One of the downsides to visiting the white sand beaches of Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean is that they are subject to annoying brown seaweed on the shore and in the water.
While not dangerous for swimmers, it can make a beach vacation an unpleasant experience.
Now the good news
Now that the fall and winter season is just around the corner, many beachgoers on Isla Mujeres, Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Cancun are mainly thinking about what the condition of the beaches will be like.
According to Esteban Amaro, head of the Sargassum Monitoring Network for the state, the waters of the Mexican Caribbean should be protected. usually sargassum free during the upcoming peak fall and winter holiday season.
Due to an El Niño condition, less sargassum overall made its way to the Mexican Caribbean this year.
Only 22,000 tons of sargassum, or brown seaweed, were collected from the beaches of the Mexican Caribbean this year. This was a decrease from 54,000 tons last year and 85,000 tons in the record year 2019.
For tourists to Cancun and other coastal towns in the area, this meant cleaner beaches and water for swimming.
Virtually Sargassum-free
While there is a good chance that small groups will end up on the beaches of popular holiday destinations such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres, Amaro has predicted that the high season will be virtually sargassum-free. Usually the seaweed appears in late February and peaks in April, May and June.
He said ocean currents are not conducive to the movement of large quantities of sargassum deposited on popular tourist beaches.
Typically, sargassum grows in large clusters off the coast of Africa and is then transported by ocean currents to the Caribbean, where it makes its way to the beautiful white-sand beaches of the Mexican Caribbean.
Along with changing ocean currents, high winds and waves from tropical weather systems help sink the floating sargassum and prevent it from washing up on the shores of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Playa del Carmen.
Increased tropical weather activity this year has contributed to the sinking of more sargassum than normal, preventing it from making its way to the tourist beaches around Cancun.
Just a short-term phenomenon
As a forecaster who deals with climate and its effect on sargassum movement in the seas, Amaro points out that this is a low year in sargassum, and that this is not the emergence of a new trend for Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean.
In fact, he said it’s the exact opposite. The Mexican Caribbean can eventually expect the amount of sargassum washing up on its coasts to increase due to overall warming of the oceans due to climate change.
The warmer oceans are promoting sargassum growth and the changing currents due to climate change will bring more sargassum to the coastlines of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Playa del Carmen over time.
Tips for tourists
Visitors to the Mexican Caribbean concerned about the upcoming peak fall and winter season can be happy that sargassum won’t have much of an impact on their beach resort vacation plans.
The picturesque coastline of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Playa del Carmen should look better than ever, and swimmers can enjoy their ocean experience more without the hassle of brown seaweed.
So go ahead, grab that swimsuit and enjoy a dip in the warm tropical waters of the Mexican Caribbean this fall and winter vacation!
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