An infestation of rotting seaweed that is blighting many of Mexico’s pristine white-sand beaches on its Caribbean coast is believed to be the result of climate change.
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Why is there a lot of seaweed in Cancun?
The seaweed is moved from the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt to Mexico and the Caribbean region by hitching a ride on currents. As it makes it way along these streams, the sargassum picks up more and more nutrients and continues to grow.
Is the seaweed still bad in Cancun?
Will The Seaweed Ruin My Vacation To Cancun? For most people the answer is no. Many tourists on the beach went about their vacation like any other day. There are still beautiful areas of the water free from the floating seaweed that are great for swimming.
What months is seaweed bad in Cancun?
In the Caribbean, seaweed season is generally May to October. The worst time for seaweed in Cancun, the Dominican Republic and much of the Caribbean is during the summer months.
Where does the seaweed in Cancun come from?
This seaweed is also known as ‘Sargazo’ or ‘Sargassum’, it supposedly comes from the Sargazo Sea in the Atlantic Ocean. The sargazo is dragged along with the ocean current, to the coasts of some Caribbean countries, including our state of Quintana Roo.
Does Cancun still have a seaweed problem 2021?
The ships including 4 ocean sweepers are currently operating in the ocean waters surrounding Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, Cozumel and Tulum.As of May 31, 2021 over 10 thousand tons of seaweed have been removed from the ocean and beaches in 7 municipalities around Quintana Roo.
Is it safe to swim in sargassum?
Sargassum presents risks to human health as well. In the water, it’s harmless to humans, but the trouble begins once it lands on the beach and starts to decompose.Breathing in these toxic gases may cause respiratory, skin and neurocognitive symptoms in people that come in close contact with degrading sargasso.
Which beach in Mexico has no seaweed?
Isla Mujeres
Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres and Other Beaches Without Seaweed in Mexico. If you have your heart set on visiting Mexico’s Caribbean coast, it’s still possible to find beaches with no sargassum seaweed along this vast coastline.
How bad is seaweed in Playa del Carmen?
I’ll be honest, the seaweed situation in Playa del Carmen can be bad. Like REALLY BAD. At its worst, there can be mountainous piles of coarse brown sargassum on the beaches with an overpowering rotten eggs smell that makes you want to hold your breath.
Are there shark attacks in Cancun?
Shark Attacks in Cancun
Nevertheless, shark attacks have indeed occurred in Cancun. There will likely be another at some point in the future, as long as sharks and tourists share the same environment. Strangely, there were several attacks in a very short space of time in 2011.
Why is the water so blue in Cancun?
The waters around Cancun have phytoplankton and other organisms that whale sharks and other plankton-feeding fish live on, so the water takes on a slightly greenish-blue color. The Caribbean Sea is a relatively shallow body of water, and especially around the coast of the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico.
Are Cancun beaches swimmable?
Cancun offers a few “Blue Flag” rated beaches. These are safe beaches for swimming. They also offer disabled friendly access to the water.
Why does seaweed wash up on shore?
Small quantities of sargassum have always turned up as “beach wrack” – stuff that washes ashore. It stabilizes shorelines by helping to build sand dunes and nourishes dune plants. For these reasons, it’s left to naturally decompose in wild areas, such as Cape Florida State Park.
Is the seaweed bad in Cancun in December?
From October to May to avoid seaweed
If you want to dip into sargassum-free beaches, the best season is from October to May. Fun Fact: Some resorts like Seadust Cancun have made efforts to keep the seaweed from arriving at the shore by implementing a marine-life-friendly barrier.
Are Mexico beaches full of seaweed?
But now, in the spring and summer, the Yucatán coastline between Cancún and Tulum is clogged with mountains of seaweed, fouling the beach with a sulfurous scent of decay and making the water nearly unswimmable. This macroalgae is called sargassum, and it’s causing trouble in paradise.
How do I get rid of seaweed sargassum?
Sargassum in shallow waters can be removed “using reinforced fishing nets – either toed by light boats or by hand in very shallow waters. On Isla Bonita, Belize, volunteers devised a unique method of using a seine net to harvest the floating sargassum out of the water” (Hinds et al, 2016).
Can Sargassum be eaten?
Sargassum seaweed may be used fresh, eaten with a dash of vinegar or lemon juice, or in salads. Hawaiians use fresh Sargassum seaweed as an accompaniment to raw fish.To use Sargassum seaweed, first wash it thoroughly.
Is Sargassum seaweed bad?
Sargassum is a type of brown seaweed that is washing up on beaches in Florida. As it rots, it gives off a substance called hydrogen sulfide.Although the seaweed itself cannot harm your health, tiny sea creatures that live in Sargassum can cause skin rashes and blisters.
Is seaweed toxic?
While seaweeds are classified as macroalgae. There are currently no known poisonous or toxic seaweeds in existence.Incredibly there are only 14 reported deaths ever linked to eating seaweed, and the reports state that it’s not the seaweed itself but bacteria that had grown upon the seaweed.
Does Riviera Maya have a seaweed problem?
From about early October 2019 to March 2020 the beaches were very clear of seaweed. We believe the hurricanes of 2020 changed currents and it helped the sargassum situation. Starting in May of 2021 the seaweed is coming back.The beaches in the Riviera Maya have been pretty free from seaweed lately.
Does Cozumel have a seaweed problem?
Cozumel. Cozumel is another island with west-facing beaches, just off the coast of Playa del Carmen.Some sargassum has been recorded on the east side of the island over the past year, but the west side has been almost completely seaweed free. Continue to 3 of 10 below.
