Alert reader Lee Johnson writes —
Could you please give us more info on what happened with all the sargassum: has it washed away? still there? still polluting the clarity of the lagoon?
Below are two photos taken 31 July 2016 on Half Moon Bay. In the pic looking north you can see rocks on the shore, but no sargasso. Looking south, clean as a whistle! Some sargasso still comes in at the curve of the bay, but only minimally. A couple of the buildings affected have it removed as needed. A year ago this was not the case, but owners of casas and condos made arrangements to remove the sargasso from the beach and place it on the jungle/mangrove side to dry. When dry, big trucks came in to haul this dried sargasso to a designated refuge spot.
We’ve heard nothing about the presence of sargasso in the lagoon. So either it’s not there or it’s not an issue. A family vacation blog offers this wisdom:
Overall the situation is variable. One week there may be large mounds of seaweed heaped on the beaches in one spot while on others the beaches are perfectly clean. The sea weed accumulation has been most prolific on the stretches of exposed beach and less noticeable in areas that are protected by natural headlands, bays, or coves. For example, Akumal stayed relatively clean throughout 2016.
Thanks for asking, Lee!
I have been watching the Akumal Webcam and notice the Sargassum has returned with a vengeance. I was there in January and there was none at all!
Can you tell me, in previous years how long has it lasted? Is it usually gone by a certain time of year?
Christina,
Thank you for writing! Sargasso has been afflicting Akumal for only a few years, so we are clueless! It comes in when it comes…and then it goes. Sorry we can’t be more helpful. AN Staff