World's Most Dangerous Beaches

Beaches are typically thought of as calm and soothing places. Most are popular vacation destinations where you can have fun, relax, or just enjoy the sunshine. However, there are certain beaches around the world that are the opposite of relaxing. These beaches are extremely dangerous. If you are looking for a nice family vacation, these areas are definitely not what you had in mind.

Hanakapiai Beach in Hawaii is one of these highly perilous beaches. The beach is about two miles from the start of a very popular hiking trail. It is a remote area that cannot be accessed by road. During certain summer months, Hanakapiai Beach is great for taking pictures, but visitors should not go into the water for any reason. Powerful waves and high tides pound the shore, especially during the winter months. Because there is no major reef to stop ocean currents, powerful rip tides make the ocean near this beach a dangerous place. If a person swimming here was to be sucked out to sea, it is not likely that they would be able to make it back to shore. A warning sign at the entrance to the beach marks over 80 drowning victims, 30 of which happened from 1970 to 2010. Currents here are so strong that the bodies of at least 15 victims have yet to be recovered.

Another extremely treacherous set of beaches are the Cape Tribulation Beaches in Queensland, Australia. The venomous snakes and crocodiles that roam near the beach are not even close to the worst part. These beaches are also home to a large, flightless bird called the cassowary. When provoked, the cassowary has been known to use its claws to disembowel humans. By far, the most dangerous part of these beaches is the ocean. Between the months of November and May, box jellyfish infest the sea near these beautiful beaches. Their tentacles, which can grow up to 10 feet long, can cause cardiac arrest and pulmonary failure. One sting will lead to death within five minutes.

A third hazardous beach is Fraser Island, Australia. The Australian continent is home to many different species of dangerous animals. Venomous reptiles and salt-water crocodiles are common in the region; however, dingoes are considered the main danger on Fraser Island. Here, lethal dingo attacks on young children have been reported in 1980, 2001, and 2011. In one of these attacks, an infant was reportedly carried off by a dingo. The mother of the child was charged with murder before a series of appeals found the dingo claim to be true. In the other cases, young children that wandered away from their parents were mauled and killed by dingoes. Other cases of dingo attacks have been reported on Fraser Island, but most were not lethal.

 

Although many beaches are completely harmless, this is not always the case. Some of these beaches are tremendously dangerous and sometimes deadly. Before booking your next beach vacation, consider making sure it does not have the characteristics of these deadly vacation spots.  


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/worlds-most-dangerous-beaches_n_1884939.html#slide=1525257

Unusual Beaches

              When most people hear the word beach, they think about white sand, palm trees, and sunshine. However, there are a few beaches around the world that are out of the ordinary. Although they may be a little different, these beaches will captivate you and keep you entertained for days.

                One example of these unusual beaches is Bowling Ball Beach in Mendocino, California. Not only does it have the sun, sand, and waves of a normal beach, it possesses a little something extra. This California beach is known for the perfectly round rocks scattered across the shore. The boulders, uniform in size, shape, and spacing, can best be seen a low tide. Years of erosion have taken away softer rock around them, but the boulders are seemingly unmovable. I will take a small hike to reach the boulders, but once you arrive it is sure to be worth it. Bowling Ball Beach is an interesting phenomenon found nowhere else in the world.

 

 

                Another extraordinary beach is Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California. In the early 20^th century, residents of Fort Bragg used the beach as a dumping ground. Residents would hurl their trash, such as appliances and old cars, straight over the side of the cliff. This continued until the 1960’s when city leaders closed the area to the public. Ever since, the waves have pounded on and worn down the trash. The beach is now covered in small, colorful bits of glass that resemble pebbles. This bizarre beach is a testament to nature’s ability to fix man’s mistakes. 

