Sargassum at Choc Beach (Castries): today's conditions
Clear
Easy, go for it
Choc Beach unrolls a long ribbon of sand along Choc Bay, on the road linking Castries to Rodney Bay. Less touristy than the marina beaches, it has its regulars: families from the capital's northern districts, morning joggers and guests of the hotels nearby.
To know what the sea is dropping there, this page shows a daily score running from 0 to 5, the beach's spot on the sector map and a recap refreshed every morning. Handy for picking between Choc Bay and another cove of the north-west, depending on conditions.
Choc Beach on the sargassum map
What to know about this beach
Like the rest of this shoreline, Choc Beach faces north-west on the Caribbean side while the trade winds blow in from the Atlantic. Most rafts therefore pile up on the far side of Saint Lucia, and weed has to round the north of the island before it can appear off Choc Bay.
Its halfway position, between the Vigie peninsula to the south and Rodney Bay to the north, makes it a good sentinel for the sector: a mat sliding down the coast can hardly miss it. The bay is wide and barely enclosed, so deposits rarely linger, but how they spread along the sand varies with the day's current.
Frequently asked questions
Does Choc Beach see much sargassum?
On the whole, little: the north-west coast is Saint Lucia's protected side. Being long and open, though, the beach can show a visible deposit for a day or two when a mat hugs the coast.
Can one end be affected while the other stays clear?
Yes, and it happens often on a strip of sand this long. Depending on the current, weed packs in near one point while the rest of Choc Bay stays open: the sector map helps you pick the right stretch.
Between Vigie Beach and Choc Beach, which should I check first?
They share the same sector score, recalculated each morning. Choc Beach, further north and more in the path of passing mats, usually reacts first: when it is clear, Vigie almost always is too.