Sargassum Season 2026: Which Beaches Get Seaweed
Sargassum drifts across the Atlantic and piles onto Caribbean beaches on a predictable seasonal cycle — and skips some destinations entirely. These guides give the month-by-month picture for each destination, with the date each one was last checked.
Destinations that stay clear
Sargassum is an Atlantic phenomenon, so these are effectively unaffected.
Destinations with a sargassum season
| Destination | Typical worst | Peak severity | By month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Maya | April through September | severe | |
| Tulum | April through August | severe | |
| Belize | June through August, with heavy conditions often extending April through October | Heavy | |
| Cancun | May through August | Heavy | |
| Key West | May through August | Heavy | |
| Playa del Carmen | May through August | Heavy | |
| Punta Cana | May through August | Heavy | |
| Riviera Maya | May through August, worst in July and August | Heavy | |
| Roatán | Late March through June, then a second surge in August and September; 2026 broke the pattern with a major February arrival | Heavy | |
| Antigua | May through August | Moderate | |
| Barbados | May through August | Moderate | |
| Jamaica | June through August | Moderate | |
| Cayman Islands | May through August | Light | |
| Costa Rica | March through August on the Caribbean coast only; the Pacific coast is clear every month | Light | |
| Cozumel | May through August, and mostly on the east coast | Light | |
| Curaçao | April through August, concentrated on the windward north and east coast | Light | |
| Isla Mujeres | May through August, and even then usually only light | Light | |
| St. Lucia | May through August | Light | |
| The Bahamas | June through September | Light | |
| Turks and Caicos | July through October | Light | |
| Aruba | April through September, and almost entirely on the windward east coast | minimal |
Ratings describe the resort beaches travelers actually stay on. On many islands the windward (Atlantic-facing) coast is far worse than the leeward side where the resorts sit — each guide says which is which.