From hot water bubbling up from the sand to islands covered with stars, here are 16 of
the strangest and most unique beaches on Earth!!!
16.)
Anjuna Beach, India Anjuna is famous for its trance parties and
huge flea market.
Even better, Anjuna Beach is more commonly known as Cow Beach and if you ever visit you
will know why.
Hundreds of cows gather on the sands of this beach and roam and lounge as freely and lazily
as some of the tourists.
The cows seem used to the human interaction.
It might not be that relaxing as a tourist but the cows sure know a good thing when they
see it!!!
15.)
Genipabu Beach, Brazil Located in Natal, Brazil, Genipabu Beach is
made up of large sand dunes reminiscent of something from the Middle East!
There are many shifting sand dunes near a lagoon that change constantly because the
hard winds in the Rio Grande do Norte coastline move the sand from one point to another, shaping
the landscape.
Sandboarding is a very common sport here and in case you were confused about where you
were, yes, that is a camel on the beach.
Camel rides are also very popular.
Brazil is just full of surprises!!!
14.)
75 Mile Beach, Australia Probably named because someone decided to
measure it, the 75-Mile Beach on Fraser Island, Australia is not only as long as the name
says it is, but it is also unique because it is also coastal highway.
As if that weren't enough, it's also used as a runway.
The white, sandy beach is packed extremely hard so four-wheelers and planes can glide
along smoothly.
But don't worry, if you visit the 75-mile beach you won't get run over.
I mean hopefully, I can't guarantee it.
Oh, and watch out for wild dingo's!!
It is Australia, so that means it's going to be fun and scary!
There are Champagne Pools on the north end.
They of course, aren't full of champagne but are named because of the foamy water created
by the crashing waves.
The shallow, sandy rock pools make perfect swimming holes, unlike other areas of the
island where there are dangerous currents and a large shark population!!
Have fun!!!
13.)
Pink Sands Beach, Bahamas Located on Harbour Island in the Bahamas is
one of the most unique and naturally beautiful beaches in the world.
It gets its name because the sand is actually pink!!
The beach is about 3 miles long and was featured as one of the World's Best Beaches on the
Travel Channel.
The calm water is great for scuba diving and snorkeling and ideal for just relaxing on
the beach.
I know that what you are really asking, is why is it pink??
The sand has many tiny bits of microscopic coral animals known as Foraminifera that have
bright pink and red shells.
Tiny bits of coral, broken shells, minute rocks and calcium carbonate all come together
to give the beach it's pink hue.
As these little animals die, the waves crush them to bits and then mixes the remains with
the sand.
While it might be a little dramaticized on the internet (a lot of pictures have filters
on them to intensify the color) the pink can be seen more closely right at the water's
edge.
Apparently the sand here is always cool too, so you don't have to worry about burning
your feet!!
If you can't make it to the Bahamas, then other pink sand beaches can be found in Crete,
Greece; Formentera, Spain; and Komodo Indonesia.
12.)
Glass Beach, California As the name suggests, this beach in Fort Bragg
is is a beach full of glass.
It is also a story of Mother Nature turning something ugly into something beautiful.
From about 1906 until around 1967, Californians used the Fort Bragg shore as a dumping ground.
Everything from cars to batteries to bottles were pushed over the cliffs into the ocean.
After the government banned the practice, decades of wave erosion weathered down the
glass refuse.
Everything from tail lights to apothecary bottles would be smoothed out by the waves.
The smooth, glistening particles washed ashore and covered what is now Glass Beach.
While the sea gems may be gorgeous to look at, so many people used to come and take glass
home with them as a souvenir that now it is forbidden to take it.
There is also a Glass Festival held annually on Memorial Day weekend for those of you who
are interested.
11.
Hoshizuna-no-hama, Japan Located on the northern tip of the remote
Iriomote Island in Okinawa these beaches are one of the hidden wonders of the world!
This beach is literally translated as Star Sand Beach because if you look closely at
the sand on this beach, you will see that the sand is actually shaped like tiny little
stars.
The grains of sand aren't sand, but shells of microscopic organisms known as Foraminifera.
Remember them from Pink Sands Beach??
There are 10,000 species that have shells with different shapes.
The foraminifera in this area of the world have star shaped shells and when they die,
their shells remain in the sea and the tide brings them ashore.
Their shells have settled on the seafloor for 500 million years, and are used by scientists
to study the earth's changing climate.
10) Rabida Island, Ecuador When you are planning a tropical vacation,
you probably imagine white, sandy beaches but after arriving on Rabida Island in the
Galapagos, you'll be surprised by the rich red color of the sand!
Covered by a colony of sea lions you should probably watch them from a distance!!
There are also iguanas and a salt water lagoon that is a feeding and breeding area for flamingos!
The color of the sand comes from the high levels of iron found in the volcanic material
that makes up the beach which oxidizes, or rusts, giving it that rich, red color.
Red beaches are pretty rare but can be found all over the world.
Maybe you've been to one?
Let us know in the comments below!!
Some other famous red sand beaches include Kaihalulu Beach in Hawaii, Cavendish Beach
in Canada, and Ramla Bay in Malta.
9.)
Boulder Beach, Cape Town Not only is this beach protected by humongous
granite boulders, but that's not even the best part.
If you go there to swim in the sheltered waters, you will be swimming next to a colony of African
penguins!!
