This dataset provides depth, age, and sediment reflectance data of piston core M78/1-235-1, which was recovered from Tobago Basin (11°36.53'N 60°57.86'W) from 852 m water depth. A MINOLTA CM-508d hand-held spectrophotometer was used during R/V Meteor Cruise 78/1 to measure the light reflectance (L) of the sediment. The spectral reflectance is measured over a wavelength spectrum from 400 to 700 nm at a 10 nm pitch. Routine measurements were made at 1 cm intervals and automatically recorded using the SPECTRAMAGIC® v.2.11 software. The L- dataset without age information is archived at doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.788740 (Bahr et al., 2012). The L* data provide stratigraphical information, and information on fluvial supply of terrigenous matter to the core location.