Is seaweed choking shores in the Caribbean?

Is seaweed choking shores in the Caribbean? A record amount of seaweed is choking shores in the Caribbean Seaweed is smothering Caribbean coasts from Puerto Rico to Barbados as tons of brown algae kill wildlife, choke the tourism industry and release toxic gases.

Does sargassum seaweed affect cruise ships?

It will not stop any ship. However, if you are out fishing on your boat, you will likely spend time cleaning a fouled prop. The real impact for a cruise is if the seaweed has landed on the beach you plan to visit.

Is there sargassum in September?

Minimal Sargassum Arrival Projected Typically September is when the Mexican Caribbean starts seeing less of the annoying seaweed.

Does St Lucia have a sargassum problem?

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.

Where is the sargassum seaweed in 2023?

According to the University of South Florida oceanography laboratory, the large sargasso seaweed mat in the east-central Atlantic in early 2023 meant a high risk of major blooms of seaweed in 2023.

Does St Thomas have a seaweed problem?

St. Thomas, unfortunately, is a different story. The beaches at Margaritaville, Sapphire and the Ritz, for example, all face east. This means that sargassum often affects those resorts.

What beaches will sargassum affect?

The presence of Sargassum occurs over large areas from the tropical Atlantic in the east, to the Gulf of Mexico in the west, approximately 5,000 kilometers from the eastern tropical Atlantic to the west off the Mexican coast in the Caribbean Sea.

Will sargassum hit Caribbean?

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.

Where to go in the Caribbean to avoid sargassum?

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.

Is seaweed still a problem in the Caribbean?

The seaweed belt remains huge – there's an estimated 6 million tons of sargassum still floating around – but it's down several million tons in just a few months. That's good news for residents, visitors and workers of beach areas of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

Do resorts clean up sargassum?

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.

What months are best to avoid sargassum?

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.

What time of year is seaweed bad in Caribbean?

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.

Which Dominican beaches have no seaweed?

Bayahibe, Macao Beach, and Uvero Alto are among the clean, Sargassum-free beaches you can enjoy.

Is sargassum in the Turks and Caicos 2023?

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.

Which caribbean islands are not affected by sargassum 2023?

Is there a sargassum forecast for 2023?

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.