Just so you know, the beaches on this stretch of coastline sometimes experience increased levels of seaweed – called sargassum.
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Palm Beach in Aruba, Dutch CaribbeanIt's one of the most reliable Caribbean islands without sargassum. While there are several small, boutique-sized hotels in Aruba, here are two of our favourite large resorts on Palm Beach and Eagle Beach.
Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres, MexicoPlaya Norte is a dazzling beach in the Caribbean without sargassum seaweed. This beach is a perfect white sand haven for vacationers to take a break from their busy lives.
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.
Palm Beach in Aruba, Dutch CaribbeanIt's one of the most reliable Caribbean islands without sargassum. While there are several small, boutique-sized hotels in Aruba, here are two of our favourite large resorts on Palm Beach and Eagle Beach.
Sargassum inundations occur mainly on the windward coast of Saint Lucia like most Eastern Caribbean Island States, with occasional landings occurring on the southwest coast. This influences which assets are impacted.
Sargassum threatens tourismJamaica, The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic are sought-after tourist destinations in the Caribbean and tourism is a major industry for these Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Unfortunately, sargassum can threaten this industry.
An unusual amount of brown algae called Sargassum has been observed floating in the waters around Roatan during the last months of 2014 and beginning of 2015.
This means that Cozumel continues to be one of the least sargassum-affected municipalities and maintains clean western beaches (different from the landscape of other Quintana Roo destinations).
I had island tour guests visiting from Margaritaville over in St. Thomas earlier this week, and they said that the sargassum was very bad over there, and that makes sense. The winds here typically blow east to west, which means they are blowing directly toward Margaritaville, Sapphire, and the Ritz, for example.
Since 2011, 2023 still ranks in the top half of the worst sargassum seaweed seasons. With the latest data, USF researchers say in June, sargassum will likely decrease in the Gulf of Mexico, meaning beachgoers may not have such a smelly experience. The USF lab forecasts the decrease to continue through August.
Sargassum is type of brown seaweed that drifts on the ocean surface accumulating along beaches and coastlines throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Texas and Florida, including Miami-Dade County annually from March to October.
While the 2023 sargassum bloom isn't as large as originally expected, it will still be a major year for the algae and the lab expected it to continue increasing in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico in March. It is expected to travel west from the Caribbean Sea and become a hazard on some beaches in Florida.
2023 is shaping up to be a banner year for sargassum, a type of brown macroalgae now starting to wash up on beaches across the Caribbean. The thick dead tangled heaps of seaweed stink like rotten eggs and could cost many millions in holiday revenues this summer.
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.