Know before you go
Sargassum, the brown seaweed that piles up on Caribbean shores, can turn a postcard beach into brown water and a rotten-egg smell for days. It hits some coasts hard and skips others, so where you book matters. This atlas shows the current NOAA risk level for 59 Caribbean and Florida vacation zones, with a live beach cam beside the data wherever we could verify one. We like clear beaches too.
47 of 56 destinations with current data are at Medium or High risk, as of .
3 destinations without a usable current rating are marked that way below, never guessed. Last check with NOAA: new data received.
Where is it clear?
Each card's color is that coast's current NOAA risk level, running best to worst: Low, then Warning, then Medium, then High. Click through for beach cams, season guidance, and what the level actually means for your trip.
What does High mean?Satellites see a lot of seaweed approaching that coast, so the odds of beach problems are elevated. It is not a verdict on your beach: wind, currents, and cleanup crews decide any given morning, and travelers regularly find clear sand on High days. That is exactly what the beach cams are for.
Choose two or three destinations below.
These are coastal risk levels, not observations of the sand or forecasts for your travel dates. Compare the same observation date, then check a camera or ask your hotel for a same-day photo.
NOAA observation: . Observation met our freshness rules when this page was built.
No destinations match these filters. Try a different name or reset the filters.
Mexico
High
Mexico
Coast: east-facing bays
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: Small bays can look different from the longer exposed shoreline nearby. A destination-level class cannot resolve individual coves.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Belize
High
Belize
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows the reef-facing east side of Ambergris Caye around San Pedro. The barrier reef lies roughly a mile offshore, so the water between reef and beach can differ from what is sampled.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Anguilla
Medium
Anguilla
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows the north shore from Meads Bay toward Shoal Bay East, where most of the island's famous beaches sit. The south shore facing St. Martin is not represented.
Antigua and Barbuda
Low
Antigua and Barbuda
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
Low
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: This page represents the Atlantic-facing vacation coast. Antigua's west-facing beaches are outside the SIR shoreline segment used here.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Aruba
Medium
Aruba
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: This line covers the main west-coast hotel beaches. The destination page does not score the island's exposed northeast shore.
Dominican Republic
Medium
Dominican Republic
Coast: south-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: Bayahibe is sampled separately from the east-coast Punta Cana zone. The class still describes coastal inundation risk, not sand-level observation.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Bahamas
Medium
Bahamas
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line covers the west-facing beach of North Bimini, the closest Bahamian sand to Florida. The east side faces the flats and is a different environment.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Caribbean Netherlands
Low
Caribbean Netherlands
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
Low
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment covers the leeward west coast around Kralendijk. Bonaire's windward east side, including Lac Bay, is far more exposed and is not represented here.
Mexico
High
Mexico
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: This zone follows the Caribbean-facing side of the Hotel Zone. Conditions and cleanup can differ by property, so use the camera links and ask your hotel for a same-day beach update.
Cuba
High
Cuba
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment runs along the north shore of Cayo Coco, where the all-inclusive resorts face the open ocean. The causeway side facing the lagoon is a different environment and is not represented.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Cuba
Medium
Cuba
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line covers the north-facing resort beaches of Cayo Santa Maria at the end of the causeway from Caibarien. Like the other cayos, the lagoon side is not represented.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
United States
Low
United States
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
Low
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows the Gulf-facing barrier islands from Sand Key through Clearwater Beach. The Gulf side of Florida sees far less sargassum than the Atlantic side in the satellite record this atlas publishes, but it is not exempt.
United States
Medium
United States
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows the Atlantic-facing barrier island shore through Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral. The Banana River lagoon side is a different environment and is not represented.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Mexico
High
Mexico
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment covers the resort strip north of Cancun around Playa Mujeres and Costa Mujeres. It shares the Caribbean-facing exposure of the Cancun hotel zone a few kilometers south.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Mexico
High
Mexico
Coast: west-facing (leeward)
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows the sheltered west coast with the cruise piers and most visitor beaches. Cozumel's east coast faces the open Caribbean and catches far more seaweed than the leeward side tracked here.
Curacao
Low
Curacao
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
Low
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The sampled segment follows the leeward west-coast beach zone. Conditions on the exposed east side are outside this page's geometry.
Barbados
High
Barbados
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: This is the Atlantic-facing coast and is sampled separately from the south-coast visitor zone.
