Photos: Sargassum seaweed 'blobs' at Florida beaches over the years (2025)

Brown crusty smelly blob on the beach? It's a seasonal thing, happening a couple of times a year. Winds and tides bring Sargassum seaweed ashore to cover Florida beaches with the brown algae. Here's a roundup of photos from USA TODAY Network-Florida newspapers of sargassum seaweed.

The sargassum seaweed is expected to be heavier than usual this year, with the seaweed covering the beaches this last weekend.

People on the beach for Easter sunrise encountered heavy seaweed. The sargassum seaweed is expected to be heavier than usual this year, with the seaweed covering the beaches this weekend.

An early morning marine sea turtle surveyor makes their way through the seaweed. The sargassum seaweed is expected to be heavier than usual this year, with the seaweed covering the beaches this weekend.

Sargassum seaweed is washing ashore again in Cocoa Beach this week, reported to be extremely heavy in the Caribbean right now and possibly drifting towards Florida.

Sargassum seaweed is washing ashore again in Cocoa Beach this week, reported to be extremely heavy in the Caribbean right now and possibly drifting towards Florida.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - MARCH 16: Beachgoers walk past seaweed that washed ashore on March 16, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Reports indicate that this summer, a huge mass of sargassum seaweed that has formed in the Atlantic Ocean is possibly headed for the Florida coastlines and shores throughout the Gulf of Mexico.

The tide pushes sargassum to the shore near Ocean Reef Park in Riviera Beach, Florida on May 17, 2021, Sargassum detail.

Sargassum, a brown macroalgae accumulates, as beachgoers sunbath and swim at at Midtown Beach Palm Beach August 2, 2022.

Midtown Beach has very little of the brown macroalgae Sargassum Wednesday September 21, 2022.

Seaweed piled up along the beaches in Okaloosa and Walton counties Wednesday, creating a mess and nasty odor. Sunbather Janelle Thfanthrop of Independence, Ky., wishes the stinky sargassum was not present, but is not wielling to let it ruin her vacation at Miramar Beach in this photo from June 2000.

Sargassum hugs the shoreline of Midtown Beach as beachgoers sunbath and swim on Tuesday. June was a record high month in the tropical Atlantic for the brown macroalgae but it has since decreased in all areas except the Caribbean Sea. The forecast is for the amount of seaweed to continue to decrease but because of the amount in the Caribbean Sea, there could still be some beaching events in Florida.

Sargassum, a brown macroalgae accumulates, as beachgoers sunbath and swim at at Midtown Beach Palm Beach August 2, 2022.

Sargassum, a brown macroalgae accumulates, as beachgoers sunbath and swim at at Midtown Beach Palm Beach August 2, 2022.

Boynton Beach resident Johnny Ortiz, 61, jogs north along the Ocean Inlet Park shoreline next to piles of accumulated sargassum seaweed in Boynton Beach, FL., on Tuesday, August 2, 2022. "God, I wish it would go away," Ortiz said about the seaweed. "It happens every year but this year it's worse than ever."

A surfer exits the water and walks over the carpet of sargassum at the shoreline after an afternoon surfing session just north of the William O. Lockhart Pier in Lake Worth Beach, Fla., on July 27, 2022.

Tiffanie Radford, Lantana, walks south through sargassum on the first day of summer near R. G. Kreusler Park in unincorporated Palm Beach County, Fla., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. Winds blew from the northeast at 12 to 14 mph pushing tons of sargassum onto the shoreline from Palm Beach to South Palm Beach.

Beachgoers at Eglin Air Force Base's community beach center on Okaloosa Island try to ignore piles of sargassum weed washed up along the high tide line Tuesday morning.

Sargassum is a type of brown seaweed that is washing up in large amounts on beaches in Florida, including the Panhandle. It is seen here near the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier.

Sargassum is a type of brown seaweed that is washing up in large amounts on beaches in Florida, including the Panhandle. It is seen here near the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier.

Sargassum is a type of brown seaweed that is washing up in large amounts on beaches in Florida, including the Panhandle. It is seen here near the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier.

Sargassum seaweed is starting to show up along the sands in Panama City Beach Thursday, June 9, 2022.

Sargassum seaweed is starting to show up along the sands in Panama City Beach Thursday, June 9, 2022.

Sargassum seaweed is starting to show up along the sands in Panama City Beach Thursday, June 9, 2022.

Sargassum seaweed is starting to show up along the sands in Panama City Beach Thursday, June 9, 2022.

Sargassum seaweed is starting to show up along the sands in Panama City Beach Thursday, June 9, 2022.

Sargassum seaweed dots the shoreline Monday at the Miramar Beach Public Access on Scenic Highway 98 in south Walton County, Florida. The macroalgae is a common seasonal visitor to the beaches of the Florida panhandle.

