In the Caribbean, seaweed season is generally May to October. The worst time for seaweed in Cancun, the Dominican Republic and much of the Caribbean is during the summer months.
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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.
While the seaweed shows up from the Gulf of Mexico around June each year, it always piles up the most between July and August. If you're looking to schedule your trip to Key West when it's least likely to be consumed with seaweed, you'll want to make plans to arrive between October and May.
Punta Cana seaweed is worst when the weather is hotter, and it almost disappears during the winter months in the northern hemisphere. Seaweed in Punta Cana is very rare between November and May, which have the lowest temperatures in the Dominican Republic.
It's especially important to think about in 2023. There's been a record-breaking sargassum seaweed bloom in 2023 in the Caribbean Sea. In order to help you plan your beach vacation, we've created a list of Caribbean beaches not affected by sargassum seaweed historically.
7 September 2023 Update: The Turks and Caicos is experiencing medium levels of sargassum at this time. Grace Bay, Leeward Beach, Sapodilla Bay, Taylor Bay, and the Bight Beach remain largely free of sargassum. Sargassum that washed onshore in late August has largely dissipated.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Caribbean SeasonsRain is more frequent in the wet season, but the temperatures are warmer. Wet season and dry season are both good times to cruise the Caribbean. The worst time for a Caribbean cruise weather-wise is August to September, as it is peak hurricane season.
The seaweed season in the Dominican Republic including Punta Cana can vary from year to year due to natural factors and environmental conditions, especially regarding temperatures on the Atlantic Ocean. Historically, the seaweed influx in the region has been more prevalent during the summer months and into fall.
If you plan to visit Punta Cana in 2023, you may encounter some seaweed on the beaches. However, most hotels and resorts in the area have implemented measures to keep their beaches clean and seaweed-free.