ReefSeason BETAPrologue
Visitors Descend...
A dive briefing · Curaçao

Playa Lagun

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 153 m from the site coordinates Visitors Descend... · LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
School Friends
Chapter I · Arrival

Playa Lagun: dive site off Curaçao.

~12.318° N~69.151° W · OpenStreetMap · node/663869390
962open records · GBIF
36species recorded
At this sitegeotagged 224 m from the site coordinates School Friends · LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
II

Entry

School Friends

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 224 m from the site coordinates School Friends · LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Visitors Descend...
Open media · At this sitegeotagged 153 m from the site coordinates Visitors Descend... · 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 Playa Lagun rises to meet you.

Visitors Descend...
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 · 107 qualifying records
Life calendar · records per month for this site's most-recorded species (blank means not in that month's top list)
SpeciesJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Ember Goby
Sailfin Blenny
Foureye butterflyfish
Barred Hamlet
Highfin Scorpionfish
Spinythroat Scorpionfish
Mauve Goby
Hakeling
Helmet coralsnail
Longsnout Butterflyfish
Bermuda sponge shrimp
Four-tooth nerite

Most-recorded species, all months

  1. Ember Goby (8)
  2. Highfin Scorpionfish (3)
  3. Spinythroat Scorpionfish (3)
  4. Mauve Goby (3)
  5. Sailfin Blenny (3)
  6. Foureye butterflyfish (3)
  7. Barred Hamlet (3)
  8. Hakeling (3)
  9. Longsnout Butterflyfish (2)
  10. Bermuda sponge shrimp (2)
  11. Helmet coralsnail (2)
  12. Periclimenaeus perlatus (1)
  13. Hunchback distorsio (1)
  14. Netted olive (1)
  15. Deepreef Scorpionfish (1)
  16. Spotted Scorpionfish (1)
  17. Blackbar Soldierfish (1)
  18. Rusty Goby (1)
  19. Spotted Soapfish (1)
  20. Swissguard Basslet (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. 962 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
OpenStreetMap node/663869390 · source · ODbL. OpenStreetMap (ODbL) dive-site nodes, plus two Wikidata (CC0) reef items. Crowd-sourced, approximate positions. Approximate position.
Species records
GBIF.org, CC0 & CC BY 4.0 records. By license: CC_BY_4_0: 832, CC0_1_0: 130
Dataset
EOD – eBird Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/aomfnb (802 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Vertebrate Zoology Division - Herpetology, Yale Peabody Museum · doi:10.15468/ypdvp9 (58 records) · GBIF
Dataset
iNaturalist Research-grade Observations · doi:10.15468/ab3s5x (24 records) · GBIF
Dataset
NMNH Extant Specimen Records (USNM, US) · doi:10.15468/hnhrg3 (21 records) · GBIF
Dataset
NMNH Material Samples (USNM) · doi:10.15468/jb9tdf (16 records) · GBIF
Dataset
SIO Marine Vertebrate Collection · doi:10.15468/ad1ovc (16 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Vertebrate Zoology Division - Ichthyology, Yale Peabody Museum · doi:10.15468/mgyhok (10 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Birda - Global Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/6kud7x (4 records) · GBIF
Query
https://api.gbif.org/v1/occurrence/search?decimalLatitude=12.30813,12.32813&decimalLongitude=-69.16088,-69.14088&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 153 m from the site coordinates Visitors Descend... · LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Arrival photo
At this sitegeotagged 224 m from the site coordinates School Friends · 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