Bahamas
High
Bahamas
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows Eleuthera's Atlantic-facing east coast near Governor's Harbour. The sheltered Caribbean side of the same narrow island often looks different.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
United States
Medium
United States
Coast: southeast-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows the ocean side of the island chain from Key Largo to Key West. The Keys saw record sargassum arrivals in 2026, and conditions differ between the Atlantic-facing and bay-side shores of the same island.
United States
High
United States
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows the Atlantic-facing beach south from Fort Lauderdale. Florida's Gulf coast and the Keys are separate systems and are not represented.
Grenada
High
Grenada
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows the sheltered southwest coast around Grand Anse. Grenada's Atlantic-facing east coast is far more exposed and is not represented by this segment.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Bahamas
Low
Bahamas
Coast: south-facing
Current NOAA risk
Low
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows the south shore of Grand Bahama through Freeport and Lucaya. The island's beaches face the channel toward Florida rather than the open Atlantic.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Cayman Islands
High
Cayman Islands
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows Seven Mile Beach on the island's sheltered west side, historically one of the clearer major beaches in the region. The island's windward east and north coasts see more material.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Medium
Turks and Caicos Islands
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows the leeward west shore of Grand Turk past Cockburn Town and the cruise center. The east side of the island faces the open Atlantic and is not represented.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Bahamas
Medium
Bahamas
Coast: south-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment covers the southern shore of Great Exuma. The Exuma Cays to the northwest are a separate chain and are not represented by this line.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Guadeloupe
Insufficient data
Guadeloupe
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
Insufficient data
No current risk rating is available. Missing or stale data does not mean low risk.
Local context: The segment represents the Atlantic-facing Grande-Terre visitor coast. It does not describe every beach in the archipelago.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Cuba
Medium
Cuba
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows the Holguin resort coast around Guardalavaca, Esmeralda, and Pesquero. These are pocket-and-headland beaches, so one cove can look different from the next on the same morning.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Mexico
Medium
Mexico
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows the north shore of Holbox, which faces the Gulf side of the Yucatan Channel rather than the open Caribbean. The lagoon side of the island is not represented.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Dominican Republic
Warning
Dominican Republic
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Warning
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment covers the north-facing Las Terrenas shore on the Samana peninsula. The peninsula's east end and the bay side to the south are not represented.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Puerto Rico
Medium
Puerto Rico
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows the north shore around Luquillo and toward Fajardo, the classic beach day trip from San Juan. Balneario La Monserrate sits inside a protective reef arm.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Mexico
High
Mexico
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows the Costa Maya shore around Mahahual on the southern Quintana Roo coast. This stretch is more exposed than the sheltered bays farther north.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Martinique
High
Martinique
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: This page follows Martinique's Atlantic side. The Caribbean-facing west coast is outside this shoreline segment.
Martinique
High
Martinique
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line covers the leeward Caribbean coast from Case-Pilote through Le Carbet to Saint-Pierre. It is the sheltered counterpart to the Atlantic east coast this atlas also tracks.
United States
High
United States
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows the oceanfront from South Beach to North Beach. Miami Beach is east-facing and saw heavy arrivals in record years, but the city runs regular beach cleaning on the main tourist stretches.
Jamaica
High
Jamaica
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment covers the north-facing bay shore around Montego Bay. Jamaica's exposed south and east coasts are not represented by this line.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Bahamas
Low
Bahamas
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Low
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows New Providence's north shore from Cable Beach to Nassau Harbour. Paradise Island's resort beaches sit just across the harbour and usually behave similarly.
Jamaica
High
Jamaica
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows the Seven Mile Beach visitor zone. It is a destination view, not a report for every cove in western Jamaica.
Jamaica
Medium
Jamaica
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows the north-facing shore around Ocho Rios and its resort strip. Small enclosed bays here are often sheltered or raked and can look different from the open coast the class samples.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
United States
Medium
United States
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment covers the Atlantic-facing barrier island shore around Palm Beach. Inlets along this coast can concentrate or clear drifting material locally.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Mexico
Insufficient data
Mexico
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
Insufficient data
No current risk rating is available. Missing or stale data does not mean low risk.
Local context: The sampling line covers the central urban beach zone, not every beach in the municipality. Cleanup practices vary by hotel and beach club.
Turks and Caicos Islands
High
Turks and Caicos Islands
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows the Grace Bay and Leeward shore on the north side of Providenciales, which sits behind a barrier reef. The island's south and west shores face different exposure and are not represented here.
