Now that the brown seaweed sargassum season is over in the Mexican Caribbean, Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Zone teams can finally hit the coastline of Playa del Carmen to put the final touches on the beaches for the peak fall and winter travel season.
Peak Prepping of the Beaches
Recovered sand started arriving this week on the main Playa del Carmen tourist beaches of Calle 8, Recodo, and Punta Esmeralda.
With the brown seaweed season now complete, sand recovered during the clearing of the beaches from sargassum can now be returned to the shore for peak fall and winter season travelers.
According to the Director of the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Solidarity Zone, Adrián Medina, workers sifted the sand to remove any hazards and make the fine grains perfect for sun worshippers in the Mexican Caribbean.
They transferred it to Punta Esmerelda earlier in the season for coarse screening processing, and then after the end of the sargassum season, they returned it back to the shores of Playa del Carmen.
Lighter Than Usual Season
According to a University of South Florida study, the amount of sargassum on beaches of the Mexican Caribbean was actually less than normal this year.
They cited the two tropical storms that affected the Playa del Carmen area in June for the limited amount of brown seaweed on local beaches.
Due to higher-than-usual wind activity related to the storms, researchers believe that the sargassum was actually dispersed or even potentially sunk before it could wash up on the coastline of the Mexican Caribbean, especially Playa del Carmen.
The good news is that the lighter season allows the staff of the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Solidarity Zone to replace the sand sooner and in greater quantity, prior to the start of the peak fall and winter travel season in Playa del Carmen.
Increase of Red Algae
One thing that Director Medina pointed out was they have seen an uptick in red algae at Playa del Carmen beaches.
While it has not been in the same significant quantity as the sargassum, tourists to the Mexican Caribbean will definitely notice the impact of the red algae at local beaches.
According to reports, Red Algae in significant amounts can actually sicken swimmers. However, the Director of the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Solidarity Zone, Adrián Medina, does not seem concerned about the current levels present in Playa del Carmen.
Transitioning to Normal Maintenance
Workers with the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Solidarity Zone will now transition to standard maintenance operations to keep the beaches of Playa del Carmen clean and in top condition for the upcoming peak fall and winter travel season.
That means they will focus on items such as screening the sand, picking up discarded trash, removing cigarette butts in the sand, and other standard beach maintenance operations.
Returning to normal maintenance operations in Playa del Carmen will be even more important with the recent announcement of more than 60,000 beachgoers visiting the beaches of Cancun during the month of October.
It’s easy to estimate that the beaches of Playa del Carmen are seeing the same level of tourist activity.
What Visitors Need to Know
Travelers to Playa del Carmen will be able to find some of the finest sand conditions available in the Mexican Caribbean because of the low sargassum season and the early return of finely sifted sand to the local beaches.
Despite a small bloom of red algae, the beaches should be in top condition prior to the arrival of the key fall and winter travel season.
Because of this, those looking for opportunities to enjoy Playa del Carmen with their toes in the sand and a drink in their hand should find some great beaches on their upcoming beach vacation getaway to the area.
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