Apparently they decided to make this place their home in the 1980's.
There are wooden walkways that allow tourists to view the penguins in their natural habitat,
and going about their daily business: sunning, waddling on the sand and diving into the waters.
It is stated that there are over 2,000 of these penguins, however you should not touch
them as they are said to have a nasty bite.
8.)
Chandipur Beach, India Now you see it, now you don't!
This beach literally disappears right before your very eyes.
Twice a day, the water recedes about five miles, which gives you the opportunity to
literally walk into the sea.
On top of this unique occurrence, you can also see the swaying casuarina trees and sand
dunes.
And don't be surprised if you see a horseshoe crab or red crab crawling beside you as this
is a completely normal day on this beach.
When the tide comes back in, it fills in the void it has left behind.
The waves are very gentle and reportedly it is a very unique experience to walk back in
with the sea.
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7.)
Gulpiyuri Beach, Spain While this might not seem like much, I mean
it's pretty tiny (only 40 m long), this is actually a beach formed in a flooded sinkhole.
There's a lot going on in that small space.
In fact, this beach is so small that the sand nearly disappears at high tide and there's
almost no water at low tide.
It is a shell-shaped little beach in the middle of a meadow and a golden stretch of sand and
crystal-clear waters that are even fully tidal.
This is due to a series of underground tunnels carved by the salt water of the Cantabrian
Sea.
It is surrounded on one side with green grass and limestone cliffs.
Its It's a pretty charming place but easy to miss if you aren't paying attention!!
6.)
Hidden Beach, Mexico Located in the Marietas Islands in Mexico,
this beach is a beautiful natural feature.
It got its name because it is literally hidden inside a cave and has a massive hole in the
roof which lets in the light.
The Hidden Beach is invisible from the outside, and is only accessible through a long water
tunnel that links the beach to the Pacific Ocean.
It's not easy to get to either and can only be reached by swimming or kayaking through
a tunnel.
The cave is also known as the Beach of Love since it offers so much privacy.
In the 1900s, the Mexican Government used the islands as a military testing site.
These bombs are believed to have carved out chunks of the rocky landscape, creating not
only this hidden, sandy beach, but also several caves.
5.)
Papakolea Beach, Hawaii So you've seen the pink sand, but did you
know there was green sand too??
Papakolea Beach, located near South Point, in the Kau district of Hawaii, is one of the
few green sand beaches in the world.
Its distinctive green coloring is composed primarily of olivine crystals, which erode
out of lava flows.
The green sand in Papakolea comes from the base of the cinder cone belonging to the Mauna
Loa volcano, formed over 49,000 years ago.
The constant erosion of the cinder cone ensures a steady supply of olivines for the beach
sand, keeping it green.
It's not that easy to get too either.
You can get to this beach by either going on a 5 mile hike or by hitching a ride from
a local for about $15.
This is a sight to see, and soon, because over the years the green will start getting
filtered and the olivines will run out, so the beach will start to lose its green hue...
4.)
Punalu'u Beach, Hawaii The Punalu'u Beach in Hawaii is known as just
Black Sand Beach because of its jet black sand.
The beach is very popular not only because of the color of the sand but also because
of the endangered animals like the Hawksbill turtle that you can see there.
The black sand is formed by the chipped basalt rock which was created by lava flowing into
the ocean.
There are also underwater freshwater springs which drifts on top of the salt because the
salt water is denser.
It makes it seem like you are swimming in water of two different temperatures!
Another famous Black Sand Beach is in Vik, Iceland, located next to the Katla Volcano.
It is also black because of the hot lava that flowed into the ocean.
Offshore, there are several, stunning, jagged basalt sea stacks and the area is inhabited
by a huge population of puffins.
3.)
Hot Water Beach, New Zealand This beach is filled with mineral water that
heats to nearly 150 degrees undereneath the sand.
For two hours at the beginning and end of low tide, visitors can dig holes in the ground
and settle into their own natural hot tubs.
With the ebb and flow of the tide, each individually created pool is completely washed away, creating
a fresh canvas for the next group of spa-seekers.
In fact, digging a hot tub is such a popular tourist activity that if you do not come with
any tools to create your own hot tub, you can just rent them!
2.)
Bowling Ball Beach, California Also known as the mysterious round rocks of
Schooner Gulch State Park, it is about three miles south of Point Arena.
The beach is full these round, smooth orbs which are lined up like bowling balls at a
bowling alley and similar in shape and size.
The best time to visit Bowling Ball Beach is at low tide, when you can see these spherical
wonders the best.
These bowling ball formations are actually known to geologists as "concretions," which
is sedimentary rock formed by a natural process where minerals bind sand and stone together
into larger formations.
1.
Lego Beach This isn't just one beach, but many beaches
along the coast of Cornwall in the UK.
A shipping container off the coast spilled 4.7 million pieces of toy Lego into the sea
in 1997.
The pieces of Lego, which ironically were ocean themed, now drift up on shore almost
on a daily basis, even over 20 years later!!
There are flippers, spear guns, scuba tanks, octopuses, and even dragons!!
Now people are trying to clean up the beaches from these tiny pieces of plastic which are
posing an extreme risk to marine life.
Thanks for watching!!
Have you been to any of these amazing beaches??
Let us know in the comments!!
Be sure to subscribe and see you tomorrow!!
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