Sargassum is a floating seaweed that washes up on beaches across the Caribbean in some months and some years more than others. When it strands on the sand and rots, it smells and it keeps people out of the water. Most owners on Caye Caulker rake it off the beach week after week.
What we built
At Casa Vista Belize we built a rock seawall running more than 200 feet along our ocean frontage. It catches the sargassum on the seaward side, before it reaches the beach, so it can be collected and hauled off instead of rotting on the sand.
Three things came out of it that we did not expect:
- It became a small reef. The rock face has grown over with algae and marine life, and there are far more small and juvenile fish around it than before.
- The sand is building. Sand is gathering along the wall instead of washing down the coast, and the water just south of us runs clearer.
- It protects the neighbors. The wall takes the wave energy in a storm, which protects the parcels on either side of us too.
What is next
The Department of the Environment has approved the next phase. Over the next few months we are raising the wall about a foot and bringing in sand, which will roughly quadruple the usable beach in our cove. The 66 foot public reserve stays open, and the top of the wall stays clear for anyone walking or fishing the shoreline.
What to expect on your trip
Nobody can promise a sargassum free beach. The sea decides. What the wall does is catch most of it before it reaches the sand, so the beach and the water in front of the house stay usable far more often.
None of this is exotic or expensive. Any beachfront owner on the island could do the same, and we would rather people copy it.
Questions guests ask
Is there sargassum on Caye Caulker? In some months, yes, as across the Caribbean. It varies by season and by year.
Does Casa Vista Belize have sargassum on its beach? Our seawall catches most of it before it reaches the sand, and our crew collects what it catches.