Mexico
High
Mexico
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line covers the coast around Puerto Aventuras and Xpu-Ha between Playa del Carmen and Akumal. The gated marina community has some of the more protected beaches on this stretch.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Mexico
High
Mexico
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment covers the Caribbean-facing coast between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. The reef sits close to shore here, so conditions inside the reef can differ from the water sampled.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Dominican Republic
Medium
Dominican Republic
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows the north coast from Cofresi past Playa Dorada to Cabarete. The DR's north coast faces the Atlantic differently than Punta Cana and often has different weeks, better and worse.
Dominican Republic
Insufficient data
Dominican Republic
Coast: east and northeast-facing
Current NOAA risk
Insufficient data
No current risk rating is available. Missing or stale data does not mean low risk.
Local context: The zone combines the long Bavaro and Punta Cana tourism coast. Individual properties may clear stranded material on different schedules.
Puerto Rico
High
Puerto Rico
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line covers the west-facing surf coast around Rincon. Winter swell, not seaweed, is usually the bigger variable here, and conditions differ between the surf beaches and the calmer south end.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Honduras
High
Honduras
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment covers Roatan's north shore, including the West Bay and Sandy Bay areas. The island's south and east shores face different exposure and are not represented.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Saint Lucia
High
Saint Lucia
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The launch segment samples the Atlantic side. Many major visitor areas face west and are not represented by this east-coast line.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Saint Lucia
High
Saint Lucia
Coast: west-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment follows the sheltered west coast from Rodney Bay past Castries toward Marigot, which is where most visitors stay. This is the calmer counterpart to the Atlantic east coast this atlas also tracks.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Puerto Rico
Medium
Puerto Rico
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line covers the main north-coast visitor beaches from Condado toward Isla Verde. Sheltered coves can differ from this zone result.
United States
Low
United States
Coast: south-facing
Current NOAA risk
Low
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment covers the Gulf-facing shelling beaches on the south side of Sanibel. The bay side and Captiva to the north are not represented by this line.
Barbados
High
Barbados
Coast: south-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The sampled line covers the main south-coast visitor beaches. Small bays and daily cleanup can change the view at a particular hotel.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Medium
U.S. Virgin Islands
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows St. Croix's north shore near Christiansted. The island's south and east coasts face the open Atlantic and are not represented here.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Medium
U.S. Virgin Islands
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The segment covers St. John's north shore, where Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay sit inside Virgin Islands National Park. Individual pocket beaches can differ from the open coast.
Sint Maarten
Medium
Sint Maarten
Coast: south and east-facing sampled shore
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: This zone samples the Dutch-side south and east shoreline. Beaches on the opposite side can have different local conditions.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Medium
U.S. Virgin Islands
Coast: north and east-facing sampled shore
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The island has beaches facing several directions. This launch geometry samples the main north and east visitor shore and should not be read as an island-wide beach report.
Mexico
High
Mexico
Coast: east-facing
Current NOAA risk
High
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: This line represents the hotel beach corridor south of the archaeological zone. It is not a resort-level measurement.
Cuba
Low
Cuba
Coast: north-facing
Current NOAA risk
Low
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line follows the north shore of the Hicacos peninsula, the beach strip nearly every Varadero resort sits on. The peninsula is narrow, so the modeled shore covers the ocean side visitors swim from.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Puerto Rico
Medium
Puerto Rico
Coast: south-facing
Current NOAA risk
Medium
This is relative coastal inundation risk. Low does not guarantee a clear beach; High does not mean every beach has seaweed.
Local context: The line covers the south shore of Vieques, where the best-known beaches inside the former Navy lands sit. The north shore facing the big island is not represented.
Season guidance and historical offshore images
No camera is currently listed online. Ask your hotel for a same-day beach photo.
Before you book
Plain-English guides for every stage of planning, each with its sources linked.
The full story: the giant Atlantic belt blooming since 2011, why 2026 set records, and what it means for your beach.
The 5,000-mile bloom that supplies the seaweed: why it appeared in 2011, its annual cycle, and how satellites track it.
The only sea with no shore, and why it is not the source of the seaweed on Caribbean beaches.
The month-by-month pattern, when it peaks, and how much year-to-year luck is involved.
Why the side of the island matters more than the country, and how to build a clear-beach shortlist.
Barriers, dawn cleanup crews, and the questions worth asking your hotel before you put money down.
A simple check-as-you-go routine from booking day to departure day.
Where our data comes from, and what it can and cannot tell you.
Page built . NOAA data retrieved . Curious what those times mean? See how the atlas works.
