Discover the best beaches in Florida and the Caribbean where you can avoid sargassum seaweed this summer, from Aruba and the Bahamas to the Florida Keys and Jamaica.
It’s summer and the heat is most definitively on across much of the United States and the Caribbean, making a beach day all the more welcome. But there are a few things that can throw a real wrench in that at this time of the year: heat stroke, rip currents, and sea lice in your bathing suit, for starters.
But this summer again, across large swaths of Florida and the Caribbean, it’s a particular plague of brown seaweed known as sargassum that’s putting the real damper on what otherwise promises to be a great day at the beach.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines sargassum, a naturally occurring phenomenon, as a “type of floating brown algae that provides food, protection, and habitat for many marine species.” But for humans looking to enjoy a beach day, it can really muck things up–especially when the sargassum rolls in so thick that it starts to pile up at the shore’s edge, rot, and stink.
It’s a nuisance that has been growing on these shores in recent years.
“By the year 2011 we started seeing much larger quantities coming, some years more than others. And this year looks like another big, monster year,” Stephen Leatherman, a professor of coastal science at Florida International University who is also known as “Dr. Beach,” told Fodor’s.
Images of bulldozers moving masses of sargassum from popular beach resort towns on Mexico’s Riviera Maya and blanketing South Florida beaches have been making headlines. But to understand where, exactly, sargassum is likely to wash up on beaches and potentially impact your vacation, you have to understand its origins, says Leatherman.
Sargassum originates in the ocean off the northern coast of Brazil, near the mouth of the Amazon River, and the Gulf Stream carries it north toward Florida and the Caribbean.
The Gulf Coast of Florida and Texas tend to see less sargassum on their coastlines than what impacts South Florida and the east coast of Florida north from Miami to around the Palm Beach area, says Leatherman. In addition to the current, onshore winds also cause sargassum to pile up in South Florida and the predominantly south and eastern-facing beaches of the Caribbean.
NOAA’s Daily Sargassum Inundation Risk tool shows a map currently indicating red for “High Risk” across much of southern Florida, from the Florida Keys to beaches stretching up the Atlantic Coast of the Sunshine State, from Miami into Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach County.
And the coast is hardly clear of the nuisance algae right now, either, across many popular Caribbean islands for tourism, including much of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Barbados and Jamaica.
But if you’re planning a trip to the Caribbean, it’s important to know that it doesn’t mean every beach will be covered in seaweed, says Leatherman,
“It depends on which side of the island you’re on. One side could have it, the other side wouldn’t have it at all,” he says, adding that beaches on the leeward side of a Caribbean island are likely to be less hit by sargassum.
Don’t be afraid to call ahead to hotels in the area you hope to vacation to inquire about the situation on the ground.
“To book a place, I would call and ask them, quite straightforwardly, ‘What’s your situation there?’ And they should tell you. Because they don’t want you to show up and the whole beach is clogged with seaweed,” Leatherman says.
Read on for a few beautiful Florida and Caribbean beaches currently free of sargassum–keeping in mind, of course, that weather conditions can always change and there’s no controlling what the wind might blow in when they do.
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Atlantic Beach
WHERE: Florida
In June, sargassum had washed ashore in large amounts in this serene stretch of Northeast Florida that’s part of the Jacksonville Beaches. But it’s since washed completely away. Atlantic Beach, one of my favorite Florida surf towns, is back to its former beachy beauty now. Consider staying at the oceanfront Dune House, steps from restaurants, cafes, and beachy boutiques where Atlantic Beach meets neighboring Neptune Beach. Or opt for a retro motor court stay just back from the beach at Hotel Palms. The beautiful golden sand beach here is particularly pleasant for pedaling a beach cruiser at low tide.
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Lido Key
WHERE: Florida
The closest beach to downtown Sarasota on Florida’s Gulf Coast is Lido Key, a sweeping crescent backed by beautiful dunes that’s within a short and free trolley ride of the restaurants and shops of St. Armands Circle. Shallow water sandbars just offshore are a popular place for boaters to hang out. But it’s just as fun to swim in the crystal clear shallow water lapping the main beach and hunt for seashells along the shoreline. Dive into Sarasota’s Ringling Brothers circus lore on Lido Key with a stay at 135-room boutique property, Cirque St. Armands Beachside, right across the street from the sand.
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Calusa Beach
WHERE: Florida Keys
Much of the coastline of the Florida Keys is currently suffering from sargassum pile-ups, which is all the more reason to head offshore snorkeling and on other watersports excursions right now if you’re vacationing in the area. But there is one delightful Florida Keys beach to target for seaweed-free swimming. Within Bahia Honda State Park, Calusa Beach faces Florida Bay instead of the more sargassum-prone ocean-facing and south side of the Florida Keys, making it a good choice for a beach day if you’re looking to avoid seaweed pileups in the archipelago right now. The shallow beach has a narrow strip of white sand, shallow waters for swimming, and two covered pavilions for picnicking. Rent snorkeling gear at the park headquarters and kick out from the beach to explore the grassbeds or book a park boat tour if you want to snorkel the coral reefs just offshore.
