Is sargassum a problem in St Maarten?

Sargassum first plagued St. Maarten in 2011 and 2012, with the St. Maarten Nature Foundation having to warn swimmers to avoid swimming on certain beaches due to the large amount of seaweed and many beachfront residences and hotels having to continuously clean washed up sargassum.



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Palm Beach in Aruba, Dutch Caribbean It'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.

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The amount of sargassum seaweed in Cancun varies by season and even daily. Generally the worst months for seaweed are July and August.

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Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres, Mexico Playa 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.

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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.

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Sargassum can collect on windward coasts in the Turks and Caicos, such as on much of South Caicos, Grand Turk, the eastern side of North Caicos, and the Ambergris Cays.

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It identified heavy influxes of sargassum in 2018, 2019, 2022 and early 2023. Caribbean islands most affected by sargassum seaweed in the past include beaches in Barbados, Tobago, Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic and Martinique.

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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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The Cayman Islands is one of many countries increasingly impacted by large Sargassum blooms over the past decade.

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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.

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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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Scientists say more research is needed to determine why sargassum levels in the region are so high, but the United Nations' Caribbean Environment Program said possible factors include a rise in water temperatures as a result of climate change, and nitrogen-laden fertilizer and sewage that nourish the algae.

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The tap water in Sint Maarten/St. Martin is safe to drink in most places. Many establishments serve desalinated water. Bottled water is inexpensive if you do not like the taste of the tap water.

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Similar algal aggregations in the same area have subsequently occurred in most years, increasing in size and stretching over 8,850 km or 5,499 miles along the central Atlantic from the coast of west Africa to the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, garnering the name the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt (GASB).

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