What is happening to Mexico beaches?

Meet the sargassum belt, a 5,000-mile-long snake of seaweed circling Florida. People remove Sargassum in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in April, 2022. Researchers expect this year will bring another massive bloom, choking local ecosystems and tourism economies.



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However it's still wise to keep a watch on seaweed conditions as landings of sargassum can still occur. The most recent sargassum forecast for Mexico's Caribbean Coast predicts minimal seaweed in summer 2023 but there may be landings in some locations (such as this beach on June 2023).

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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.

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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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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. However, much depends on winds and ocean currents.

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In Mexico, sargassum seaweed season is generally between May and October each year. If you travel to the Caribbean coast of Mexico outside of that time period you can generally avoid large mats of seaweed on the beaches. Cancun to Tulum seaweed map in March 2022.

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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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However due to ocean currents, the amount of seaweed landing on beaches in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in June and July 2023 was lower than expected. There's more good news! The sargassum seaweed forecast for September 2023 is minimal seaweed in the Caribbean Sea.

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The beaches in Playa del Carmen experience a seasonal seaweed influx that can change throughout the year. While efforts are being made to address the situation, visitors should know that the seaweed may impact their beach experience.

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Top Tip: Punta Esmeralda is a curved bay sheltered from the open sea, and thus receives less sargassum seaweed than other beaches in Playa del Carmen. If you're visiting during the sargassum season, which runs roughly from April to August, this might be the best place to swim in seaweed-free water.

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Seaweed season is generally between May and October. Based on the large size of the sargassum mat currently in the Atlantic, experts forecast that Tulum could have a major seaweed problem in 2023, depending on ocean and wind currents.

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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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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.

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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.

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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. However, much depends on winds and ocean currents.

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