TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Sargassum on Orient

Stole this picture from Facebook. Looks pretty bad today.

I sure hope that it is gone in the next few weeks before we arrive.

Sad to say I wouldn't count on it. Reports are more at sea on it's way.

Is this only at Orient? What about other beaches? Gonna be there in 3 weeks….

Whenever Orient has seaweed, normally Dawn Beach is very bad also. Usually it's not bad on the other side of the island, like Mullet and Simpson Bay.

None on the Dutch side as far as we know.

I will probably take arrows for this but I have never understood why Orient is so wildly popular with the seaweed and the almost constant wind. I also think it is not as picturesque as many others beached on the island. Now if the clothing optional aspect is the key I get it and I do enjoy the food but we are happy with the many other beaches and it is a bonus that the cruisers are not on most of the other beaches as well.

Just one person's opinion.

I totally agree with you. I rarely go to Orient, except for Coco Beach.

My sentiments too.

Many of us here have over 30 years of fond memories of Orient. Some c/o, certainly, but many not. It remains one of the premier beaches on SXM, for good reason.

I've been to Orient, Friar's Bay, Grand Case, and Pinel. Which beaches are better? Thanks!

I think there are a lot of us that aren’t all that crazy about OB. Forty+ years ago it was an incredible beach spot but to me the over development destroyed what was one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. Back then it was sun, sand and sea-grape - so beautiful!! 😊😊

Our favorite is Pinel. Not as easy to get there compared to the others listed but always great sand and no seaweed.

Yesterday at Ile Tintamarre there was sargassum washed up on the beach. And I barged through several large fields of the stuff on the passage from St. Kitts the day before. It is truly a plague this season.

In the past few years we have noticed it getting more frequent this year is the worst since 2000 our first visit. I have noticed that a slight change in wind direction determines how it is distributed on the beach. In the past Club Orient because it it sheltered never got as much as the other sections but this year it's just as bad all the way to the old restaurant. Today looks not to bad from our view point and as they do daily the tractor is working

Trust me, the restaurant/beach owners don't want to see this anymore than we do! They get there guys out there before the big rush!! I like to get to Orient early, I watch these guys and the tractors start working the beach! It's a real problem, but there isn't anything that can be done about it, except rake two three times a day! Once they can figure out how to stop it from South America, then we should see the last of it! Until then, the guys have to keep on raking! SMH

Here is a recent picture of Orient Beach. I have never seen Orient looking so bad. Hopefully things there will improve soon.

Much improved today clear walk in very little in the water at club o

Old Club O area traditionally doesn't receive as much as the rest of orient.

That pic looks exactly where we stayed last week. Villa Flamingo!

In 23 years of walking Orient from Mont Vernon to Club O and back, I (and my long-time neighbour agree) have never encountered such a difficult walk because or the sea-weed! It's heaped in many places up to three ridges high! My usual 45-minute quick walk took double time on Saturday and more sea-weed is floating off shore!

The Collective has a tractor cleaning from Mont Vernon toward the the big rock; it's there again this morning raking piles of the stuff, but it hasn't been able to proceed to the tennis courts (the ones that local school children use)! I keep using the exclamation point because that's how tough the problem seems.

As you pass the big rock from MV, the restaurants have just raked small paths through the stuff so their clients can enter the water.

A local here at MV reports that deforestation on the Amazon has caused the river temperature to rise which in turn has adjusted the ocean currents around the Sagasso Sea and directed the sea-weed here.

The winds have been howling in from the east the past couple of days. That, and the increased wave height, has exacerbated the problem on the windward sides of the islands.

we walked it yesterday and it is brutal, but it is what it is, hey I could be trudging through snow, the glass is always half full. Stopped at The Perch for several bevvies during happy hour 1:30 to 2:30, excellent.

MONDAY! ... just back from walk .. a little better today ... took about 60 minutes for the roundtrip .. TWO, count'em 2, tractors raking but still lots to go!

Large holes are created by receding water. BE CAREFUL with knees and hips says he who is a fitness instructor!

Lots of hand-raking at some of the smaller establishments.

Not a sargassum weedlet to be seen here in Grand Case

No sargassum at Mullet bay, cupecoy, Maho, Simpson bay, Kim sha and Great bay beach.

Usually isn't at those beaches.

It was that bad on our last visit the first couple of days of September 2021 on Orient and Grande Casse after a week of no sargassum. Jumped over to Beachside Villa's to wrap up the trip.
Comes and goes depending on wind direction.

Yes