That’s a great question! As the ocean temperature changes so does the seaweed problem, some years there is little to no seaweed, in other years there is an over-abundance of the stinky stuff. Weather — sometimes far offshore — also has an effect. These factors can be hard to predict, and sometimes last for weeks or months, often changing overnight. Some years there is little to no seaweed.
What that means is that it’s hard for anyone, expert or not, to tell you exactly where to go to avoid seaweed, but you do have SOME options.
- Consider an all-inclusive in Playa Mujeres or Costa Mujeres (north of Cancun), where they get *some* protection from the seaweed from Isla Mujeres (which also blocks some of the ocean’s larger waves, resulting in calmer water).
- On the opposite coast, the all-inclusives in Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, and Riviera Nayarit, rarely suffer from seaweed problems that can sometimes plague the Caribbean side of Mexico.
It’s also important to know that the government of Mexico, along with many in the tourism industry, are now spending millions of dollars to combat the problem. One solution being implemented is off-shore nets that will keep the stuff from hitting the beach. So we’re very hopeful that avoiding seaweed will soon be a problem of the past.