Sargasso, Life and Death

Life and Death Born free in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, in a sea without coasts or borders. It is a strange sea the Sargasso Sea, a place without high waves but full of invisible currents that keep it in perpetual motion. There sargassum, a floating algae of golden and coppery tones, forms large patches that glide gently over the warm waters.But sargassum is not alone. It is a floating oasis in the midst of the deep blue. Among its branches, life hides and takes refuge small seahorses cling to its fronds as if they were mobile corals, juvenile fish, such as goldfish or parrotfish, find a temporary sanctuary there. Shrimp, crabs, and an astonishing variety of invertebrates also feed and breed in this floating microecosystem. As the currents push it westward, sargassum travels thousands of kilometers, transforming into a raft of marine life.

But its fate is not to float forever. Guided by the winds and currents, it finally reaches the coasts of the Mexican Caribbean paradise like places such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, or Mahahual. And there, the other side of its story begins. When the sargassum reaches the beaches, it becomes a thick, dark carpet. It is no longer a refuge, but a barrier. The waves pile it up on the shore, and under the scorching Caribbean sun, its slow decomposition begins. The algae rot, releasing gases that smell like rotten eggs, and the oxygen in the nearby water quickly diminishes. Small fish, crustaceans, and even juvenile turtles get trapped on the shore and die. What was once life is now death. The impact is not just ecological. The image that thousands of tourists expect crystal clear waters, clean beaches, white sand is replaced by a brown, murky sea, with piles of putrefied sargassum that scare away bathers and severely affect the local economy. Hotels and restaurants must invest in daily cleaning. Fishermen see their routes and the life cycles of the sea altered. And coastal communities face a problem that goes beyond aesthetics: an environmental, economic, and social challenge. Sargassum is not the villain. It is part of a larger ecosystem. The problem is its excess, driven by factors such as climate change and increased nutrients in the ocean due to human activity. As long as the root of the problem is not addressed, its cycle of life and death will continue to repeat itself every year, determining the fate of our coasts. This is how sargassum travels: from being a cradle of life in the open sea to becoming a shadow of death on the shores of paradise. A reminder that everything in nature is connected and that our actions also resonate in the Ocean.

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