Satellite

Sargassum satellite view of Caribbean and Florida beaches

This page presents a satellite reading for each beach on the Sargazo Watch map. The European Sentinel-2 satellites photograph the coast every two to five days, and each photograph is analysed over a five-kilometre square around the beach for floating sargassum, brown water near the shore and large accumulations of sargassum on the sand.

Satellite images are not taken every day, as photographs and live cameras are, and cloud frequently covers the coast. They nevertheless provide a useful general indication of sargassum density at sea, of brown water near the coast and of large accumulations on the sand. Where a beach has recent visitor photographs or a live camera, its beach card on the map remains the more reliable source; photograph coverage is being extended to more beaches.

Satellite readings by beach

Loading the latest satellite readings.

El Cuyo

Holbox & North

Cancún

Isla Mujeres

Riviera Maya

Costa Maya

Cozumel

Miami

Florida

Fort Lauderdale

Florida Keys

Bahamas

Cuba

Cayman Islands

Jamaica

Turks & Caicos

Saman\u00e1 (DR)

North Coast (DR)

Punta Cana (DR)

Dominican Rep.

Puerto Rico

Virgin Islands

Belize

Honduras

Costa Rica

Southern Caribbean

Lesser Antilles

Palm Beach

Treasure Coast

Space Coast

Northeast Florida

Tampa Bay

Southwest Florida

Panhandle

Grand Strand (SC)

North Carolina

Alabama

Miches (DR)

Bayahibe / La Romana (DR)

Santo Domingo coast (DR)

Northwest (DR)

Southwest (DR)

Method and limitations

Each beach is read from the most recent Sentinel-2 photograph that covers it. Floating sargassum is identified by the way it reflects near-infrared light, brown water by its colour close to the shore, and large accumulations on the sand by comparing each ten-metre square of beach with its usual appearance on earlier clear passes. Cloud and the edges of cloud are excluded from the reading.

What the reading shows well

Floating sargassum on the water, from the shoreline outwards.
Brown water along the shore.
Large accumulations of sargassum on the sand.

What the reading cannot show reliably

A thin line or scattered strands on the sand. These are usually too small for the satellite, and what it records also depends on beach cleaning and on the moment the photograph was taken.
Any area under cloud.
Present conditions. The latest clear pass may be several days old, so the date shown with each reading should always be checked.

Sargassum at sea does not necessarily reach the beach: wind and current determine which stretches of coast receive it. The satellite reading is therefore a general indicator and does not replace a photograph of the beach itself.

Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026, analysed by Sargazo Watch.