Sargassum season in the Cancun region is nearing its end, governor says
Mara Lezama, governor of Quintana Roo, announced that the 2025 sargassum season appears to be ending ahead of schedule.
To date, the state has collected about 120,000 tons of brown seaweed along its coast. Cleanup efforts continue as coastal crews remain vigilant against the continued influx.
According to the Secretaría de Marina, 188.4 tons of sargassum were removed from Mahahual beach during the week of October 11 to 17. The operation involved 74 naval personnel and 80 civilians – including local entrepreneurs, restaurateurs and port service providers – supported by specialist machinery and equipment.
Speaking about logistics, a Navy official said:
“We have installed a seagoing vessel with a capacity of 250 tons, 11 sargassum harvesting ships with a capacity of 20 tons each, 22 smaller ships, 9,500 linear meters of sargassum barriers and another 7,500 meters planned for 2026.”
Meanwhile, Esteban Amaro, director of the Quintana Roo Sargassum Monitoring Center, reported a sharp decline in landings in recent weeks:
“For almost two weeks we have noticed a significant decrease in the amount of sargassum arriving in the Mexican Caribbean. It is a very noticeable decrease.”
He added: “The last figure I have says we were above 100,000 tonnes collected at the end of August, with an estimated further 20,000 tonnes collected in September.”
According to the Save the Monitoreo del Sargazo de Quintana Roo (RMSQR), 88 of the 100 patrolled beaches along Quintana Roo’s north coast are currently free of significant sargassum landings.
On the south coast of Quintana Roo, quantities of Sargassum are still significant.
The RMSQR, a citizen science network that collects real-time reports and satellite data on macroalgae invasions, works with government agencies, local resorts and academic partners to monitor, inform and alert trends in sargassum arrivals and beach impacts.
This positive trend is reflected in reports from the Facebook group Mexico Sargassum seaweed updates (Cancun, PDC, Tulum, etc.)where recent photos and traveler reports also indicate that most beaches in the Riviera Maya – from Cancun to Tulum – are largely free of sargassum.
Together, these independent observations reinforce the conclusion that seaweed levels in Quintana Roo have fallen sharply in recent weeks, providing a welcome reprieve for residents, businesses and visitors alike.
