# Sargacast

> Sargacast shows how much sargassum seaweed there is at 37 Florida beaches, from the Florida Keys to Fernandina Beach, with a 0 to 10 index updated every hour and a 7-day outlook, in English, Spanish and Portuguese. It is an independent project run by one person, not a government service; the index is a guide, not a swimming-safety warning. Contact: hola@sargacast.com. Advertising: anuncios@sargacast.com.

## When to use Sargacast

- [Beach page as Markdown](https://sargacast.com/en/beaches/south-pointe): "Is there sargassum at <Florida beach> today or tomorrow?" Fetch the beach page (`/en/beaches/<slug>`, `/es/playas/<slug>`, `/pt/praias/<slug>`) with `Accept: text/markdown` to get today's 0 to 10 value, its level, when it was calculated, the satellite date, wind, waves, water and the forecast days, as plain Markdown. Every page of the site answers Markdown the same way; an unknown path answers 404 with directions.
- [All beaches as JSON](https://sargacast.com/api/v1/beaches): choosing a clean beach in South Florida or the Keys. Public, no key. Answers `{ "ok": true, "data": [ { "slug", "name", "short_name", "zone_slug", "lat", "lng", "index_value", "level", "status", "confidence", "computed_at" } ] }`; `index_value` is 0 to 10 (null without data), `level` is `clean`, `moderate` or `heavy`, `status` is `ok`, `stale` or `no_data`. Filter with `?zone=<zone_slug>`; `?day=tomorrow` gives tomorrow's forecast instead of today.
- [One beach as JSON](https://sargacast.com/api/v1/beaches/south-pointe): the 7-day sargassum outlook for one beach. `/api/v1/beaches/<slug>` adds `zone_name`, `reports_today` and `forecast`, a list of `{ "date", "index_value", "level", "confidence", "lead_days", "kind" }`, where `kind` is `forecast` for the first days and `trend` for days 4 to 7. Errors answer `{ "ok": false, "error": { "code", "message", "hint" } }` (404 for an unknown slug, 422 for an invalid parameter); `hint` says what to do next.
- [How the meter is calculated](https://sargacast.com/en/how-we-measure): questions about how the 0 to 10 Sargassum Meter is worked out, its inputs, cut-offs and accuracy.
- [What it is not for](https://sargacast.com/en/guides/is-it-safe-to-swim): Sargacast is not an official safety or health warning, does not cover red tide, water quality or rip currents, and covers Florida beaches only. For safety, follow local beach flags, lifeguards and health authorities.

## API

- [OpenAPI description](https://sargacast.com/openapi.json): OpenAPI 3.1 for the three public, read-only JSON endpoints (listBeaches, getBeach, getHealth). Free, no key, CORS open, cached about 5 minutes.
- [Developer guide](https://sargacast.com/en/developers): curl examples, what each field means, the error format with hints, and the usage terms: free with the visible credit "Data: Sargacast (sargacast.com)" and a link, about one request per minute per client at most, heavier or commercial use by email to hola@sargacast.com.

## Beaches (live data)

- [Beach list (English)](https://sargacast.com/en/beaches): every tracked beach with today's level and the age of its data
- [Lista de playas (Español)](https://sargacast.com/es/playas)
- [Lista de praias (Português)](https://sargacast.com/pt/praias)

## How we measure

- [How we measure sargassum](https://sargacast.com/en/how-we-measure): inputs, cut-offs, forecast horizon, accuracy and limits
- [Cómo medimos el sargazo](https://sargacast.com/es/como-medimos)
- [Como medimos o sargaço](https://sargacast.com/pt/como-medimos)

## Guides

- [What is sargassum and why does it reach Florida?](https://sargacast.com/en/guides/what-is-sargassum)
- [Sargassum season in Miami, month by month](https://sargacast.com/en/guides/sargassum-season-miami)
- [Is it safe to swim with sargassum?](https://sargacast.com/en/guides/is-it-safe-to-swim)
- [What time of day usually has the least sargassum?](https://sargacast.com/en/guides/best-time-of-day)
- [Sargassum smell and health](https://sargacast.com/en/guides/sargassum-smell-and-health)
- [How to report a beach](https://sargacast.com/en/guides/how-to-report)
- [Guías en español](https://sargacast.com/es/guias)
- [Guias em português](https://sargacast.com/pt/guias)

## Blog

- [The cleanest beaches in Miami right now](https://sargacast.com/en/blog/cleanest-beaches-miami)
- [Fort Lauderdale or Miami Beach: which one has less sargassum today?](https://sargacast.com/en/blog/fort-lauderdale-vs-miami-beach)
- [Key Biscayne beaches](https://sargacast.com/en/blog/key-biscayne-beaches)
- [South Pointe guide](https://sargacast.com/en/blog/south-pointe-guide)
- [Blog en español](https://sargacast.com/es/blog)
- [Blog em português](https://sargacast.com/pt/blog)

## About and contact

- [About Sargacast](https://sargacast.com/en/about)
- [Sobre nosotros](https://sargacast.com/es/sobre-nosotros)
- [Sobre](https://sargacast.com/pt/sobre)
- [Contact](https://sargacast.com/en/contact): questions, wrong readings, data and privacy requests (hola@sargacast.com), advertising (anuncios@sargacast.com)
- [Contacto](https://sargacast.com/es/contacto)
- [Contato](https://sargacast.com/pt/contato)

## Data

- [Scale](https://sargacast.com/en/how-we-measure): the Sargassum Meter runs from 0 to 10: 0 to 3 is clean, 4 to 6 moderate, 7 to 10 heavy sargassum. Every value is shown with the age of its data.
- [Inputs](https://sargacast.com/en/how-we-measure): the NOAA AOML / University of South Florida AFAI satellite product (7-day composite; sargassum density within about 50 km of each beach, weighted toward the shore), the NOAA National Weather Service wind forecast (onshore wind raises the index by up to 40 %, offshore wind lowers it by up to 40 %), and community reports (recent ones weigh more, at most 60 % of the index, outliers dropped).
- [Forecast](https://sargacast.com/en/how-we-measure): today's index plus the sargassum seen 50 to 150 km offshore and the forecast wind. The first days are a forecast; the later days, up to a week, are shown only as a trend.
- [Not used](https://sargacast.com/en/how-we-measure): ocean currents and tides. Water temperature from NOAA CO-OPS stations (Virginia Key, Port Everglades, Lake Worth Pier) is shown as context and does not feed the index.

## Optional

- [Privacy policy](https://sargacast.com/en/privacy): English
- [Política de privacidad](https://sargacast.com/es/privacidad): Español
- [Política de privacidade](https://sargacast.com/pt/privacidade): Português
- [Terms of use](https://sargacast.com/en/terms): English
- [Términos de uso](https://sargacast.com/es/terminos): Español
- [Termos de uso](https://sargacast.com/pt/termos): Português