Each summer, the Dominican Republic braces for another onslaught of sargassum—floating mats of brown seaweed originating from the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt.
In 2025, this natural phenomenon has reached unprecedented levels, with satellite data revealing a record-breaking 38 million metric tons of sargassum across the Atlantic and Caribbean during May—nearly double the previous high set in 2022.
While this seaweed plays a critical ecological role offshore, its arrival on beaches disrupts tourism, endangers marine ecosystems, and risks public health due to associated foul odors and toxic gases like hydrogen sulfide and ammonia
Related: Mexico Sargassum Daily Updates 2024: Cancun, Tulum, PDC, etc.
🌍 Current Situation in the Dominican Republic
The 2025 sargassum season began unusually early—reports indicate it landed in mid‑May, a month ahead of the typical peak. By June and July, extensive beach cleanups and barriers were deployed along the country’s coastline, especially in tourism-heavy zones like Punta Cana, where hotels and authorities scrambled to keep resorts operational
Forecasts suggest the influx may persist into summer’s end, though conditions could shift depending on currents, winds, and coastal management efforts.
Join FB Group: Dominican Republic Seaweed Reporting
Sargassum Seaweed Season 2025: The Latest Satellite Images & Photo Reports from Dominican Republic
Based on the satellite images from the University of Florida, there is still a lot of sargassum seaweed floating towards the Caribbean, and the season will most likely last longer this year.
Sargassum seaweed JUNE 2024 outlook for the Dominican Republic
Unlike other parts of the Caribbean or Mexico, the sargassum seaweed situation in the Dominican Republic hasn’t been very bad in the first two weeks of June. The morning cleanups in Punta Cana seem to be very effective and leave the beach in very good condition for most of the day.
Latest Dominican Republic Sargassum Map
Published by the Optical Oceanography Laboratory at the College of Marine Science of the University of Florida.
Recent Seaweed Updates from the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana)
Hoteliers and local authorities are on top of the issue, cleaning beaches every morning and installing ocean barriers to catch the algae before it washes ashore, in order to provide vacationers with…
Read full article: Dominican Republic Sargassum In 2025 – Predictions, Updates, MAP, etc.
The post “Dominican Republic Sargassum In 2025 – Predictions, Updates, MAP, etc.” by Maria Valencia was published on 07/22/2025 by www.travelinglifestyle.net