Seasonal· St Martin (French side)· Leeward Islands
Sargassum on the East Coast (St Martin)
18° 6.4′ N · 63° 1.3′ W · approximate
Rafts of sargassum seaweed drift onto St Martin's Atlantic-facing east coast, especially Cul-de-Sac Bay, Orient Bay and Le Galion. When it piles up and rots, it fouls anchorages, blocks dinghy landings and releases a rotten-egg smell.
Practical
Coordinate approx: the charted anchorage mark in Cul-de-Sac Bay (OpenStreetMap seamark), the bay most affected. Strandings have recurred since 2011. The Collectivite collected about 16,000 tonnes in 2025 at a cost of over EUR 3 million. It has installed zigzag diversion barriers in Cul-de-Sac Bay (180 m and 520 m sections, August 2026) and at the mouth of Etang aux Poissons, Quartier d'Orleans (September 2026). Under order No. 2026DEB, anchoring, water sports, diving and fishing are banned in the barrier zone, and vessels had to move out before September 11, 2026. A marked channel keeps the Cul-de-Sac jetty and the Pinel ferry link open. In April 2026 the season arrived early. Orient Bay is machine-cleaned daily, but Le Galion, a nature reserve site, is not, and Pinel ferries are sometimes disrupted. The west-coast beaches and Simpson Bay are usually unaffected. Keep sargassum out of raw-water intakes and the dinghy outboard.
Best for
Planning Pinel, Orient Bay and Oyster Pond stops
Season
Mainly April-October; varies by year
Place data includes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).