While the 2024 sargassum season has officially ended, small patches of seaweed continue to wash up on Quintana Roo’s shorelines here and there. Nothing to be worried about—the algae has been a natural part of the sea for centuries and, in low amounts, it even benefits marine ecosystems.
Recently, favorable weather conditions in the Atlantic have shifted marine currents, sweeping remaining algae away from the Mexican Caribbean and leaving beaches more pristine than ever.
This phenomenon is only temporary, notes Fernando Orozco Ojeda, Regional Director of the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp).
Still, any break from troublesome and costly sargassum is welcome news; all those involved in the tourism industry have embraced it with joy.
Orozco urged those working on the sargassum problem not to lower their guard and keep developing strategies for containment, collection, and transformation into profitable commercial products, especially since large sargassum inundations have already been forecast for 2025.
Meanwhile, authorities will continue monitoring the algae’s movement toward the Caribbean via satellite. The Conanp director also highlighted the importance of continued collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop sustainable, long-lasting solutions.
It’s still too early to predict the severity of the 2025 seaweed season. Esteban Amaro Mauricio, hydrobiologist and Director of the Sargassum Monitoring Network, has stated that in nature, nothing is set in stone: “Nature follows its own patterns, making it very difficult to predict its behavior.”
As of now, “There will be some patches in what we call the “red spots,” which include the north of Puerto Morelos near Petempich Bay, as well as in Tulum National Park and Akumal, where sargassum always arrives, but it is nothing to worry about,” said Amaro.
Unpredictable natural factors—like changes in sea currents, the number of hurricanes and tornadoes expected in the Atlantic Ocean next year, rising water temperatures, and human-driving impacts—will ultimately determine the condition of Mexico’s beaches in 2025.
For the time being, booking a trip to Quintana Roo to catch its Instagram-worthy turquoise waters might be a great idea since this sargassum-free window won’t last forever.
Experts have already detected around 6.2 million metric tons of seaweed swirling off the northwest coast of Africa, waiting for the right sea conditions to start its journey to Caribbean beaches.
That movement is expected to show its effects in the spring, likely between late March and early April.
Unfortunately, predicting how much of that sargassum will eventually reach shores is nearly impossible given the number of factors that influence its growth and trajectory.
In related news, next month, the BBVA’s National Sustainability Challenge and the Riviera Maya Hotel Association (AHRM) will award three academic projects that show promise in significantly reducing the negative impact of sargassum in Caribbean countries.
The winning projects include Sargapanel, which develops gypsum panels made from sargassum as a sustainable construction material; Bioenergy and Bioproducts, which aims to convert algae into clean energy alternatives; and Phosphorus Removal from Wastewater, an invention designed to remove phosphorus from wastewater, reducing its harmful impact on marine ecosystems.
Another project, though not among the winners, was highlighted by organizers: the creation of sargassum-clay modular domes, designed to help regenerate coral reefs and support marine ecosystems.
Academic institutions “tell us whether it’s feasible to proceed with these projects, and once they are implemented, they become a business, which is the ultimate goal: to turn waste into a raw material and create a parallel industry around sargassum while reducing reliance on tourism,” said Toni Chaves, president of the AHRM.