Seaweed is back

[lifeisgreat]

Practical and creative uses of sargassum seaweed in the Caribbean - Blog

Mexican entrepreneurs and brands have used to good advantage the arrival of sargassum to create different kinds of products with it.

www.villapalmarcancun.com

 

[windeguy]

I really question whether you have spent a lot of time in DR to make this post. I don't actually like beaches all that much and that's why I hate islands like Antigua (been there 9 times) Barbados (11 times) Dominica (4 times). Absolutely zilch to do in those places. DR, in my opinion, is packed with things to do that don't involve beaches. The capital is a huge city, almost the same size as Los Angeles, with a world of things to do, great nightlife (normally in any case), good shopping, parks, museums, historic sites, bars, restaurants, the list goes on. The interior of the island is fascinating, the mountains are breathtaking, a drive through the agricultural areas is interesting. You can do adventure sports like whitewater rafting in Jarabacoa, mountain biking, rock climbing. You mention safety, but compared to countries like Jamaica or even Mexico we are way safer and especially for tourists in AI's it is rare to hear of anyone having serious problems. Anyone who interferes with the tourist dollar on DR gets dealt with very quickly by the police.

I would also take issue with the idea that the seaweed will ever cause tourists to stop coming. I believe that some airlines and holiday companies have always sent their customers an advisory that there is a risk of seaweed in Punta Cana, and so far it doesn't seem to have put people off.

On your final point, have you not noticed that the current president is trying to do just that? Eliminate corruption. Ensure rules are enforced. Sure that can't have passed you by?

You hate places you have been to 20 times? How is that?

I hate Santo Domingo with a passion, but I am forced to go there because the government has certain things I can only do in Santo Domingo, or I would never go there by choice. (I lived in California for 10 years and LA was certainly not a favorite spot of mine either and for similar reasons it was a place I avoided unless I had to be there.)

As for the smell of rotting seaweed, it is just yet another deterrent for my visiting Punta Cana/Bavaro. Can't say what other tourists will do, I do know that job 1 from Abinader is getting tourism back in that region of the country. Maybe they can find a way to round up that stinky situation.

 

[Kipling333]

I was quite unaware of the magnitude of this problem world wide until I spent three hours reading about the sargassum in SE Asia, Africa ,Florida,Mexico and all parts of the Caribbean . There have been many University studies and reports about the best way to get rid of this seaweed and where..at sea or when it is on the beach. And what to do with the messy stuff that contains dead bodies of birds and animals and also the nests of various maritime animals. No Government shows much interest while the sargassum is at sea but once it hits coastal areas used by tourists more resources to combat the seaweed are employed. On the internet there are pictures of large rakes in front of tractors which scoop the seaweed up and then it is placed in large trucks and taken away . A few years ago the public beach at Caleta in La Romana and a heavy tractor with a large bucket was used to take the seaweed and much sand away to some unknown remote place. Certainly the DR would be one up on other tourist resorts if it invested in some machines as I see are used in South Florida on a daily basis.

 

[Eugene_A]

Certainly the DR would be one up on other tourist resorts if it invested in some machines as I see are used in South Florida on a daily basis.

You can clean the beach, but you can't clean the water. Nobody wants to swim in brownish bad smelling water. Caribbean tourism is seriously fcuked up. It's only a question of time when tourists stop coming to resorts, maybe a few years from now.

 

[CristoRey]

About as racist as one could get with-in the rules of TOS. BTW, it is their beach, remember? Only IMO, of course I could be wrong.

Damned those racist.
They're everywhere these days.
Boogeyman2.0
Beaches should be public access
for all. Though there is nothing wrong with enforcing clean/ orderly behaviour.

 

[johne]

Damned those racist.
They're everywhere these days.
Boogeyman2.0
Beaches should be public access
for all. Though there is nothing wrong with enforcing clean/ orderly behaviour.

Correct. They are everyday....but here we have "rasists lite" Keyboard only. The wimpy kind.

 

[PCMike]

I think it's only a question of time when seaweed will invade the North Coast and Samana. Actually, some members reported that it's already started in some places there. It will be just one big Sargasso Sea all around here in a few years.

It takes a shift in the winds Eugene. The summer winds (sargassum season) are generally south-southeast, which makes the east and south coast vulnerable. The north coast remains protected unless a storm rolls through.

 

[CristoRey]

Correct. They are everyday....but here we have "rasists lite" Keyboard only. The wimpy kind.

We also seem to have a lot people who are suffering from a major inferiority complex.
This forum has no place for anyone attempting to inject their race baiting garbage.
Period. End of story.
Please view the link below and PM me if you have any questions.

What Is an Inferiority Complex? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment | EverydayHealth

Chronic low self-esteem is also known as an inferiority complex. Learn more about the signs and symptoms, what causes it, and how to treat it.

www.everydayhealth.com

 

[ALLOR925]

Not sure about the "Seaweed is the karma" comment as many areas/countries are also dealing with this issue. The comment "Actually that's good, less Dominicans on the beach = less trash and noise on the beach." truly has to be one of the most ignorant/rude comments I have come across on DR1. Sorry mods but had to say it. There has been a lot information/news about the seaweed situation in Punta Cana so most travelers are aware of the situation before they travel. Sure they are disappointed but most were aware of it before they went.

