Beaches all over Florida are dealing with a deluge of seaweed, thwarting tourism on the popular beaches of South Florida.

The first major impact felt by the blooming seaweed was in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Florida in 2011 according to The Weather Network. Since then, a bloom in 2014 and 2015 preceded the current bloom. There is no certain cause for the unusual presence of the seaweed along south Florida beaches, but the Weather Network points to wind shifts and climate change as potential culprits.

According to NBC’s Miami affiliate, local municipalities where the seaweed is present attempt to dispose of the vegetation by composting it, removing it and just mixing it with sand.

“I think the potential exists that the situation could worsen in parts of Florida,” Brian LaPointe, research professor, Florida Atlantic University-Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, said. “We’ve seen problems in the Florida Keys in the past couple years. …  It’s gotten to the point in places where people will avoid swimming. It’s not something you’d really want to swim through or in,” LaPont said in a statement to The Miami Herald.

LaPointe went on to extoll the virtues of the sargassum. Namely, it helps fish breed and protects young fish from predators.

Tourists and visitors to Miami’s beaches had varying responses to the seaweed invasion. Some visitors said they would go home early, while others called the seaweed a “gift from god,” The Miami Herald reported.

Will the seaweed invasion keep you away from South Florida beaches? Let us know. Email us at letters@globaltravelerusa.com. Please include your full name and location.