Hurricane Season in the Mexican Caribbean is almost over for this year, but it has certainly left its mark in several of the region’s destinations.
Playa del Carmen is one of them.
The beaches in the popular tourist hotspot are currently seeing a rise in sargassum and beach erosion, but there are several places to go to avoid it.
Beach Erosion And Sargassum In The Mexican Caribbean
There isn’t much you can do about beach erosion, as much of the Mexican Caribbean is experiencing it due to the passage of the most recent tropical storm and hurricane.
Officials have said that the issue will naturally fix itself by around April.
You can visit certain areas to avoid sargassum, though, as not all areas are seeing a rise in sargassum like Playa del Carmen is, and some are often without sargassum.
Read on to find out where those areas are, but first, let’s review what sargassum is, where it comes from, and how to monitor it.
Sargassum
Sargassum, often mistakenly referred to as seaweed, is actually a macroalgae that travels on top of the water.
It comes from the Atlantic Ocean, where it gathers to form what is known as the Sargasso Sea.
From there, it travels with ocean currents until it reaches the Mexican Caribbean.
It then commonly washes up on the shores of the region’s beaches, but several places see much less of it if any at all.
Those destinations are highlighted below.
Cozumel
Even though Cozumel sits off of the coast of Playa del Carmen, which is currently and often plagued with sargassum, Cozumel generally gets less of it.
Particularly the west side of the island, which is more developed and lined with sprawling resorts and busy beaches, gets the least amount of sargassum.
Best of all, it’s only a 45-minute ferry ride from Playa del Carmen.
Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres is another beautiful tropical island in the Mexican Caribbean.
It’s just off the coast of Cancun and is known for getting less sargassum than its larger, more popular mainland neighbor.
This is due to the location of the island, and the north end of the island, around Playa Norte, typically sees the least sargassum.
Playa Norte is considered to be one of the best beaches in the world.
Playa Mujeres
Playa Mujeres sits just around 30 minutes from Cancun’s bustling Hotel Zone and its many beaches that are often plagued with sargassum during sargassum season.
For some reason, it gets much less sargassum than Cancun and has stunning beaches.
Part of the reason for the low levels of sargassum is likely due to its location, which is directly across from Isla Mujeres’ Playa Norte.
Isla Contoy
Isla Contoy is a tiny, uninhabited island, except for a few scientists, that sits north of the island of Isla Mujeres.
It is only reachable by boat tour and visitors can only spend the day there, but it has some beautiful, typically sargassum-free beaches to enjoy.
In 1998 it was declared a national park and it is home to more than 150 species of birds.
Holbox
Holbox is an island that is a bit away from the Riviera Maya region of the Mexican Caribbean that sits between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
It’s off the coast of Chiquila, which is about two hours northwest of Cancun and is known for often being without sargassum.
To get there you’ll have to book transportation for the two-hour trip from Cancun to Chiquila and take a 25-minute ferry ride from Chiquila to Holbox.
It’s well worth the trip, like it is with all of the aforementioned destinations, to enjoy the island’s stunning sargassum-free beaches, though.
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