Cancun, Riviera Maya, Q.R. — “The blue of our sea is back. Tourists who choose Quintana Roo to vacation this holiday season enjoy sargassum-free coasts since there is no sargassum every day nor on every beach,” said Governor Carlos Joaquin.
Favorable weather conditions have seen the relief of seaweed along Quintana Roo beaches from Cancun to Riviera Maya. The weather, in combination with human efforts, has resulted in clean beaches and clear Caribbean waters.
State beaches have regained their natural beauty, says governor Carlos Joaquín, with efforts from the three levels of government as well as private businesses and public volunteers who contributed to the diminished presence of the seaweed.
Miguel Ángel González Callejas, a tourist from San Luis Potosí, said that before arriving he was afraid he would find the beaches full of sargassum. However, after being on the beaches and seeing the sea, the reality is different.
“The truth is that I have a favorable impression because we have found the beaches very clean. I have found super clean beaches, super nice weather, super nice people. I know that sargassum is a natural thing, but here I see that a good job has been done,” he said.
“The sargassum has decreased a lot, mostly in the open sea. There are a lot of people coming to the beach because the sargassum has decreased. We thank the government for participating which has resulted in more tourists,” said Cancun yacht captain Miguel Ángel García Kinil.
Carlos Joaquin said that the containment barriers that hoteliers, municipal, federal and the state government have installed, are where 70 to 80 percent of the sargassum is generated.
He added that all areas are not the same, noting in some places, only a depth of 20 centimeters of seaweed has been recorded, while in other areas, they have measured 60 and 70 cms.
For the open sea, private sargacera boats are working to collect the sargassum before it reaches shore, this, added to the navy ships that have been collecting sargassum further out along the coast.
Carlos Joaquín stressed that with the work of beach manual cleaning and the collaboration of the navy and governments, “together we have advanced and learned to handle the arrival of the algae, and I am sure that we will continue to have better results in the remainder of the season, for the winter season and, of course, for next year.”
