Mexican Navy Battles Seaweed Onslaught in Puerto Morelos

The Mexican Navy has begun deploying anti-sargassum barriers on the beaches of Puerto Morelos as the sargassum season starts. Despite a significant increase in the macroalgae, local businesses and beach-goers continue their activities, taking additional precautions due to the seaweed influx.

Yesterday, the beaches of Puerto Morelos experienced a considerable influx of sargassum. This resulted in a noticeable accumulation of seaweed along the seashore, altering the usual appearance of the beaches. The Mexican Navy has been working diligently, setting up anti-sargassum barriers starting from the area of the federal pier.

Tourism Unaffected by Sargassum in Mahahual

Tourism service providers have noted that the situation did not affect nautical activities or beach-goers yesterday. People took precautions when entering the sea due to the presence of several patches of algae.

A tour of the southern end of the beach, from the federal pier to the Window to the Sea where the main park is located, revealed a long line of sargassum being dragged to the shore by the waves. In some areas, sargassum removed in previous days remained accumulated on the sand, but it did not pose a significant obstacle for visitors and locals enjoying their day at the beach.

A Navy boat stayed several meters from the shore, deploying an anti-sargassum barrier marked with orange buoys for visibility to other vessels. The deployment of this barrier began yesterday from the Fiscal Pier, in the southern part of the port, towards the central part where the fishermen's pier and the main Fundadores park are located, in the area known as Window to the Sea.

Increase in Sargassum Expected on Quintana Roo Coasts by 2025

Staff from the Municipal Federal Maritime Land Zone (ZOFEMAT) have ramped up their cleaning efforts to remove the sargassum from this part of the beach, which holds the Blue Flag distinction. However, their efforts were somewhat overshadowed by the large amount of seaweed brought in by the waves.

The sargassum affected the entire coast of Puerto Morelos, with the area most frequented by bathers and visitors covering a stretch of approximately two kilometers. In this area of high tourist activity, the seaweed accumulated on the seashore, forming patches next to the moored vessels.