Cancún’s Lifeguard Tower Upgrade Delayed as Sargassum Cleanup Intensifies Ahead of High Season

Cancún, Quintana Roo — With one of Cancún’s busiest tourist periods approaching, a planned renovation of lifeguard towers remains incomplete despite announcements in late January to upgrade beach safety infrastructure.

“The lifeguard towers still haven’t arrived. There are some details pending, but important projects are coming,” Benito Juárez Mayor Ana Paty Peralta acknowledged today when asked about current coastal security infrastructure.

Municipal officials announced in late January that the project had been submitted and was undergoing processing to be presented to the Sanitation Committee, which has previously allocated resources for civil protection equipment.

The new towers aim to support daily civil protection operations and enhance prevention, monitoring, and emergency response on municipal beaches. The plan calls for initial installation at the municipality’s seven Blue Flag-certified beaches, with later adjustments potentially extending coverage to other beach access points.

The structures would improve aquatic observation and response capabilities for potential drowning incidents while integrating with broader citizen security monitoring systems. Technological and environmental components include panic buttons, surveillance cameras, infrared lighting to avoid disrupting sea turtle nesting cycles, and solar panels for more sustainable operation.

Despite being announced as part of a comprehensive renovation, with execution timelines and scope to be determined after Sanitation Committee approval, officials have not specified investment amounts or concrete installation dates. Beach surveillance continues with traditional lifeguard and operational personnel.

Separately, when questioned about sargassum arrivals, Mayor Peralta noted that iconic Cancún beaches like Playa Delfines and Playa Marlin woke to seaweed presence on Monday, prompting reinforced cleanup efforts throughout the hotel zone.

“The public services team went out very early with Zofemat personnel to remove sargassum, both manually and with machinery,” the mayor confirmed. She highlighted coordination with hotels to address beachfront areas and announced that the public services director’s contact information has been made available for those needing support.

Sargassum has been persistent throughout 2026, even outside the traditional May-to-October season, aligning with scientific projections indicating record increases of the algae in the Atlantic. Recent satellite reports show sargassum growth from December 2025 to January 2026 exceeding 1.7 million tons in some Caribbean and western Atlantic areas.

State authorities have intensified efforts with marine barriers, cleanup brigades, and innovative projects like facilities to process sargassum for energy or composting purposes through public, private, and academic collaboration. That center, scheduled to operate in the second half of 2026, forms part of a broader long-term strategy to manage the phenomenon.