Heavy sargassum arrivals continue to impact beaches in the Dominican Republic in Octoberwith affected areas including Punta Cana, Bayahibe, Boca Chica and Saona Island.
The influx has changed beach conditions and limited swimming in several popular tourist destinations.
We’ve collected the latest photo and video repost from one of the biggest FB groups are monitoring the sargassum seaweed situation in the region.
On October 13traveler Jürgen Schütz shared photos and video from Saona Island: “This is Saona Island right now, no Caribbean flair, just seaweed and trash.”
On October 3, Patrick Guennou Reported cleanup efforts underway:“Boca Chica public beach is being cleaned. Photo was taken this morning at 8:30 am.”
More recently, Andrea Scherer noted from Bayahibe:“Unfortunately, the seagrass has also arrived in Dominicus/Bayahibe. Yesterday for Iberostar Selection Dominicus Hacienda…”
“Catalonia Royal Bavaro today. At least I could swim yesterday.” said an anonymous participant, along with a video recorded on October 4.
Despite clean-up efforts along several beaches, large amounts of sargassum continue to arrive, impacting tourism and local ecosystems. The ongoing situation suggests that sargassum management will remain a challenge for the remainder of October.
Source: Dominican Republic Sargassum Seaweed Reports (Punta Cana, Cabarete, etc.)
Current satellite images from the University of Florida
Latest satellite images of the Laboratory of Optical Oceanography suggest the end of the sargassum seaweed season, but some of the remaining quantities of sargassum are still floating along the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic.
The 2025 Sargassum season is considered the worst on record for the entire Caribbean. Besides Punta Cana, Cancun, Tulum and Varadero are the hardest-hit destinations.
