Mexico · north-facing
Isla Holbox
Stale data
Our newest NOAA observation is too old to stand behind, so we hold the level back rather than pass it off as current.
Head to head editorial
Isla Holbox vs Cancun: sargassum compared
Holbox has the friendlier geography: it faces the Gulf side of the Yucatan Channel, while the Cancun hotel zone faces the open Atlantic path.
The reasoning
Why the map says what it says
The edge is real but partial: the satellite record below shows High summer readings at Holbox too, because the channel that separates it from the Caribbean still moves plenty of water past its shore. Treat Holbox as the better odds rather than the escape hatch, and remember its draw is a different trip entirely: shallow water, no high-rises, and a lagoon side this card does not rate.
Right now
Current risk level, side by side satellite-derived
Both measured from NOAA's update of . Each card rates one specific stretch of coast; open a destination for the full picture.
Mexico · east-facing
Cancun Hotel Zone
Stale data
Our newest NOAA observation is too old to stand behind, so we hold the level back rather than pass it off as current.
The record
November, five years back satellite-derived
Raw satellite floating-algae detections near each coast for this month in each of the past five years (brighter orange and red = stronger signal). These are detections, not risk ratings: clouds and glare can hide algae, offshore mats do not always land, and the nearshore strip is blanked where the signal is unreliable. Click any map for that month's full Caribbean view.
Making the call
How to decide
- Read the cards above, including the full mix of levels, not just the headline.
- Open a beach cam for each contender if one exists; nothing beats looking.
- Ask each hotel for a same-day photo of its swimming beach.
- Remember the atlas rates coastlines, not resorts: one cove can beat its neighbor on the same morning.
More head-to-heads on the compare page, or build a shortlist from scratch with where beaches stay clearer.