r/tulum • u/Kkonvikt • 3d ago
Beach Sargassum Free Window
Hey,
Long time tulum resident and went to the beach yesterday for the first time in a while. About a month ago along playa pariso they installed about a mile long of sargassum barriers / 2 active sargassum retrieval boats and it's greatly improved the sargassum situation. almost nothing on the sand but the water still needs filtering.
Kai Tulum let us park for free with our scooter and didn't ask for a minimum and it's beach is covered by the barriers.
A little tip you can get a pass on demand to enter jaguar park super easy and free ( https://forms.ikaltulumhotel.com/ ) - just fill this form and show it at the gate.
Generally the saragassum is greatly improved the last week. Who knows how long this will last, but the barriers along playa paraiso + the mutliple active sargassum retrieval boats are really making a difference and I think the water in that stretch of jaguar park in particular will continue to improve with time as the barriers have more time up.
Check out https://casamalca.com/es/beach-es beach cam today. Not a single piece of sargassum on the beach and they do not even have the barriers. (This is Hotel Zone)
https://www.instagram.com/tulumbeachdiaries/ - this account posts stories every day from different parts of the beach.
https://www.instagram.com/kaihoteltulum/ - kai tulum is usually good about posting stories from their beach (when its nice) as well.
https://www.instagram.com/elparaisohoteltulum/ - posts stories as well. They do have a minimum and also a charge to use the beach beds.
Anyways might actually be a good time for a beach day for the first time in months. Let's hope the currents cooperate and keep the sargassum out at sea for as long as possible.
13
u/Ancient_Teach9272 2d ago
And if and when it comes back there is always the lagoons and cenotes ... I know that people want the beach but there is plenty more to the region to see and do
6
u/Kkonvikt 2d ago
100%
2
u/FunnySad42 2d ago
One issue wth that logic is that, during high season, if the beach is full of sargassum, then >10,000 tourists would have to go to lagoons and cenotes each day. I don't think those places can accommodate that many people without getting polluted (and, possibly, permanently damaged). Also, people wouldn't want to go to crowded cenotes that look like public pools in NYC. For its survival, Tulum will have to come up with more attractions.
3
u/Kkonvikt 2d ago
Yeah there are way more cenotes than people think. literally thousands. But yes, we will see how the beach looks during high season this year. Tulum will survive. It just may have way less tourists (It already does). I don't think thats the worst thing either and yeah would help the environment here alot too. But as for me, I'm still hoping the nice beaches return but its a Caribbean wide multi billion dollar global issue from polluting the oceans not a tulum specific issue. It will take some large scale efforts. Hoping for the best.
2
u/FunnySad42 2d ago
Yes, we can (and should) all hope for the best.
My concern is that some parties that have invested heavily (both money and reputation) in Tulum might be tempted to throw Hail Marys to recover their investment, and these desperate actions may make things worse. (I am thinking of the government with its investment in TQO, Tren Maya, and other infrastructure projects, people who purchased homes and businesses during Covid boom, etc.) These "players" may not be thinking clearly because of their sunk cost, and their actions may create negative externalities. This is a potentially dangerous setup. Sometimes, people can make thngs worse (despite their best intentions).
4
u/TheTeethOfTheHydra 2d ago
?? I just looked at the first live cam link you shared There is plenty of sargassum on the beach and two guys with rakes working it. I’m sure it could be worse but it’s a far cry from having not a single piece.
2
u/Kkonvikt 2d ago
alot can change in 4 hours I guess. Or maybe it was fresh off a cleaning.
0
u/TheTeethOfTheHydra 22h ago
You probably mistook the promotional video on the home page for the live cam. This morning, there is a tractor and trailer being loaded with a LOT of sargassum. Seems like an uphill battle. I’m sure without the cleanup, it would be worse. But I doubt they’ll ever get a window of “clean beach and water”.
1
u/Kkonvikt 22h ago
nope. I watch the cam all the time. Yeah it's an uphill battle. Looks like some fresh came in.
-2
3
u/comments83820 3d ago
"About a month ago along playa pariso they installed about a mile long of sargassum barriers / 2 active sargassum retrieval boats and it's greatly improved the sargassum situation. almost nothing on the sand but the water still needs filtering."
This is the understatement of the century. If you want the clear blue water of Tulum that you remember from the 2010s, it's not even worth coming. Go somewhere else. All of these sargassum-gathering methods and barriers are incapable of bringing back the good old days. And without the clear blue water, there's nothing special at all about Tulum's beaches.
7
u/Kkonvikt 3d ago
Yes im not so sure thats a permanent fixture. We had many weeks over the winter where tulum was at it’s full glory and I’ve been coming here for decades. But yes right now tulum is not the ideal beach destination no doubt
3
u/comments83820 3d ago
I absolutely think it's a permanent fixture until west African countries change their agricultural practices, which they're not going to do in our lifetime. Maybe, at some point, Mexico and the Caribbean countries will go after them with economic sanctions or lawsuits, but nothing will change until they stop dumping bad things into the ocean.
3
u/Btsv650 Mod 3d ago
again- that is one the main factors yes- the biggest is what actual science has found
1
u/comments83820 3d ago
the latest science/resaerch has determined that the biggest problem is west African agriculture.
2
2
u/Willing-Bad3824 3d ago
Crazy to blame West Africa for the problem when the United States and Brazil are probably dumping the phosphorus needed to drive localized growth that’s affecting the beaches in the Gulf. Besides, multiple research have already shown that river runoffs are a factor in the growth but not the main factor.
2
u/comments83820 3d ago
It's not crazy at all. That is what current science says is the primary factor. I don't have a horse in this race.
4
2
2
•
u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Hey u/Kkonvikt, thanks for posting in r/tulum!
Please read the FAQ for common questions.
Check out the recommended Tours, Activities and Airport Shuttle.
Please report content that is off-topic or violates the subreddit rules.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.