The Sargassum Journal

Understand the seaweed,
plan the better beach day.

Plain-English guides to sargassum across the Riviera Maya and the wider Caribbean — what it is, when it peaks, where the water stays clear, and how to plan around it.

Latest articles

Guests dining beneath a woven-bamboo canopy at sunset over the Caribbean
Where to stay

The most impressive hotels in the Riviera Maya

Eleven standout stays chosen for architecture, concept, food and setting — from overwater bungalows and boat-in lagoon suites to jungle treehouses and Bacalar eco-luxury.

16 min readJul 2026
Snorkellers in a clear turquoise cove at a nature park
Travel guide

The Mexican Caribbean beyond the beach

Islands, cenotes, lagoons, nature parks, nightlife, reserves and a trip to Mérida — everything to do when the beach has sargassum.

14 min readJun 2026
A floating yellow barrier holding sargassum offshore
How it works

What can we do about sargassum?

Barriers, collection boats and beach cleanups — why each only partly works, new ways to reuse the seaweed, and what to do when it lands anyway.

9 min readJun 2026
Aerial of Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres, with boats on turquoise water
Where to go

Where to go to avoid sargassum

The islands, lagoons and sheltered beaches that tend to stay clearest — Isla Mujeres, Cozumel and Bacalar — and where to stay on each.

10 min readJun 2026
Aerial of Isla Mujeres and Playa Norte
Planning

When is sargassum season in the Riviera Maya?

The month-by-month rhythm of the seaweed season — and the windows when the water is most likely to be clear.

5 min readJun 2026
Sargassum piled on a Riviera Maya beach
Explainer

What is sargassum, really?

From the Sargasso Sea to the Caribbean's beaches — what it is, its natural occurrence, and the two faces of the "golden floating forest."

8 min readJun 2026
Map of how sargassum reaches the Riviera Maya
Science

What's driving the sargassum boom?

River nutrients, Saharan dust, upwelling and currents — the forces behind the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt.

9 min readJun 2026