Currently, beach cams in Fort Myers Beach and Naples show clear shorelines with little to no sargassum. It is noted that 'Seaweed Season' just ended, which tends to appear on Florida beaches in the spring, with a peak in June.
Substantial sargassum is expected in June in both the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, according to the May report from the University of South Florida. That's no surprise to beachgoers who have been seeing the smelly seaweed on Florida beaches from Pensacola to Brevard County.
Playa Porto Mari on Curacao, Dutch CaribbeanOne 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.
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.
Sargassum season in the Mexican Caribbean typically runs from May through October, with July and August generally being the worst months for its arrival.
As a result of this, Fort Lauderdale crews are out daily, scooping up the fresh sargassum from the beaches. They take truckloads of it to a park where the city repurposes it and by the time it decomposes, it has very little smell and becomes fertile soil.
In Grenada, Grand Anse regularly tops the list of the world's best beaches due to its crystal clear waters and its 2 kilometre long stretch of white sand dotted with palm trees. It's also blessedly free of sargassum seaweed.
Piles of sargassum seaweed are accumulating on the beaches of Florida's Key West. Scientists say the seaweed is expected to increase even more over the next few months.
Florida's seaweed season typically runs from April until October, peaking in June and July. The seaweed comes in waves, depending on currents and wind direction. The seaweed itself is not harmful to humans, but decaying sargassum on beaches releases hydrogen sulfide that can impact people with breathing issues.
“Sargassum normally does not accumulate in places like Sarasota Bay or Tampa Bay,” says Tomasko. “The biggest problem has been around the resort beaches in the Caribbean and Southeast areas, like Miami Beach.”
The sargassum seaweed that is washing up in mass amounts on South Florida beaches is carried from off the coast of Brazil by oceanic currents, finally arriving via the Gulf Stream to be blown ashore by the prevailing onshore winds.
Five people are confirmed dead in the Tampa Bay area due to a rare, flesh-eating bacteria in the waters. According to Florida Health, Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that naturally occurs in warm, brackish seawater and requires salt. This year, there have been 25 reported cases and five deaths since January 2023.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.The seaweed called sargassum has been showing up for the last few weeks. Those on the beach in Volusia County think it could help rebuild the dunes and beaches after last year's hurricanes took several dozen feet of sand back to the ocean. “A lot of people think we move it. We don't move it.
At this time, red tide is not present on St. Pete/Clearwater's beaches. Although many national news outlets reported about a massive seaweed or sargassum blob coming to Florida this summer, this is not affecting the beaches of St.Pete/Clearwater in any way.