Riviera Maya, Q.R. — While the topic of sargasso continues to make news around the globe, the head of tourism for the state says it is false that the seaweed is on all beaches.
Marisol Vanegas Pérez, Secretaria de Turismo Quintana Roo says that news circulating that sargasso has infested every beach in the state is simply not so. She clarifies that the arrival of sargasso is not widespread on all coasts of the Mexican Caribbean as is often reported.
She also clarifies that the arrival of the sargasso is not all day and all night. Vanegas Pérez points out that today, for example, numerous state beaches are free of sargasso including beaches in Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Cozumel and Holbox.
Although many beaches around Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Mahahual and Puerto Morelos are seeing the seaweed accumulate along its shores, crews are out doing their best to remove and dispose of what does make it to shore, while navy efforts continue offshore.
According to Nereus Program, sargasso blooms have reportedly fouled more than 700 beaches, not only around parts of Mexico, but also in other popular beach hotspots including Belize, Cuba and the United States.
They say that in August of 2018, unprecedented blooms were seen in both size and geographic scale. These blooms have invaded beaches in Florida, Mexico and Belize to Barbados, via Cuba, the Cayman Islands, throughout the Lesser Antilles and south to French Guyana.
Live footage of beaches around Mexico can be viewed on Webcams of Mexico, showing daily images of current beach and sargasso situations, such as the continual live feed from Punta Cancun Faro, central Playa del Carmen beaches, Playa Cozumel, Mahahual, Playa Norte at Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos and Xcaret.
