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.  


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