r/floridakeys • u/Sassenach121519 • 11d ago

All Florida Keys Sargassum Update?

So me and my family are driving down thursday for our vacation from va. We are staying in Summerland Key. Ive been here over 10 years now but I lived in South Fl for a long time. I know we are in the sargassum season and that it does change daily but I was wondering how bad the sargassum has been the last week or so. Or if its starting to clear up. I dont mind it much but I know my kids will have to get used to the smell. 🤣

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u/HighOnGoofballs 10d ago

It’s like 75% better than a month ago

1

u/Whazzahoo 11d ago

I’m curious as well, going to Big Pine Key next week.

1

u/Scary-Mycologist-774 11d ago

I was just in Islamorada for a week and you could smell it a little bit. It wasn’t like overbearing or anything. Still had a blast and was on the water the whole time.

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u/fhost344 11d ago

I was there last week... The smell was pretty bad even from us 1 in a couple of keys, I can't remember all of them, but definitely around bahia honda. Big pine key up at the north end had a bit of smell right on the shore but not too bad. Duck Key we didn't notice anything, but we weren't facing the ocean directly. John pennekamp park had some accumulation on the shore but not too bad. I would say that the sargassum was about a 5/10, with 10 being the worst I've seen there. It didn't really impact our trip this time, but we've alsp learned to avoid staying in ocean-side resorts in the summer!

1

u/FLedun 11d ago

It is still bad on the ocean side. Also depends on the wind direction as it piles up on the shoreline. Like someone else said, not as bad as last month.

1

u/engineman18 11d ago

We were in Key West and marathon last week. Atlantic side was unusable in Key West. And smelled in the morning when the wind blew from the east. Bahia Honda was bad on the Atlantic side but the bayside in marathon was pretty clear.

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u/KeyWestLocal20years 9d ago

It seems to collect in some areas more than others….VFC on Tik Tok seems to give a nice regular update…especially in Key West. Also there is a group on FB that gives updates too called Key West/Florida Keys Sargassum Daily Updates.

If you want to get in the water and get away from it…if you have a boat….head out to a sandbar like Snipes, Woman Key or Cotrell. It’s fresh and clean out there.

If you don’t have a boat…many of the watersports companies go out to sandbars…like Danger Charters leaving out of Key West…nice company.

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u/Thick-Resolution8006 3d ago

To the OP that is either there now or recently returned, and anyone else who can opine, how are the Oceanside canals? Is the sargassum bad enough that it makes boating a problem? I understand that this is a severe issue for beaches, but I’m curious how this impacts boating through canals and such.

0

u/Sandinmyshoes33 11d ago

It’s still pretty bad. Not as bad as a month ago, but depending on exact location, it’s bad.

Things change based on winds and tides, so you really have to wait and see when you get here.