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SargacastSargacast

Terms of use

The rules for using the site and the app: what the index means, what it is not and what reports must look like.

Updated October 17, 2026

The service

We tell you how much sargassum there is at each Florida beach and how it may change over the next few days. The site, the map and the forecast are free and need no account. To report, earn points and get alerts you sign in with Apple or Google and must be 13 or older.

A guide, not a safety warning

The 0 to 100 index and the forecast are a guide. They come from satellite data, wind, currents and community reports, and they can be wrong or late. Beyond three days we show a trend, not a firm forecast.

They are not a safety warning. They do not say whether the water is safe for swimming and they do not replace lifeguards, beach flags or official health or weather warnings. Before going into the water, always follow what they say on site.

Report rules

A report is the sargassum level you see right now at a beach and, if you want, a photo of the shore.

  • Only report what you see at that moment and at that beach.
  • The photo must be yours and show the shore. No people: we reject photos with faces.
  • Do not upload offensive photos, other people's photos or photos unrelated to the beach.
  • There is a limit on reports per hour and another on photos per day.
  • An automatic review checks every photo. If it clearly contradicts the level you chose or the review fails, the report stays pending: it does not count toward the index or earn points until we review it.

By sending a photo you let us use it to verify the report and compute the index. We do not publish it and we delete it after 90 days.

Points

Points, levels and streaks are a thank-you to people who help. They have no monetary value and cannot be exchanged for anything. Reports that break these rules earn no points.

Advertising

The site may show advertising and sponsorship spaces, always labeled "Advertisement" or "Sponsored". They never appear while you report.

Your account

You can delete it at any time from Profile. What happens to your data is in the privacy policy.

Changes

We may change these terms or the service. When we do, we update the date above.