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See where sargassum seaweed is likely to reach the beach today across the Riviera Maya, the Virgin Islands and the wider Caribbean, plus which nearby beaches usually stay clearer.
Ratings come from NOAA and the University of South Florida's daily Sargassum Inundation Risk, built from satellite data on the seaweed floating offshore. Each rating covers the wider stretch of coast around a spot, so a sheltered or west-facing beach can stay clearer than its rating. Wind and currents decide what actually lands, and the product is labeled experimental by NOAA.
Ratings come from NOAA and University of South Florida satellite data on the seaweed floating offshore, updated daily.
From Holbox and Tulum to St. John, Grand Cayman and Barbados. Tap any spot for its rating and local tips.
For the busiest areas we note which sheltered or west-facing beaches usually stay clearer on heavy days.
Geography decides most of it. Sargassum drifts in from the Atlantic on the trade winds and currents, so east-facing shores on open water catch the most. Beaches that face west, sit in a bay, or hide behind an island or reef usually stay clearer.
In the Riviera Maya that means Cozumel’s west coast, Isla Mujeres’ Playa Norte and Cancún’s bay-side beaches are the usual escapes. Across the Caribbean, Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach, Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos and Aruba are known for staying clear.
For hotels and villas that sit on those clearer coasts, see The Clear-Beach List 2026 from The Latitude Report.
In the Mexican Caribbean and most of the Caribbean, sargassum season usually runs from about March or April through September or October, with the heaviest weeks in late spring and summer. Winter months are usually the clearest. Every year is different, which is why a daily map beats a calendar.
Check the map above. It shows today’s rating for Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel and the rest of the Riviera Maya, updated every day from NOAA satellite data.
From the daily Sargassum Inundation Risk product by NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and the University of South Florida. It uses satellite images of floating seaweed offshore to rate how likely it is to reach each stretch of coast. NOAA labels it experimental.
Not always. Each rating covers the wider coast around a spot. Sheltered, bay-side or west-facing beaches nearby can stay much clearer, which is why we add local tips for the busiest areas.
Swimming near fresh floating seaweed is usually fine. Large piles that rot on the sand give off a strong rotten-egg smell, so give those space and follow the local beach flags and lifeguards.
Cozumel’s west coast, Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres and Cancún’s bay-side beaches like Playa Langosta usually catch the least, because they face away from the open Caribbean.
Every day. The map pulls the newest NOAA reading automatically and shows the date it covers at the top.
Run a hotel, villa, beach club or tour on the coast? We can add a live sargassum widget to your website so guests stop guessing and start booking.
Built by Houseful Co. Hospitality marketing from 18° to 20° North.