Sargassum, what is this seaweed and how do we deal with it?

By: Mariel Díaz

Maybe you've read in different websites, tweets or other media about the accumulation of seaweed in the shores of the Mexican Caribbean. But you may have some questions about it. So here we'll provide you the information about the situation of Cancún and the Solaris hotels about this.

For starters, what is Sargassum?

This seaweed is native to the Sea of Sargasso, a marine area in the northwest Atlantic, near the Bermuda Islands, which is considered an ecosystem inhabited by various species of eels, crabs, prawns and squids.

Has there always been sargassum on the coasts of the Mexican Caribbean?

The answer is... drum roll... Yes! Normally, algae travel with sea currents to the sea shores, including the coasts of Cancun. It is a normal process.

The amount of sargassum and its arrival at a certain place depends on the marine and air currents, as well as there may be days where the beach is clean, other days that same beach may have an accumulation of algae on its coast.

Does it affect the Solaris Hotels?

Fortunately, the location of the three hotels in Cancun is an area where marine currents change and there is a lot of movement.

Yes, we do have arrival of sargassum but it is not the same as other places in the Mexican Caribbean (such as Puerto Morelos or Tulum).

But we also take responsibility; It is a fact that every day the beach is cleaned early in the morning, so we avoid plastics and other debris reaching the sea. But now, this work was reinforced twice: a team focused on keeping the beach clean is from 6 am to 6 pm, concentrating the sargassum of the coasts and removing it.

So we also have the support of a tractor, which helps remove sargassum and flatten the sand from the shore, so the Solaris team can execute their work with better results.

We will continue working so that our beaches stay as good as possible according to the circumstances and you can enjoy them.

Live the holidays you always dreamed of in paradise!