ReefSeason BETAPrologue
Smooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter)
A dive briefing · Aruba

Renaissance Airplane Wrecks

Dive site off Aruba. 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.

Arubawreck
At this sitegeotagged 102 m from the site coordinates Smooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter) · Cleo Falvey · CC0 · iNaturalist
Finger coral (Porites porites)
Chapter I · Arrival

Renaissance Airplane Wrecks: dive site off Aruba.

~12.500° N~70.029° W · Wikidata
860open records · GBIF
7species recorded
At this sitegeotagged 118 m from the site coordinates Finger coral (Porites porites) · Julio-César Chávez · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
II

Entry

Finger coral (Porites porites)

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 Renaissance Island; the aircraft lie off it. 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 118 m from the site coordinates Finger coral (Porites porites) · Julio-César Chávez · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Smooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter)
Open media · At this sitegeotagged 102 m from the site coordinates Smooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter) · Cleo Falvey · CC0 · iNaturalist

The surface noise falls away.

Reds go first. The world turns blue-green.

Then Renaissance Airplane Wrecks rises to meet you.

Smooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter)
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 · 138 qualifying records
Life calendar · records per month for this site's most-recorded species (blank means not in that month's top list)
SpeciesJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Finger Coral
Nymph snapping shrimp
Honeycomb cowfish
Rock Beauty
Smooth trunkfish

Most-recorded species, all months

  1. Gibberula velox (2)
  2. Eratoidea infera (2)
  3. Nymph snapping shrimp (1)
  4. Smooth trunkfish (1)
  5. Honeycomb cowfish (1)
  6. Finger Coral (1)
  7. Rock Beauty (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. 860 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).

Departamento Meteorologico Aruba · 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 Q17156261 (CC0) · position of Renaissance Island; the aircraft lie off it. Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (ODbL) features. Approximate positions; two use the named bay or island nearby.
Species records
GBIF.org, CC0 & CC BY 4.0 records. By license: CC_BY_4_0: 842, CC0_1_0: 18
Dataset
EOD – eBird Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/aomfnb (819 records) · GBIF
Dataset
iNaturalist Research-grade Observations · doi:10.15468/ab3s5x (15 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Birda - Global Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/6kud7x (11 records) · GBIF
Dataset
NMNH Extant Specimen Records (USNM, US) · doi:10.15468/hnhrg3 (11 records) · GBIF
Dataset
The molluscs collection (IM) of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN - Paris) · doi:10.15468/xgoxap (4 records) · GBIF
Query
https://api.gbif.org/v1/occurrence/search?decimalLatitude=12.490333,12.510333&decimalLongitude=-70.038922,-70.01892199999999&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 102 m from the site coordinates Smooth trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter) · Cleo Falvey · CC0 · iNaturalist
Arrival photo
At this sitegeotagged 118 m from the site coordinates Finger coral (Porites porites) · Julio-César Chávez · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Gallery
7 photos, credited under each image
Species photos
Wikimedia Commons, credited with each species. Full list: Data & sources