The Mexican Caribbean could be in for its worst sargassum season yet, with the Navy warning that arrivals along the Quintana Roo coast may run more than 75% above historical averages in March and April.
The source of concern is a mass of roughly 280,000 tonnes of the brown seaweed currently drifting westward through the Central Western Atlantic. If currents and winds hold, a significant portion could wash ashore on beaches from Cancún to Tulum.
According to a statement, Semar (the Secretariat of the Navy) has assembled what it calls a record-scale containment operation: 16 surface vessels, an oceangoing ship, 11 coastal boats, four amphibious collection crafts, and 9,500 metres of offshore barriers already in the water, with plans to add another 6,000 metres in partnership with the Quintana Roo government.
Easter week is one of the most critical periods for tourism to the Mexican Caribbean, and this summer will bring unprecedented scrutiny to the region’s beaches as the FIFA World Cup draws international visitors and media.
Sargassum typically arrives on Mexico’s easternmost beaches between April and November. According to a crowd-sourced sargassum map, beachgoers between Puerto Aventuras and Tulum have already reported the seaweed along the coastline.
Playa del Carmen is installing the longest anti-sargassum barrier in its history ahead of the spring arrival season—a five-kilometre stretch running offshore from Playa Fundadores in the city centre north to Playa Esmeralda. That doubles the reach of the previous 2.5-kilometre barrier that protected the same section of coastline. The project is a joint effort between the municipality and Semar.
Irving Lili Madrigal, Director of the Federal Maritime Land Zone, said the expanded barrier will cover essentially all of the city’s public beach access points—around 21 in total.
Hotels along the coast maintain their own separate barriers, and officials say they're working to better coordinate those private systems with the municipal deployment.
