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If you’re on your own or have already taken a trip to the beautiful beaches of Florida or Mexico this month, you couldn’t have planned your vacation better.
Travelers spend huge amounts of money to visit the best beaches, but sometimes Mother Nature has other plans.
Hurricanes or untimely rain are one thing, but dirty, smelly sargassum can ruin the whole atmosphere of a perfect, sunny beach vacation.
Pieces of seaweed will occasionally wash up, but sargassum is an ugly brown seaweed that looks more like a water invasion.
For those planning to go to Florida or Mexico, experts from the University of South Florida (USF) have been monitoring the sargassum blooms and providing reports every month.
Popular beaches affected this spring
Whether you pack a passport or not, brown stuff is expected to wash up on some of the most popular beaches this spring.
Especially in Spring Breakers, Florida and Mexico always seem to be at the top of the list, and that’s exactly what tourists are warned about.
As the giant blobs of sargassum make their way to the Caribbean, travelers still have time to change their plans or at least change their expectations.
Florida is expected to be directly affected in April. according to USF. Although southwest Florida, including the Keys, won’t see large amounts until late April or May.
Cancun, for example, has already been hit earlier than expected.
Mexico’s best beach destination has some of the most extraordinary blue waters imaginable, and is close to the United States.
Since it is the most popular international vacation destination for Americans to visit, many are sure to be disappointed as the eyesore of sargassum ruins their ocean views.
Even though beaches are being affected, sargassum is no stranger to the Mexican coast; Tulum and Playa del Carmen are also always affected.
The good news
This isn’t the first rodeo for these destinations. When spring arrives, someone somewhere in the major beach destinations is preparing for the worst sargassum scenarios.
Because these vacation destinations thrive on tourism, they don’t want to deal with the bad press of ugly, smelly beaches.
While there appears to be no bulletproof solution, some strategies are being implemented, including the installation of barriers and cleanup crews.
Even the Mexican Navy participates to better protect the beaches and offer tourists the best possible holiday experience.
The arrival of Sargassum on popular beaches is inevitable, but the good news is that significantly less is expected this spring than in previous years.
Experts continue to monitor the Sargassum movement
Each destination is handling sargassum invasions in its own way, but experts will continue to monitor its movement across the ocean and update accordingly.
Until then, it’s wise to check the latest news on whatever destination you’re planning a beach trip and temper expectations just in case.
After all, Mother Nature is undefeated. For now, the biggest blooms appear to be spreading through the East Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which happens to have some incredible beaches in their path.
USF has released some very insightful reports, but the March bulletin has not yet been released.
What about the Gulf?
Florida may be super popular, but the US is home to some great beach getaways, including Florida’s neighbor Alabama, which is already booming in popularity.
The latest reports show minuscule amounts of sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico, where there are many beach vacation destinations to choose from.
There is of course no guarantee, but this region can serve as a great alternative beach spot. With some highly underrated and super cheap beach vacations, sargassum-free vacations aren’t hard to find with just a little digging.
As for Mexico, Los Cabos is one of the most popular beach destinations for Americans and is not at risk for sargassum sightings given its prime location at the southern tip of Baja.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, and not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.
