Does Hawaii have sargassum?

(Sargassum echinocarpum) Endemic to Hawai'i, limu kala is one of the most important algae used in cultural practices. It is used in ho'oponopono, or forgiveness, ceremonies, where participants would be given a piece of limu kala, pray, and then eat the limu at the end.



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Invasive seaweeds are now also common on some of Hawai'i's shorelines.

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While exposed eastern shores are most likely to get hit by surges of sargassum, some beaches in Mexico have no sargassum. This includes Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo and Cozumel's western shore. They're generally seaweed-free.

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Caribbean islands most affected by sargassum seaweed in the past include beaches in Barbados, Tobago, Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic and Martinique.

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Sargassum season in the Mexican Caribbean typically runs from May through October, with July and August generally being the worst months for its arrival.

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Popular resort hubs, including Playa del Carmen and Tulum, have ramped up efforts to deter sargassum from affecting travelers. What is this? Both destinations have set up temporary barriers and hired more cleaners in an effort to attract more travelers.

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They clean up very early in the morning every day while you're still in bed. There is little seaweed in Waikiki beach too. Read Hawaii Aloha seaweed clean up and how to volunteer to join a beach clean up in Hawaii. Does Japan technically have seaweed?

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Playa Porto Mari on Curacao, Dutch Caribbean One of the most beautiful beaches in Curacao also happens to be one of the best Caribbean beaches without sargassum. Located on the west coast of the island of Curacao, Playa Porto Mari is a private beach which means there is an entrance fee.

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Have you seen this on the beaches of Hilton Head? It is sargassum, and it is a brown macroalgae or seaweed.

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Sargassum seaweed washing up on Florida beaches has ebbed to levels normally seen in early fall, even below normal in some areas. The once-anticipated 5,000-mile-wide bog in the Atlantic and Caribbean has rapidly — and mysteriously — disappeared.

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USF reports it remains difficult to predict exact timing and location for individual beaching events but substantial amounts of the seaweed are expected in May in both the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. June is forecast to be the likely peak of the 2023 season, but impacts are expected to continue into July.

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Most of the sargassum can be found around the Lesser Antilles and along the southern coasts of Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico.

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