Mexico’s Caribbean coast is facing one of its worst sargassum seasons on record in 2026, with heavy seaweed accumulation disrupting beaches across Quintana Roo, including Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, according to Travel And Tour World.
Sargassum, a brown macroalgae that drifts across the Atlantic before washing ashore, arrived in Quintana Roo as early as January this year, the earliest start on record, according to the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Laboratory, cited by Journey Mexico. The laboratory projected the season could exceed 75% of all historical volume values, building on 2025, which was already 40% above the previous 2022 peak based on satellite tracking.
Cleanup crews had removed more than 42,000 tonnes of sargassum statewide by late May, according to Journey Mexico, with totals tracking toward a projected 120,000 to 130,000 tonnes for the year. Authorities have installed around 9,500 metres of containment barriers along the coast, with a further 6,000 metres being deployed to high-traffic zones including Playa del Carmen and Tulum, Travel And Tour World reported.
“We ask tourists not to panic,” said Samantha Álvarez, a local municipal environmental secretary, according to Travel And Tour World. “Sargassum is a natural phenomenon. One day it’s here, the next it’s gone, depending on the wind.”
As the seaweed decomposes on shore, it releases hydrogen sulfide gas, producing a strong odour that can deter visitors from beachfront restaurants and hotels. Tulum, Akumal and Playa del Carmen, which face directly into Atlantic currents, have recorded the heaviest accumulation this year, while Isla Mujeres, Holbox, Costa Mujeres and the sheltered west coast of Cozumel have remained comparatively clear.
The scale of the 2026 bloom has also spurred efforts to repurpose the seaweed, with businesses in Playa del Carmen exploring its use as a potential biofuel source and as a raw material for construction bricks.