Sargassum at Lyssons Beach (Morant Bay): today's conditions
First bulletin for this beach lands with tomorrow morning’s update.
Lyssons Beach is a short cove of roughly 300 metres just east of Morant Bay, in the parish of St Thomas, reached from the Lyssons to Prospect main road on Jamaica's southern shore. This page reports sargassum at Lyssons Beach day by day.
In practice that means a 0 to 5 rating summing up what the sea has left, a map for comparing the cove with other beaches along the southeast, and a look back at the past few days. Everything is refreshed in the morning, because a shoreline that was clean yesterday can change after one windy night.
Lyssons Beach on the sargassum map
What to know about this beach
This shore sits only a few kilometres from Jamaica's southeastern corner, where the Caribbean side meets open water driven by the trade winds. The eastern parishes take the first pass of whatever the easterlies push towards the island, and what is left continues west along the coast. Lyssons is therefore more exposed than the beaches of Portmore or Westmoreland, further downwind.
Shape then decides how long it stays. A cove of a few hundred metres, closed off by rocky points at either end, holds what drifts in. A pocket like this fills quickly and empties slowly, since neither swell nor current sweeps straight through it. Two consecutive mornings here can therefore read very differently, in either direction.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Lyssons Beach see more sargassum than western Jamaica?
It lies close to the island's southeastern corner, the first stretch of coast reached by rafts pushed in by the trade winds. Beaches further west often receive only what survives the journey along the shore.
How do I check before driving down from Kingston?
Read today's rating on this page, from 0 to 5, and see where it sits on the regional map. FanGass rebuilds it each morning, which saves a long drive out to a beach already under weed.
Does the cove clear quickly after a landing?
In an enclosed bay of about 300 metres, weed stays put until the wind shifts or swell carries it back out. Expect several days rather than a few hours once a load has settled inside.
Which nearby beaches are worth checking the same day?
The other coves of St Thomas share this exposure but close off differently, so their ratings can diverge. The southeast section of the map shows which one is doing better that particular morning.