A lot has been said about the sargassum and seaweed that has arrived on the beaches of Cancun, Playa del Carmen or Tulum, also known as the “Mexican Caribbean”. This is a phenomenon that not only surprises tourists but also all the people who live in the area because for a certain time or season our beautiful turquoise blue sea turns to a different color.
We understand this lead to greater confusion for people who visit or are about to visit Quintana Roo, as they worry about not being able to enjoy their vacations as planned or the fear of not encountering the turquoise blue of the Caribbean waters as in the pictures we see everywhere. So let’s talk a little more about sargassum Cancun and understand why it happens, what has been done about Sargassum and what to do if you come across this seaweed on your next vacation.
Sargassum is a floating seaweed that is concentrated mainly on the beaches of countries located in the Caribbean Sea. It’s important to understand that it is not only found in Quintana Roo, it is also found in Belize, Cuba, Jamaica and Honduras.
A few years ago, around 2014, sargassum began to reach Quintana Roo and it has been increasing lately. The causes can be diverse, some specialists mention the following as the top reasons:
-Increase in sea temperature due to global warming
-The increased sea contamination, caused by human waste from the mismanagement of sewage, boosts the nutrients that are an incentive for seaweed/algae growth.
Sargassum comes to Quintana Roo from the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic. Due to the currents, it is dragged to the coasts of the Caribbean countries mentioned above, this is how it reaches the beaches of Quintana Roo and sometimes the same current helps it to continue moving and moving away from our coasts.
Among the most affected places by sargassum in Quintana Roo are Tulum, Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen, although the amounts vary in the latter, it should be noted that a lot of work is done to clean each one of the destinations.
3. What is being done in Quintana Roo about sargassum?
Both the Tourism Secretary of Quintana Roo together with SEMARNAT, businessmen and citizens are working to prevent this natural phenomenon from affecting not only the vacations of those who visit Cancun and Riviera Maya, but also to avoid a natural disaster on the state’s beaches, the cleaning process of the most affected beaches can take 2 to 3 days.
Until now, different actions have been carried out on the coasts of Quintana Roo:
- Beach cleaning by hand (workers and volunteers have participated in such cleanups)
- Cleaning with specialized machinery
- Floating containment barriers have been placed in the sea to prevent sargassum from reaching the shore and retaining it, without affecting marine species.
- Special boats dedicated to the collection of sargassum work in the sea
- Specialists and researchers are analyzing the best options to reuse sargassum and put it to good use, in addition to finding all possible alternatives to deal with the issue.
Not really, sargassum is usually present in less than 3% of Quintana Roo and the Caribbean, it is not in the entire state, so there are many places that you can visit during your vacation.
5. Tips before you visit Cancun or Riviera Maya regarding sargassum:
- If you have doubts about the condition of the beaches, you can check the cameras of WebcamsdeMéxico in real-time, they have cameras from different points both in Cancun and in Playa del Carmen, Mahahual, Isla Mujeres, etc… >> Cancun Live
- When you chose your travel dates, contact the hotel or airbnb where you are going to stay and ask them about it, I assure you that they will not lie to you for two very simple reasons:
- 1. Ethics and good customer service
- 2. Because they won’t want a bad review about their property online (in case they lie to you)
- Don’t panic just with comments or news that you see in groups or social networks, always look for information from official media, such as SEDETUR (Quintana Roo Secretary of Tourism) or you can ask us on social networks, you can find us as MéxicoDestinos in any network.
- Quintana Roo hotels constantly update their social networks to clear up any doubts on the subject of sargassum, some even do live broadcasts, there is no way they will lie to you about it.
- The sargassum will gradually decrease, it is difficult to tell if there will be sargassum in a week or the next month since it changes constantly depending on the ocean currents, but you can always check the live cameras and get an idea.
