Tulum, Q.R. — Municipal authorities have begun the sargassum battle early this year with over 180 tons already collected. Beaches in the municipality of Tulum have also been affected by the early arrival of seaweed.
In response to the atypical arrival of sargassum, the Tulum government initiated collection actions to address the influx.
Forecasts indicate that the sargazo situation during 2026 will be comparable to last year. According to Tulum authorities, over 185 tons has already been collected from the sand this year.
Due to its early appearance, David Buchanan García, the Tulum General Director of the Federal Maritime Zone (Zofemat), reported that more than 185 tons of sargassum has been collected so far this year.
He says due to forecasts, they are anticipating an intense season of sargassum.
With this and the early arrival already seen along the Tulum coast, Zofemat has begun distributing large containers to hotels. The containers are being used to deposit collected seaweed from their beach areas.
Deposit containers are also being distributed in public areas to support beach cleaning staff to help with efficient seaweed disposal.
According to Buchanan García, they started distributing the large metal containers last week. He says effective coordination will be crucial to ensuring the municipality’s beaches remain clear of sargassum that makes landfall.
State Secretary Crstina Torres Gómez said current weather conditions marked by rising sea temperatures and altered ocean current have caused sargassum to arrive early on the coast.
She said this 2026 year could see similar sargazo volumes as the state saw during 2025.