Tania Picciuto plays with her daughter Mila, both of Montreal, Quebec, in the sargassum on the beach north of William O. Lockhart Pier in Lake Worth Beach, Fla., on Thursday, April 21, 2022. Recent east-northeasterly winds have pushed the organic vegetation to the coastline. The windy conditions are forecast through Saturday with gusts peaking midday according to wunderground.com.

Lake Worth Beach municipal personnel rakes debris and sargassum blankets along the beach following an overnight high tide that deposited the organic matter north of William O. Lockhart Pier recently in Lake Worth Beach.

Sargassum blankets the beach following an overnight high tide north of William O. Lockhart Pier in Lake Worth Beach, Fla., on Thursday, April 21, 2022.

A blanket of sargassum seaweed covers the beach as sunbathers soak in the sunlight on Thursday, May 20, 2021, at Conn Boardwalk in Vero Beach. The Treasure Coast was forecast to see strong easterly winds of 20 to 30 mph Thursday with gusts up to 40 mph. The winds are expected to decrease into the weekend, at 15 to 20 mph Friday and Saturday with gusts of up to 25 mph.

The tide pushes sargassum to the shore near Ocean Reef Park in Riviera Beach, Florida on May 17, 2021. GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST

Volunteer Lourdes Licea, of Palm Beach, trudges through sargassum algae to pick up trash on the north end beach during Turtle Tuesday Beach Cleanup in Palm Beach June 8, 2021. Almost 50 volunteers showed up to the first of summer cleanups that take place in various locations on the 2nd Tuesday of the summer months June through October from 5 to 7 p.m. in Palm Beach.

Volunteers trudge through sargassum algae to pick up trash on the north end beach during Turtle Tuesday Beach Cleanup in Palm Beach June 8, 2021. Almost 50 volunteers showed up to the first of summer cleanups that take place in various locations on the 2nd Tuesday of the summer months June through October from 5 to 7 p.m. in Palm Beach.

Volunteers trudge through sargassum algae to pick up trash on the north end beach during Turtle Tuesday Beach Cleanup in Palm Beach June 8, 2021. Almost 50 volunteers showed up to the first of summer cleanups that take place in various locations on the 2nd Tuesday of the summer months June through October from 5 to 7 p.m. in Palm Beach.

Volunteers trudge through sargassum algae to pick up trash on the north end beach during Turtle Tuesday Beach Cleanup in Palm Beach June 8, 2021. Almost 50 volunteers showed up to the first of summer cleanups that take place in various locations on the 2nd Tuesday of the summer months June through October from 5 to 7 p.m. in Palm Beach.

Volunteer Jeanette Martinez, of Palm Beach, trudges through sargassum algae to pick up trash on the north end beach during Turtle Tuesday Beach Cleanup in Palm Beach June 8, 2021. Almost 50 volunteers showed up to the first of summer cleanups that take place in various locations on the 2nd Tuesday of the summer months June through October from 5 to 7 p.m. in Palm Beach.

Volunteers Lourdes Licea and Jeanette Martinez, of Palm Beach, trudge through sargassum algae to pick up trash on the north end beach during Turtle Tuesday Beach Cleanup in Palm Beach June 8, 2021. Almost 50 volunteers showed up to the first of summer cleanups that take place in various locations on the 2nd Tuesday of the summer months June through October from 5 to 7 p.m. in Palm Beach.

Photo of sargassum on Palm Beach north of The Breakers on May 20, 2021. Photo courtesy, Brian LaPointe

It's a seasonal thing, happening a couple of times a year. Winds and tides bring Sargassum seaweed ashore to cover the beaches with the brown algae. Sargassum is a good thing, floating in the Atlantic, giving fish and sea turtles a food source and place to hide.

It's a seasonal thing, happening a couple of times a year. Winds and tides bring Sargassum seaweed ashore to cover the beaches with the brown algae. Sargassum is a good thing, floating in the Atlantic, giving fish and sea turtles a food source and place to hide.

It's a seasonal thing, happening a couple of times a year. Winds and tides bring Sargassum seaweed ashore to cover the beaches with the brown algae. Sargassum is a good thing, floating in the Atlantic, giving fish and sea turtles a food source and place to hide.

Rough seas blanket the beach near Root Trail with brown sargassum seaweed Tuesday April 27, 2021 in Palm Beach. MEGHAN McCARTHY/Palm Beach Daily News

Savannah Grimm, Jacksonville, Fla., and Nicholas Lawlor, Breckinridge, Colo., walk through the clumps of sargassum collecting along the beachfront north of the William O. Lockhart Pier in Lake Worth Beach, Fla., on Monday, May 10, 2021. 1.

Trash is seen among the sargassum grass washed up on the shoreline on Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, at Fort Pierce Beach.

Sargassum seaweed is piled up by the wind and tide at Bathtub Beach in Martin County on the morning of July 23, 2020.

Sargassum piles up on the sands of Juno Beach due to the prevailing easterly winds, Monday, July 20, 2020. Sargassum has plagued Palm Beach County beaches for the past couple of years with ample amounts reaching the Gulf Stream.