Agree that most are aware of the seaweed issue, but I disagree that this is not a problem for future visits or continued travel to the greater PC area. It is not a small investment to take a vacation to the DR, and the Beach is the reason for coming, the seaweed can and will endanger that tourism. JMO

 

[william webster]

I can vouch that it IS here on the north coast...

La Entrada is a mess on some parts of the beach.... western part
Cabo Frances is a mess
Playa Grande (I hear) is free of it

Speak up Cab/Sos.... what there ??

 

[JD Jones]

No shortage of pessimists either.

 

[NanSanPedro]

No shortage of pessimists either.

Completely agree. It's a solution waiting to happen. They ain't gonna let some stinky seaweed ruin their multi-billion $ investments.

 

[Eugene_A]

It takes a shift in the winds Eugene. The summer winds (sargassum season) are generally south-southeast, which makes the east and south coast vulnerable. The north coast remains protected unless a storm rolls through.

Time will tell.

Completely agree. It's a solution waiting to happen. They ain't gonna let some stinky seaweed ruin their multi-billion $ investments.

This is exactly what's gonna happen, some stinky seaweed will ruin all their multi-billion $ investments. Maybe it will happen even earlier than some recently announced new projects in Punta Cana area will be completed.

It looks kinda surreal now in some places, like they are building some HUUUUGE resort on Juanillo beach in Cap Cana, and the beach is already fcuked up with tons of seaweed, and it's impossible to swim there last 3 months, the water is brownish and smells bad. So why the hell are they building that new resort? They are so optimistic to think that seaweed problem will disappear by itself?

They took it all for granted so many years, they just counted tourist money and did not care about anything else but beaches, they trashed up all country, all rivers are filled up with their trash, everything... now it's Karma, Mother Nature ruins their beaches with seaweeds, and without beaches DR has nothing to offer to tourists, because everything else is just a big garbage dump.

 

[Kipling333]

Eugene A . I have much sympathy for your position and I am presuming that you are staying somewhere in the Cap Cana Resort to be able to see at close range the problems with the seaweed at Juanillo Beach . The construction that you are referring to is indeed very large,138 condos overlooking the beach and a lake . I personally think that the area all around the Marina is the worst part of the resort and it is much nicer further south towards the golf course. Juanillo Beach is almost a large half moon and I imagine that the seaweed is easily trapped there. I was at Punta Espada and Corales about a year ago and there was no seaweed at all and looking at the professional golf at Corales a few months ago there was no seaweed and also the Caribbean along Las Americas in most years is free of seaweed and the water is turquoise , So I feel quite optimistic that nature, in the form of tides and ocean patterns and science and practical measures will minimise this problem . At present there does not seem to be a sea weed problem in la Romana . I can not imagine that the owners of all the hotels in the Caribbean are going to see their asset values diminished because of this.

 

[Eugene_A]

Eugene A . I am presuming that you are staying somewhere in the Cap Cana Resort to be able to see at close range the problems with the seaweed at Juanillo Beach .

I was staying there for a month, now I am back to Santo Domingo. One month of enjoying rotten seaweed smell is enough for now.

I can not imagine that the owners of all the hotels in the Caribbean are going to see their asset values diminished because of this.

Honesly if Mother Nature will flush all their billion $ investments down the toilet and all tourism in the Carribean will be ruined, I don't give a f#ck. Probably I'll move to the Mediterranean in a few years anyway, so it's not my problem. And while I am still here in DR, I can drive to Las Terrenas for the beach, still no seaweed there yet.

 

[Tom0910]

I can vouch that it IS here on the north coast...

La Entrada is a mess on some parts of the beach.... western part
Cabo Frances is a mess
Playa Grande (I hear) is free of it

Speak up Cab/Sos.... what there ??

Playa Sosua,Playa Alicia,Playa Chiquita in Sosua and all the beaches in Cabarete are and have been free and clear of any sargassum. It has been a little while since I went to the beaches in Rio San Juan but they were completely free of seaweed at that time..

 

[windeguy]

Completely agree. It's a solution waiting to happen. They ain't gonna let some stinky seaweed ruin their multi-billion $ investments.

I posted the pics of the seaweed issue on a Facebook page moderated by someone with obvious business interests in Punta Cana/Bavaro. They lasted about 3 seconds. Money talks. I do hope they can overcome the problem, rather than just cover it up by not mentioning it.

 

[keepcoming]

Most of the travel forums have threads upon threads of seaweed updates. I know there is a Facebook page that updates the beach seaweed conditions in the Cancun area, not sure if there is one for Punta Cana. The comment: "without beaches DR has nothing to offer to tourists, because everything else is just a big garbage dump" is really off base. There many, many tourists that travel here where the beach is one minor part of their travel plans. Maybe travel around the country a bit more because you seem to be missing so many other things the DR has to offer. The tourists obviously continue to come so clearly they are willing to put up with seaweed on the beach. We have friends in Punta Cana now who say yes the seaweed is bad but they knew this before coming. They are enjoying the pools, doing excursions, etc... They also said some days it is bad and other days not so much.

 

[CristoRey]

This country would have a lot more to offer tourist if they would stop carving it up like a turkey in the name of "progress"

 

[Se fue la luz]

This country would have a lot more to offer tourist if they would stop carving it up like a turkey in the name of "progress"

I'm not sure what you mean. Can you give a couple of examples please