 

 

                                                                
                              

 

                A third strange beach, known as Hot Water Beach, can be found in New Zealand.  The Coromandel Peninsula possesses an unusual amount of geothermal activity. This activity has produced an underground river of hot water, which flows from inside the earth to the surface of the beach. At low tide, visitors can often be seen hollowing out holes. If they dig deep enough, they are left with their very own hot tub. The water will be the temperature of a warm bath, perfect for relaxing in the sun. When high tide comes, the waves wash away the pools, clearing the space for the next group of visitors.   

 

 

                Although they are not your traditional vacation spots, these atypical beaches are like nothing else in the world. Visitors from all over are attracted to the things that make them special. If you are looking for an interesting and different vacation spot, these strange beaches will not disappoint you.


http://www.luxuo.com/travel/top-10-unusual-beaches.html

World's Best Beaches

Although most people will have a good time at any beach they travel to, there are a few beaches around the globe that are considered paradise. Getting to these select areas may be a little harder, but it will no doubt be worth it once you are there.

Matira Beach in Bora Bora is one of these picture-perfect beaches. Bora Bora is an 18 mile long island in the South Pacific that lies in a protected lagoon. Matira Beach is considered the most popular beach in Bora Bora. Many visitors of Matira Beach spend their days lounging on the white beaches, but there are many other activities to do here. Feeding the sharks, hunting for black pearls, and tours around the island are only some of the things people enjoy about Matira Beach. Visitors can also visit the World War II memorabilia from when Bora Bora served as a refueling base for American troops. In many polls, Matira Beach has been voted the best beach in the world.

Another seemingly flawless beach is Anse Source d’Argent in Seychelles. Seychelles is an archipelago, made up of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Visitors are welcome, but the islands maintain an untouched environment. Unlike many popular beaches, the islands lack giant hotels, casinos, and resorts in an effort to preserve their natural beauty. Anse Source d’Argent is one of the most popular beaches on all of the islands. Its pink sand is surrounded by granite boulders. The ocean is protected by a reef, providing calm and shallow water. Besides visiting the beach, visitors can explore the island or take a helicopter island hopping. Visitors of Seychelles are sure to never be bored.

 

A third beach, ranked one of the best in the world, is Champagne Beach in the island nation of Vanuatu. Vanuatu is located in the South Pacific and was once ranked the happiest nation in the world. Champagne Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Vanuatu, lies on the east coast of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu’s largest island. The beach is surrounded by untouched rainforests and overlooked by mountains. The beach got its name when early travelers noticed that the waters appeared to fizz at low tide. This phenomenon is caused by escaping gas from volcanic rocks on the sea floor. Champagne Beach’s lagoon holds vibrant coral reefs where divers can see pufferfish, parrotfish, reef sharks and sea turtles. Even swimming in the crystal clear water is sure to be a great time.

 

Beaches are one of the most popular vacation spots in the world. Some of these beaches are just about the closest thing to paradise you can find. If you are ever looking for the perfect vacation spot, just head to one of these islands.    

Don't Go Into the Water

 

            When the movie Jaws came out in 1975, it terrified the country and created a long-lasting fear of sharks. It portrayed these animals as blood-thirsty killers that would attack anything they saw. The fear that Jaws created still exists, and many people are afraid to swim in the ocean. The fearsome reputation that sharks have obtained is undeserved and causes unnecessary problems on trips to the beach.

            Although sharks do occasionally attack humans, the event is very rare. Usually when this happens, the shark has mistaken a surfer or swimmer for one of its favorite meals, the seal.  Once the shark has tasted the human, it usually will not continue to attack. It recognizes that the person is not its normal food source and swims away. Contrary to what many believe, sharks do not even like the taste of human blood. Sharks prefer to hunt animals with good sources of fat, which provides twice as many calories as muscle. Humans do not offer enough fat for the sharks to be interested. Also, sharks use their teeth like humans use their hands. When they are curious to what something is, they will often bite it and then swim off. Despite what many think, sharks do not attack humans deliberately.

