When Is Seaweed Season In Cancun
Travelers Shocked After Learning When Seaweed Season Hits Cancun
Alright. Let’s talk seaweed. More specifically, sargassum. Now, if you’re planning a trip to Cancun (Riviera Maya, the area around Cancun is awesome and we’ll tell you where to go to avoid tacky tourist traps) and you have been dreaming of turquoise crystal clear water... this shit matters. A lot. Because what better way to show up for your dream beach vacation than to find instead a thick crest of brown seaweed and the smell of low tide wafting through your beachfront resort.
So when is seaweed season in Cancun? And what can you do about it? Here's the real, unpolished guide.
Is Cancun’s Seaweed Problem Getting Worse Every Year? Here’s The Shocking Pattern
Sargassum is the brown, stringy seaweed that you have no doubt seen in pictures all over Caribbean beaches. It floats there in huge mats in the Atlantic, and each year, gobs of the stuff swirls toward the shores of Mexico, Florida and the Caribbean islands.
The worst of it appears to be between April and October. And it can technically happen any time of year, although the volume tends to be highest from May through August. Beaches, including those in Tulum and Playa del Carmen, can be battered by the same two months. There are some years when the situation is worse about food in the ocean and some years when the situation is better, and it has to do with the water temperature and the ocean current, and the nutrients from some of the things like agricultural runoff from water basins like the Amazon.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
So, yeah, it’s not a fluke. There’s a pattern. And it’s been worsening, of all yawningly upturning trends, over the last decade.
These Shocking Sargassum Stats Will Make You Think Twice About Visiting Cancun In Summer
The sargassum season in 2018 broke records, and it proved to be a case of when the blooms would spread, not if. That year, satellites recorded more than 20 million metric tons of seaweed floating in the Atlantic. That is more than twice as much as in previous years.
Flash forward to today, and we’re starting to see the same thing with recent years. As of May 2023, the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Lab said there were 13 million tons afloat in the Atlantic Sargassum Belt. The same month, the Hotel Association of Cancun reported that 30 per cent of beaches in areas along the coast line had moderate to high accumulation levels.
Mind you, this doesn’t mean every beach gets a cleaning every day. It shifts. Ocean currents push it around. Some resorts clean it on a daily basis by 7 a.m. Others leave it. Some coastal stretches are a natural firewall against waves, others end up as dumping grounds.
Avoid The Seaweed Nightmare. The Exact Months Cancun Beaches Are Still Perfect
If you’re keen on avoiding sargassum as much as possible, your best bet is to go between November and March. These months are part of Cancun’s dry season, which equates to better weather and cleaner beaches. The water, meanwhile, is clearer.
Plus, it’s cooler. Not cold, I mean, come on, still Mexico, but breezy enough that the air doesn’t feel muggy, heavy. Visit in early December or late January, and you might even avoid the holiday crowds and save a few bucks to boot.
That’s why, if you’re the kind of traveler who prioritizes clear blue water over hotel deals, this is the sweet spot.
You Can Still Save Your Cancun Vacation (Even If It’s Seaweed Season)
Sometimes, you’ve already paid for the trip. It’s your cousin’s wedding. Spring break is hardwired into your schedule. Or you just didn’t know. And that’s okay. Here’s what you can do:
Ask your resort. Some destinations do rake the seaweed up each day, and thus have a clean beach and use barriers and have cleanup crews at the ready. Others do not. Email them. Ask.
Hit the lesser-affected nearby beaches. Not all beaches are equally hard-hit. Isla Mujeres, a few miles away from Cancun by ferry, typically has clearer waters. So does Playa Norte.
Plan inland days. There’s plenty to do in the region that doesn’t involve the beach. Cenotes, Mayan ruins such as Chichen Itza or Coba, jungle tours, food markets and so on.… don’t wreck your entire vacation due to some seaweed.
What Travelers Really Think About Cancun During Seaweed Season
Look, Cancun’s still beautiful. The water is warm, the sand is soft, and there’s no dearth of tacos, margaritas or sunshine. But here’s the thing: You are allowed to make the seaweed situation sound unappealing, because it very much can be.
The good news is that if you plan for it, it’s manageable. If you steer clear of the May to August period or remain open to where you swim and when, those postcard moments will still be all yours. Just don’t show up in the thick of peak sargassum season and assume you’ll be floating through crystal-clear water without a little kismet.
So, is Cancun even worth visiting during the seaweed season anyway? Yeah. But it’s knowing when to go that really matters. And now you know.