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Maho Bay Beach
WHERE: St. Johns, USVI
Stick to northshore beaches on St. Johns in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and you can steer clear of prevailing currents–and the seaweed that tends to ride in on them–in this stretch of the Caribbean. Lined with palm trees for sheltering in the shade, Maho Bay Beach is a sugary stretch that’s a favorite among snorkelers thanks to the chance to see sea turtles in the clear shallows. Nearby and also along the island’s north shore, Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay are safe bets, too, for a beach day that won’t be hijacked by seaweed. For a northshore stay on St. Johns, consider Peter Bay Gatehouse Suites, overlooking views of both the US and British Virgin Islands.
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Eagle Beach and Palm Beach
WHERE: Aruba
In addition to being below the hurricane belt and avoiding that perpetual summertime Caribbean menace, Aruba also enjoys a privileged location outside the Atlantic sargassum belt. While that doesn’t mean that the entire island is safe from the occasional seaweed clumps washing ashore, considerably less of the icky stuff finds its way here compared to other Caribbean islands to the north. And if you stick to beautiful beaches like Eagle Beach and Palm Beach on Aruba’s leeward side, you don’t need to worry about seaweed stinking up your beach plans at all. New in 2026, the hotel-within-a-hotel property, Westerly at Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino, opened on Palm Beach, offering a boutique-style stay and adults-only rooms with swim-up access.
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St. Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach
WHERE: Florida
Fly into the airports in Tampa and St. Pete, and it’s a short drive to some of the country’s most beautiful beaches, known for their powdery white sands and warm, shallow waters for wading in. St. Beach and Clearwater Beach are free of sargassum so far this summer. Consider staying right on the sand overlooking the Gulf of Mexico at Florida’s original pink palace hotel, The Don CeSar, with recently updated rooms and fine-dining restaurant, Maritana, for fresh Gulf seafood and delicious steaks. And on Clearwater Beach, the Sandpearl Resort is my personal favorite thanks to its sprawling spa with ocean-inspired treatments and the excellent raw bar and sushi at Carreta on the Gulf.
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Ten Bay Beach
WHERE: Eleuthera, Bahamas
Even during summer’s peak months for sargassum, the islands of the Bahamas remain relatively low-risk for exposure thanks to shallow banks that deflect currents, according to reports. On a beautiful Bahamian Out Island like Eleuthera, you can minimize your risk of encountering masses of seaweed all the more by targeting leeside beaches on the island’s Caribbean coastline, like beautiful Ten Bay Beach. South of Governor’s Harbour, the beach stays shallow enough to wade out for hundreds of yards at low tide with exceptionally clear waters. Also on Eleuthera’s Caribbean side, set your sights on The Cove Eleuthera for a stunning and seaweed-free stay.
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Vanderbilt Beach
WHERE: Naples, Florida
For a break from what’s being dubbed Miami Beach’s “summer of sargassum” by some, all you have to do is break west and cross the state for Florida’s Gulf Coast and the beaches around Naples and Marco Island. The three miles of white sand beach in North Naples at Vanderbilt Beach is a good bet for a mostly seaweed-free beach day in the Sunshine State right now. Stay nearby at the recently renovated Ritz-Carlton, Naples, and all that’s required is stepping out of your room and down onto the sand to see that the coast here is clear.
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Isla Holbox
WHERE: Mexico
While east-facing beaches along Mexico’s Caribbean coastline such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum are being washed by a now predictable tide of summertime seaweed, you can head north and west around the Yucatan Peninsula for a reprieve at Isla Holbox. Whale sharks gather just offshore from the island at this time of year, with July and August considered the prime months to enter the water to snorkel with them during guided trips with Holbox Whale Shark Tours. For an adult-only escape, Nomade Holbox offers serene treehouse stays.
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Negril
WHERE: Jamaica
While Jamaica’s south coast is grappling with sargassum, visitors can look to the island’s north coast and western side to get away from beaches dealing with the bulk of the island’s seaweed issues, says Leatherman. And there are few north coast stretches of Jamaica as beautiful as Seven Mile Beach in Negril. For an all-inclusive, family-friendly stay, consider Beaches Negril, where the included water sports even extend to scuba diving outings with an onsite PADI shop that brings certified divers to the reefs just offshore. Honeymooners and couples gravitate to sister resort, Sandals Negril, an adults-only, all-inclusive option fronting the same sugar-white sands.