            The shark attacks that do occur are rare. A person is more likely to win the lottery twice than be attacked by a shark. More people are killed each year by dogs, deer, bees, and lightning. Also, each year, more people get injured by their toilets than by sharks.

            After Jaws came out, the shark population was decimated. Rewards were offered for dead sharks and people killed them by the millions. Shark populations in some areas dropped 90 percent. Even today, when the wave of fear has been over for years, 100 million sharks are killed each year by humans. Humans are much more dangerous to sharks than they are to us. So, the next time you go to the beach, don’t be afraid to get in the water.

 

 

“Interesting Facts” February 20, 2013.

<http://library.thinkquest.org/J001458/facts.htm>                                                                                                                                           

      

Activities at the Beach

If you are the type of person who doesn’t like the beach, maybe it is because you can’t find anything interesting or fun to do. Here are a few things that might make your trip to the beach more enjoyable.

One activity many people like to do at the beach is surfing or boogie boarding. Both of these activities involve using a board to ride waves into shore.  Surfing involves standing on a board while a wave pushes you into shore. The first records of surfing for sport first originated in Hawaii. Surfing became a religious thing for the Hawaiians. They developed prayers and made offerings to the gods before boards could be shaped. A person’s skill at surfing could even determine their class in society. Now surfing is not only a pastime that people all over the world enjoy when they are at the beach but also a professional sport. Boogie boarding is an activity that stemmed from surfing. It is a lot like surfing except you do not stand on the board, you lay on it. Surfing and boogie boarding are both ways to have endless fun at the beach.

 

 

Another beach pastime that I personally enjoy is looking for shark’s teeth. Many people enjoy looking for sea shells at the beach but searching for shark’s teeth is an uncommon alternative. They are much less abundant than sea shells so finding them can be more of a challenge. I look for the color and shape of the teeth when I am searching for them. They look almost like triangles and many are either black or brown. I have spent countless hours looking for those little things. It is pretty addictive and makes for a great beach activity.

Yet another fun beach activity is making sand sculptures. This is something you can do alone or with your whole family. Some people enjoy making the traditional sand castles; however, many people like to make different things, such as animals. There are even sand sculpting contests. Whatever you decide to make, it will provide tons of fun at the beach. When you are finished, go wash all of the sand off in the ocean.

These are just a few examples of the enjoyable things you can find to do at the beach. It can be one of the most entertaining places to go for a family vacation.

 

 

“The Origins of Surfing” February 6, 2013.       <http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/spring04/britton/history.htm>    

Beach Vacation

 

The beach is one of my favorite places in the world. It is warm, entertaining, and different. When I'm at the beach I am never bored and always having a good time. For this first blog post I want to talk about the beach and what it means to me. 

                Every summer my grandma rents a house and my family takes a vacation to the beach. My parents, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma, and I all pile into a house for the week. There are eight kids, including me, and seven adults. Each year we pick a different beach to stay at but we have a good time no matter where we are at. The first day is extremely hectic. My five younger cousins and two little sisters all run around the house screaming for which room they want until the parents finally calm them down. We get everything put away and then head to the beach. The first thing I do is head for the water and of course all of the younger kids follow me. We swim in the ocean for hours until we have to break for lunch. I go back up to the house to get cleaned up and then eat a boat load of food. As soon as possible I head back out to the beach. Next we go on a walk down the beach. When I was little my dad taught me how to find sharks teeth at the beach and by now my whole family has taken it up. We spend our walks looking at the ground and competing to see who can find the biggest or the most teeth. My family will also play any game you can think of. Baseball, corn hole, football, or games we just make up.  After it starts to get dark we will go up to make dinner or go out to eat. Every day goes pretty much like the first but it never gets boring.

I have loved the beach for as long as I can remember. One of my first memories is digging in the sand and finding my first sharks tooth. My favorite thing about the beach is getting to spend time with and have fun with my family. I think the beach is amazing and that is why I have decided to write my blog about anything and everything that has to do with the beach.