Sandals Emerald Bay beach & sargassum forecast
Great Exuma, BS · The Bahamas, Bahamas · 23.625, -75.915
Updated : very low seaweed, beach grade B+, sea 83°F.
Also listed as Sandals Emerald Bay - ALL INCLUSIVE Couples Only.
Veabird's call
Sunday is the go at B+ with very low seaweed, 25% rain and 83°F water.
January and May grade A-, and January usually has the lowest seaweed in Great Exuma.
Grades from Veabird's beach forecast; wording by AI (Muse Spark), checked against the forecast. Updated Nov 13, 01:00 UTC.
Tell me when Sandals Emerald Bay is clear
One email when the seaweed clears or the beach grades A, at most once a week per beach. We only ask for your email address, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe.
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Questions about Sandals Emerald Bay
Does Sandals Emerald Bay get sargassum (seaweed)?
Rarely. Veabird estimates moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach here in fewer than one week in ten in every month. Landings vary by year, wind and currents.
How warm is the water at Sandals Emerald Bay?
About 81°F in November. The sea is warmest in August and September (about 87°F) and coolest in February (about 76°F).
When is the best time to visit Sandals Emerald Bay?
For warm water and dry weather, aim for March, April and December. April is usually the quietest of those, with about 7 rainy days and a sea near 78°F.
When is hurricane season at Sandals Emerald Bay, and how often do storms hit?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November and peaks around September. A tropical storm passed within 86 miles of Sandals Emerald Bay in 16 of the 55 seasons from 1971 to 2025, and a hurricane within 58 miles in 7. The riskiest stretch is around August 27, when the chance of a storm passing in any one week is about 3%; across all of September it is about 10%. Flexible bookings and travel insurance help in the peak weeks.
What guests say about Sandals Emerald Bay - ALL INCLUSIVE Couples Only
Read all 75 reviews · Compare on Expedia
Scores and reviews come from guests who stayed, through LiteAPI (Nuitée). The likes, watch-fors and category scores are an AI summary of those reviews. Partner links: Veabird may earn a commission.
Sargassum season at Sandals Emerald Bay
Sargassum is rare at Sandals Emerald Bay: Veabird estimates moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach in fewer than one week in ten in every month.
Estimated share of weeks in each month with moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach. Veabird takes the landing season seen on Quintana Roo's beaches (a Puerto Morelos beach camera, 2015–2020, and the Mexican Navy's beach alerts, 2022–2026), the nearest coast with a multi-year beach record (this one has none), and scales it by how often NOAA AOML satellites see notable seaweed within about 20 km of this stretch of coast: 3% of weeks here on average, against 54% off Quintana Roo, so 5% of that season. The satellite share (2016–2024, the top fifth of all coast-weeks, adjusted for this beach's exposure of 65%) measures seaweed offshore, not on the sand: off the Riviera Maya it reads high even in winter, when little lands. Very low under 10%, Low 10–24%, Moderate 25–44%, High 45–69%, Very high 70%+. Beach faces 45°; onshore winds from that direction push seaweed ashore. Satellite sargassum data: USF Optical Oceanography Lab (Sargassum Watch System) via NOAA AOML. The satellite record as open data.
The Bahamas month by month
Typical weather, water temperature, seaweed and crowds for every month: the best time to visit the Bahamas.
Weather, water & seaweed by month at Sandals Emerald Bay
Average highs run from about 76°F in February to 86°F in August and September. The sea is warmest in August and September (about 87°F) and coolest in February (about 76°F). February is usually the driest, with about 5 rainy days; October is the wettest, with about 18 rainy days.
| Month | Avg high | Sea | Rainy days | Sargassum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77°F | 77°F | 6 | Very low |
| Feb | 76°F | 76°F | 5 | Very low |
| Mar | 77°F | 78°F | 6 | Very low |
| Apr | 78°F | 78°F | 7 | Very low |
| May | 81°F | 82°F | 12 | Very low |
| Jun | 83°F | 85°F | 12 | Very low |
| Jul | 85°F | 86°F | 11 | Very low |
| Aug | 86°F | 87°F | 13 | Very low |
| Sep | 86°F | 87°F | 16 | Very low |
| Oct | 84°F | 85°F | 18 | Very low |
| Nov | 81°F | 81°F | 13 | Very low |
| Dec | 79°F | 79°F | 10 | Very low |
Monthly averages from 6 years of ERA5 reanalysis (Open-Meteo) for this area's 0.5° grid cell; rainy days have at least 1 mm (0.04 in). Sargassum is the typical-year estimate described above. Any given year can differ.
Cleanup & barriers
- Offshore barriers
- None at scale
- Public cleanup
- Ministry of Tourism / Environmental Health spot cleanups on public beaches
- Resort crews
- Large Nassau/Paradise Island resorts rake daily; Out Island beaches often left natural
- Typical clearing time
- Same morning at big resorts; days to never on remote Atlantic beaches
Safety notes
US State Dept: The Bahamas, Level 2 (exercise increased caution) — verify
- Petty and violent crime concentrated in parts of Nassau and Freeport away from resort zones
- Unregulated jet-ski operators have been linked to assaults; use licensed vendors
- Atlantic-facing beaches can have strong rip currents and no lifeguards
Check official advisories and local flags before swimming. Decomposing sargassum releases hydrogen sulfide; avoid heavy piles.
Things to do near Great Exuma, BS
- Atlantis Aquaventure
- Exuma swimming pigs & Thunderball Grotto
- Harbour Island pink sand beach
- Dean's Blue Hole (Long Island)
- Bimini diving & fishing
- Junkanoo (Dec 26 / Jan 1)
Fly in for the best beach days
Suggested dates are a week in December. Change them to match the live forecast above.
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Nearest airports
- Exuma Intl (George Town) (GGT), ~8 km
Nearby resorts
- Grand Isle Resort & Residences Great Exuma, BS · 1 km
- Exuma Palms Hotel Great Exuma, BS · 5 km
- Exuma Beach Resort Great Exuma, BS · 18 km
- Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort Stella Maris, BS · 59 km
- Fowl Cay Resort Exuma Cays, BS · 81 km
- Staniel Cay Yacht Club Staniel Cay, Exuma, BS · 81 km
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