: iNaturalist Research-grade Observations · doi:10.15468/ab3s5x (1 records) · GBIF
Dataset: Illinois Natural History Survey - Mollusk Collection · doi:10.15468/cu4scd (1 records) · GBIF
Query: https://api.gbif.org/v1/occurrence/search?decimalLatitude=25.013469999999998,25.03347&decimalLongitude=-77.57956,-77.55955999999999&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 “Central Bahamas”
Hero photo: Near this sitegeotagged about 2.6 km from the site coordinates Bar Jack (Caranx ruber) · Tommy · CC0 · iNaturalist
Arrival photo: Near this sitegeotagged about 2.6 km from the site coordinates Angular Sea Whip (Pterogorgia anceps) · Tommy · CC0 · iNaturalist
Gallery: 2 photos, credited under each image
Species photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited with each species. Full list: Data & sources