Sargassum piles up on the sands of Juno Beach due to the prevailing easterly winds, Monday, July 20, 2020. Sargassum has plagued Palm Beach County beaches for the past couple of years with ample amounts reaching the Gulf Stream.

Sargassum piles up in the ocean and on the beach next to the Boynton Inlet jetty in August 2019.

Sargassum on the beach in Captiva. This prolific algae uses gas- (mostly oxygen) filled sacs to float.

Sargassum seaweed has been washing up on Treasure Coast beaches for the past few months, coming across the Atlantic Ocean from western Africa. Sargassum, the seaweed with small air-filled "berries" that floats in island-like masses on the ocean, emits hydrogen sulfide after it washes up on beaches and rots in the hot Florida sunshine.

Sargassum seaweed has been washing up on Treasure Coast beaches for the past few months, coming across the Atlantic Ocean from western Africa. Sargassum, the seaweed with small air-filled "berries" that floats in island-like masses on the ocean, emits hydrogen sulfide after it washes up on beaches and rots in the hot Florida sunshine.

Sargassum seaweed has been washing up on Treasure Coast beaches for the past few months, coming across the Atlantic Ocean from western Africa. Sargassum, the seaweed with small air-filled "berries" that floats in island-like masses on the ocean, emits hydrogen sulfide after it washes up on beaches and rots in the hot Florida sunshine.

Sargassum seaweed has been washing up on Treasure Coast beaches for the past few months, coming across the Atlantic Ocean from western Africa. Sargassum, the seaweed with small air-filled "berries" that floats in island-like masses on the ocean, emits hydrogen sulfide after it washes up on beaches and rots in the hot Florida sunshine.

Sargassum seaweed has been washing up on Treasure Coast beaches for the past few months, coming across the Atlantic Ocean from western Africa. Sargassum, the seaweed with small air-filled "berries" that floats in island-like masses on the ocean, emits hydrogen sulfide after it washes up on beaches and rots in the hot Florida sunshine.

Sargassum seaweed has been washing up on Treasure Coast beaches for the past few months, coming across the Atlantic Ocean from western Africa. Sargassum, the seaweed with small air-filled "berries" that floats in island-like masses on the ocean, emits hydrogen sulfide after it washes up on beaches and rots in the hot Florida sunshine.

Sargassum seaweed has been washing up on Treasure Coast beaches for the past few months, coming across the Atlantic Ocean from western Africa. Sargassum, the seaweed with small air-filled "berries" that floats in island-like masses on the ocean, emits hydrogen sulfide after it washes up on beaches and rots in the hot Florida sunshine.

Sargassum seaweed has been washing up on Treasure Coast beaches for the past few months, coming across the Atlantic Ocean from western Africa. Sargassum, the seaweed with small air-filled "berries" that floats in island-like masses on the ocean, emits hydrogen sulfide after it washes up on beaches and rots in the hot Florida sunshine.

Sargassum seaweed has been washing up on Treasure Coast beaches for the past few months, coming across the Atlantic Ocean from western Africa. Sargassum, the seaweed with small air-filled "berries" that floats in island-like masses on the ocean, emits hydrogen sulfide after it washes up on beaches and rots in the hot Florida sunshine.

Clumps of sargassum seaweed churn in the water along Naples beach on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, south of Naples Pier.

Clumps of sargassum seaweed float in the water off Naples beach on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, south of Naples Pier.

Volunteer Federico Giller wades through Sargassum seaweed to pick up trash during the Worth Avenue Associationa's Turtle Tuesday beach cleanup on the north end of the island July 9, 2019 in Palm Beach. [MEGHAN MCCARTHY/palmbeachdailynews.com]

Sargassum seaweed sits on the shore near Lowdermilk Park in Naples on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. The seaweed is nontoxic, but emits hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs.

Seaweed, including sargassum, is seen along the shore at Bathtub Reef Beach on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in Martin County.

Mounds of sargassum seaweed choke the shoreline at Fort Pierce Beach on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, in Fort Pierce. The seaweed, originating out of the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic, can attract insects, crabs, sea lice while blocking sunlight from light-dependent organisms such as seagrass and corals.

Sargassum seaweed is seen along the shore at Bathtub Reef Beach on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in Martin County.

A large mat of Sargassum seaweed is drifting offshore of the Treasure Coast.

Noah Flinn, 17, who is visiting from Tennessee and staying with friends in Jensen Beach, steps over the sargassum covering much of the sand at Bathtub Reef Beach to head into the ocean Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in Martin County. "I think it's pretty cool, it's like natural and stuff, so it's cool," Flinn said, while another friend added that Bathtub Reef Beach is the coolest beach they've visited in the area.

Waves rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean bring in sargassum - and occasionally pull it back - as seen from shore at Bathtub Reef Beach on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in Martin County.

Rip would love to make a sargassum seaweed fort at Herman's Bay Beach if anyone would like to help out.