The weekend witnessed a surge in sargassum arrivals along Quintana Roo’s coast, with Playa del Carmen and Tulum bearing the brunt of the invasion. While the hotel zone in Cancún and the island of Cozumel also experienced significant arrivals, they were less intense compared to Playa and Tulum.
According to Esteban Jesús Amaro Mauricio, director of the Sargassum Monitoring Network for the state, sargassum arrivals have been increasing in the south of Quintana Roo as well, with Mahahual, Xcalak, and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve reporting abundant amounts. Even on Cozumel’s east coast, significant quantities of the macroalgae have been observed, with all monitoring points indicating a high risk.
“This is the second major sargassum landing we’ve had this year, which began around May 14th and has been expected for several months,” Amaro Mauricio noted. “This phenomenon is not limited to Quintana Roo; it’s happening practically throughout the Caribbean. We’re seeing very significant landings in the Dominican Republic, the Antillean Arc islands, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and parts of the Florida peninsula are also experiencing sargassum arrivals.”
In Cancún, Coral Beach has been particularly affected, with 1,344.30 cubic meters of sargassum collected during 2025. In total, 1,877.05 cubic meters of the algae have been collected on the seven public beaches managed by the Benito Juárez municipality.
Tourism service providers are calling for the acceleration of the complete installation of barriers to prevent further sargassum invasion and minimize its impact on the region’s tourist infrastructure.
Source: La Jornada Maya
