ReefSeason BETAPrologue
Jeff COULAIS
A dive briefing · Dominica

Scotts Head Pinnacle

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.

Dominicapinnacle
At this sitegeotagged 129 m from the site coordinates Jeff COULAIS · Ojanzu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Houndfish (Tylosurus crocodilus)
Chapter I · Arrival

Scotts Head Pinnacle: dive site off Dominica’s west coast.

~15.213° N~61.367° W · Wikidata
299open records · GBIF
18species recorded
At this sitegeotagged 292 m from the site coordinates Houndfish (Tylosurus crocodilus) · Zac Peterson · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
II

Entry

Houndfish (Tylosurus crocodilus)

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 the Scotts Head headland; the pinnacle lies offshore. 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 292 m from the site coordinates Houndfish (Tylosurus crocodilus) · Zac Peterson · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Jeff COULAIS
Open media · At this sitegeotagged 129 m from the site coordinates Jeff COULAIS · Ojanzu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The surface noise falls away.

Reds go first. The world turns blue-green.

Then Scotts Head Pinnacle rises to meet you.

Jeff COULAIS
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 · 12 qualifying records
Life calendar · records per month for this site's most-recorded species (blank means not in that month's top list)
SpeciesJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Lettuce slug
Caribbean hermit crab
Hound Needlefish
Giant Caribbean anenone
Trumpetfish
Secretary Blenny
Redlip Blenny
Spotted Moray
Smooth trunkfish
Yellowline Arrow Crab
Glassy flying squid
Southern Stingray

Most-recorded species, all months

  1. Caribbean hermit crab (2)
  2. Lettuce slug (2)
  3. Redeye sponge crab (1)
  4. Sally Lightfoot crab (1)
  5. Tenspine spider crab (1)
  6. Giant Caribbean anenone (1)
  7. Trumpetfish (1)
  8. Longwing Spinyfin (1)
  9. Secretary Blenny (1)
  10. Redlip Blenny (1)
  11. Spotted Moray (1)
  12. False Moray (1)
  13. Smooth trunkfish (1)
  14. Hound Needlefish (1)
  15. Yellowline Arrow Crab (1)
  16. Glassy flying squid (1)
  17. Shorthorn clinging crab (1)
  18. Southern Stingray (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. 299 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 Q3503868 (CC0) · position of the Scotts Head headland; the pinnacle lies offshore. 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: 288, CC0_1_0: 11
Dataset
EOD – eBird Observation Dataset · doi:10.15468/aomfnb (267 records) · GBIF
Dataset
iNaturalist Research-grade Observations · doi:10.15468/ab3s5x (22 records) · GBIF
Dataset
NMNH Extant Specimen Records (USNM, US) · doi:10.15468/hnhrg3 (8 records) · GBIF
Dataset
Field Museum of Natural History (Zoology) Fish Collection · doi:10.15468/alz7wu (1 records) · GBIF
Dataset
SIO Marine Vertebrate Collection · doi:10.15468/ad1ovc (1 records) · GBIF
Query
https://api.gbif.org/v1/occurrence/search?decimalLatitude=15.2025,15.2225&decimalLongitude=-61.376667,-61.356667&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 129 m from the site coordinates Jeff COULAIS · Ojanzu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Arrival photo
At this sitegeotagged 292 m from the site coordinates Houndfish (Tylosurus crocodilus) · Zac Peterson · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist
Gallery
7 photos, credited under each image
Species photos
Wikimedia Commons, credited with each species. Full list: Data & sources