6. Tips during your visit to the Mexican Caribbean before the arrival of sargassum:
As a Cancun native, I can tell you that sargassum is very capricious, sometimes it arrives in large quantities and the next day it disappears. The sea currents help a lot in this sense, which is also why sometimes we find Cancun clean and the next day with some sargassum. Here we give you some tips (or alternatives) in case you find this seaweed on the beach when you arrive. There are always a lot of ways to enjoy Cancun!
First of all, there are a lot of public beaches that you can visit in Cancun during your vacations, to mention a few:
- Mirador Playa Delfines (here you find the spot with the letters for your souvenir photo)
- Caracol Beach
- Forum Beach (Gaviota Azul)
- Punta Cancun
- Langosta Beach
- Marlin Beach
And here you can check different beaches of Cancun in real-time from webcamsdemexico :
- Punta Cancun (from Hotel Krystal Cancun): http://webcamsdemexico.com/webcam-punta-cancun
- Panoramic Cancun: http://webcamsdemexico.com/webcam-cancun
- Cancun Beach (from Hotel Live Aqua): http://webcamsdemexico.com/webcam-cancun-playa
- Punta Cancun Faro (from Hotel Hyatt Ziva): http://webcamsdemexico.com/webcam-punta-cancun-faro
Remember that your attitude during the holidays will make all the difference, it is up to you to enjoy every minute of your trip to the fullest. If a beach is not as you expected, remember that there are many more and, above all, many options to continue living unforgettable experiences, some ideas and alternatives:
Discover the cenotes of Riviera Maya
In Quintana Roo we have a lot of cenotes with beautiful crystalline and super cool waters that will help you forget about the heat and above all to enjoy nature. Here are 20 fantastic cenotes in the Riviera Maya.
Enjoy Playa Norte in Isla Mujeres
Playa Norte in Isla Mujeres is considered one of the best beaches in the world, because it is like a natural pool, it doesn’t have a lot of waves and it’s not very deep, plus the blue tone makes it impressive. It’s an obligatory stop on your visit to the island, also on Isla Mujeres there has been very little or practically no presence of sargassum. You’re going to love it!
Dare to dive into a MUSEUM! the MUSA awaits you…
The Cancun Underwater Museum of Art is a jewel of the Caribbean that you will enjoy a lot, not every day you have the chance to snorkel or dive in a museum, right? This is the moment you have been waiting for…
Visit and fall in love with El Cielo in Cozumel!
In Cozumel; as in Isla Mujeres, the presence of sargassum is very little, you will be able to explore this island without problems, there is also a lot to see, and you cannot miss visiting “El Cielo”, a place like few others in the Mexican Caribbean, where you will find a lot of sea stars, just remember not to touch them or take them out of the water. Put it on your list!
Kaan Luum Lagoon, a hidden treasure in the Riviera Maya
Very close to Tulum you will find the incredible Kaan Luum lagoon, a place that has become a favorite of many due to the color of the water and especially because it has a very deep cenote inside, you deserve to enjoy it!
Quintana Roo is full of places that you will enjoy during your vacations, in addition to beautiful beaches you will find incredible landscapes, allow yourself to live an unforgettable trip, but it is important to start raising awareness about everything that happens with the environment if we want to continue enjoying all the natural landscapes on our vacations.
7. Tips after you visit the Mexican Caribbean
Whatever experience you have lived in Cancun or the Riviera Maya with sargassum, you can help us, how? Don’t worry, here I’m going to tell you how you can contribute a little bit:
- Share your experience on social networks and talk about sargassum from the point of view of raising awareness to take care of our beaches and the environment. Complaining is useless if we don’t do something to change things, you can help us with this
- If you upload photos of the beaches, always mention the date you took the photo and the exact place, since it can be a photo from a month ago (when there was sargassum that day) and that beach is currently clean, let’s avoid misinformation
- Share with friends and family other alternatives in case they find sargassum on the beaches and remind them that there are many other beaches that they can visit that are clean and that they will be able to enjoy
We will always be happy to receive everyone in Cancun and the Riviera Maya, we like to see that you enjoy your vacations. Share with us at @mexicodestinos your doubts or experiences. We are waiting for you at Quintana Roo!
