Half Moon Beach, Green Island: sargassum right now
First bulletin for this beach lands with tomorrow morning’s update.
Half Moon Beach curves into a small crescent cove on the Green Island coast, in Hanover parish, between Negril and Lucea. It is a pocket beach: short, tree-backed and well away from the big resort strips.
On the sargassum side, here is what matters before you drive out: a rating from 0 to 5 for the day, a map placing the cove along the western shore, and a morning refresh. On a beach this size, knowing the state before you set off makes a real difference to the trip.
Half Moon Beach on the sargassum map
What to know about this beach
The cove faces west, on the Caribbean flank of Jamaica, the side sheltered from the easterly trades. Sargassum rafts crossing the Caribbean reach the exposed eastern shores of the island first, and this part of Hanover tends to see them late, in weakened form, or not at all.
Two local features still count. Size is the first: with only a short ribbon of sand, even a modest deposit covers a visible share of the beach, while the same volume would go almost unnoticed on a shoreline measured in miles. The second is the water itself. Shallow, sheltered ground in front of the cove damps down swell, but it also holds on to floating weed that finds its way in.
Frequently asked questions
Is Half Moon Beach exposed to sargassum?
Only lightly. Its western, leeward position keeps it away from the trade winds that drive rafts across the Caribbean, so exposure stays well below that of the eastern and south-eastern coasts.
How do I check before making the drive?
Use the FanGass map on this page. It gives Half Moon Beach a rating from 0 to 5, recalculated every morning, which is worth a look for a quiet cove you have to plan a trip around.
Why does a small cove look more affected?
Because there is less sand to spread it over. An amount of weed that would barely register along miles of shoreline covers a noticeable part of this crescent and of the entry into the water.
Which nearby beaches should I compare?
The Negril beaches to the south sit on the same western flank and are tracked on FanGass. Comparing their ratings with this one gives you a sense of the trend along the whole coast.