Drafting (Nov 1, 2025…)
Reefs of the Barbados MPA. (Screen-capture; original here. “Vauxhall Reef” (as referenced on this website) is reef #34. Click on images for larger versions.
Zones on the Vauxhall Reef, after Lewis (1960)
Click on mages for larger versions
My annual visits to the reefs of the Folkestone MPA 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2021 an 2022 when I did not visit) occurred over 1 to 3 month periods within the months January to April, thus any observations I make on the state of the reefs are essentially snapshots taken in the winter months. My focus has been on Vauxhall Reef (Reef # 34 in Maclean & Oxenford, 2016).
I summarized my observations and conclusions concerning Vauxhall Reef and other reefs in the MPA in the early months of 2015 to 2024 (2021 and 2022 excluded) in annotated slides from a presentation at the CORALL AGM in 2024. Highlights of my observations in those years are given below, followed by preliminary reports/ comments on my observations in early 2025.
My reference to zones on the fringing reefs follows the delineations of Lewis (1960); see Zones on this website for how the Lewis zones relate to the more generally applied CERMES zone.
Vauxhall Reef: Its Remarkably Healthy State 2015 to 2020
Over the 6 years 2015 to 2020, I marvelled at
Colony of Acropora prolifera at the inner Reef Crest zone of Vauxhall Reef exposed on a very low tide on April 21, 2015. Snorkelling Boats in the background, anchored near ‘The Wreck”
– the overall healthy state of the Vauxhall Reef from the Reef Flat to the Deep Water Communities;
– the high living coral cover and fish diversity on the Seaward Slope;
– the vigorous growth of the hybrid acroporoid, Acropora prolifera at the inner Reef Crest. A palmata occurred as isolated colonies over a broad N-S strip within the Seaward Slope and A. cervicornis in patches in a fairly restricted area within the Reef Front.
I noted the significant economic benefits accruing from the visits of snorkelling boats to The Wreck and the adjacent outer fringing reef.
I did not visit in 2021 and 2022.
2023: The “Years of the Vicissitudes” begin with SCTLD (Observations Jan 8 to Apr 8)
2023 turned out to be the “Year of the Vicissitudes”, when the all-good-news story about Vauxhall Reef would change due to causes originating well beyond the shores of Barbados.
When I first arrived in January of 2023, I immediately looked for occurrence of SCTLD (Stony Tissue Loss Disease) which I had been on the lookout for* but did not find in 2020.
*re Post: Stony coral tissue loss disease heading towards Antilles 9Jul2019
Corals on landward corner of The Wreck on Jan 11, 2023
“On January 11, 2023, conditions were perfect for snorkelling at the Vauxhall Reef* and I looked out for SCTLD-infected corals on a route approx. perpendicular from shore that took me across the Reef Flat, Diploria-Palythoa, Reef Crest, Seaward Slope and Reef Front zones (Lewis 1960), to ‘The Wreck”. I saw only one obviously infected coral, that in the outer Reef Crest zone, until I reached The Wreck where there were many, and at least some of them appeared to fit the description for Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease.” (See Presumptive SCTLD on Vauxhall Reef & Environs in 2023)
It appears that the earliest reports of presumptive SCTLD in Barbados were in late Nov 2022. I watched and documented rapid development of presumptive SCTLD corals over the period Jan-Apr 2023 submitting 26 reports to AGGRA. AGGRA declared Barbados to be confirmed for SCTLD on May 8, 2023.
***To add some details re: coral species infected. I was relieved that the Acroporpoid corals at Vauxhall (A. palmata, A cervicornis and A prolifera) and elsewhere in Barbados (near exclusively A. palmata – see Maclean & Oxenford, 2016) were untouched by SCTLD, as reported for acroporoids over the tropical Atlantic at large.
2024: Effects of Extreme Warming/coral bleaching events in the fall of 2023 were all too evident (Observations Jan 15 to Apr 8)
Extreme warming/coral bleaching events occurred in the fall of 2023. I looked for its impacts at Vauxhall immediately on my arrival in early 2024. It was reported to be especially hard on acroporoid and stinging corals, corals that had not been impacted by SCTLD. Unfortunately, the impacts of the extreme warming events were all too evident. All specimens of the hybrid coral, Acropora prolifera, at Vauxhaall Reef waere dead and darkened by overgrowth with epiphytes. A. palmata fared much better, and there were a few vestiges of living coral on A. cervicornis specimens. The very common stinging coral Millepora complanata was heavily impacted, but not the branched stinging coral M. alcicornis.
The ravages of SCTLD continued.*** add some details.
2025: Hurricane Beryl (June 30/July 1, 2024) had massively disrupted the once high living coral cover of Vauxhall Reef spurs (Observations Feb 4 to Apr 2, 2025)
“Between the night of 30th June and the first 12 hours of 01st July [2024], Barbadians watched and felt the passage of Hurricane Beryl as it tracked towards Barbados from an area to the southeast of the island. As was noted at the time, Beryl was the first hurricane to form in the Atlantic this early in the hurricane season…. In speaking to fisherfolk and those who make their living from the sea or along the coast, never in living memory has anyone seen sea swells like those which pounded the south coast and decimated much of the west coast. Even infrastructure designed decades ago to withstand severe weather systems proved little match for the destructive swells of Hurricane Beryl.” – Statement on the passage of Hurricane Beryl by Minister of Home Affairs and Information, Wilfred Abrahams.
Surely one of the most distinctive features of the Vauxhall Fringing Reef that I observed 2015 to 2024 was the high living coral cover on the spurs that extend out in the Seaward Slope zone onto the sands of the Reef Front; with the associated abundance and diversity of fish they afforded spectacular snorkelling to the many visitors arriving via west coast day cruises and mooring to fixtures in the area of “The Wreck”.
Onset of SCTLD in 2023 and high mortality of stinging corals associated with extreme warming events in 2023 initiated losses in coral cover on spurs. These were followed by the extreme wave disturbance associated with Hurricane Beryl (June 30/Julyn1, 2024); that was, by far, a much larger & more disruptive disturbance, at least physically. We can hope that it will not be repeated for some time, thereby allowing some significant re-building, at least by coral species not severely impacted by SCTLD or extreme warming.
Right Top: Tip of spur Vauxhall Reef, vicinity of The Wreck, early 2023 >85% living coral. The Stinging coral (platy corals in pic) would be completely killed by extreme warming in 2023 and 2024 The Porites (finger) and Madracis (pencil) corals are later physically broken and scattered by Hurricane Beryl (July 1, 2024).
Right Bottom: Tip of spur (likely same spur; same area) in early 2025. Finger and pencil corals totally disrupted. Living coral cover <10%.
View related videos:
 Video of Healthy Spurs |
 Video of spur disrupted by Hurricane Beryl |
Other conditions/phenomena/trends of possible note observed in 2025 (Feb-Apr) compared to earlier years
These observations are in note form and are largely “imoressions”/anecdotal at this time; (Nov 2025); I need to to elaborate, to confirm (or not) these observations through more detailed examination of my many photos and videos.
Related to Extreme Warming
– Stinging Corals There continued to be very little recovery or survival of Millepora complanata following the extensive die-off and overgrowth by epiphytes (algae, fungi) observed in 2024 and attributed to extreme heating events in 2023, such events perhaps ongoing. The dead colonies appeared darker and to support lower levels and diversity of associated life. There were occasional living colonies, some young in appearance. There were fewer living M. alcicornis than I had noted in 2024.
– Acroporoids There were absolutely no signs of any new growth on the hybrid coral Acropora prolifera at Vauxhall Reef which in 2024 was observed to have been 100% killed off, apparently by extreme warming events in fall of 2023
– Likewise, there appeared to be little recovery of A. cervicornis, however visibility was continuously poor and as I could not get a good look at the colonies on the Reef Front of Vauxhall Reef (they lay close to the limit of snorkelling depth in 2025).
– I observed only dead A. palmata on Vauxhall Reef in 2025.
– Brain Corals I noted on breakwaters and on fringing reefs proper many brain coral specimens that were uniformly light green; are these corals in the process of losing their zooxanthellae and possibly recovering? (I have not yet been able to find similar images of these corals for other areas of the Caribbean)
SCTLD
– Compared to 2024, there appeared to be – (it is my impression) – more healthy brain coral specimens free of SCTLD on breakwaters and on the seaward slope of Vauxhall Reef
– Compared to 2024, spread of SCTLD on Orbicella annualaris colonies appeared (it is my impression) to have stopped/not increased.
– In 2025, all pillar coral colonies, save one, were 100% or close to 100% dead/infected by SCTLD. One smaller colony in the Seaward Slope zone towards the southern extremity of Vauxhall Reef was entirely healthy.
Fish
My impression, only. Parrot fish, several species and a range of sizes, were still common and abundant on Vauxhall Reef in 2025. Notably absent were Scrawled Filefish which had been commonly seen in earlier years; ‘not sure about status other species of file fish, I think overall they were less abundant than in earlier years. Overall, there was much less fish activity around and within the “squarrose” stinging coral colonies which had died off when observed in 2024 but in 2024 were still hosting or were feeding grounds for large and diverse fish populations.
In 2025, I noted as I had in 2024, common occurrence of schools of “garfish”/needlefish tentatively identified as houndfish near the reef crest at Vauxhall, and particularly near the reef crest on the next fringing reef to the north (MPA Reef no 33). I have records of these fish in 2023, but not earlier; I do not recall seeing these fish 2015 to 2020 – but as as when I did see them 2023- to 2025, they stayed at locations close to the limit my vision, I may simply not have been sufficiently on the outlook for them as I was after I first viewed them in 2023.
Water Clarity
There was never a day in 2025 when waters from the outer Reef Flat zone to the Deep Water Communities zone at Vauxhall and elsewhere in the MPA were “crystal clear”. Rather it seemed that, unlike in previous years – when often the near shore (on the Reef Flat, and open sandy areas nearer to shore) waters were cloudy, but waters from approx the Reef Crest and beyond were much clearer – in 2025, the reverse was often true: the outer waters were constantly “cloudy” even “milky”. I was very aware of the water clarity as I was always looking out for days when the outer waters would be crystal clear so I could obtain better photos and videos of the deeper areas of reef. ‘Need to look for reports on visibility in other areas if the Caribbean… I am wondering (out loud): are the massive influxes of Sargassum creating some type of eutrophication (even though they rarely come in en masse to the Holetown area). It was the same bad clarity when I visited Bath on the east coast in 2025.
The “Surfside Breakwater Anomaly”
Loss of Seagrass (To Add)
Spread of exotic green alga (To Add)