Surf, Sand and Color!
Summers growing up in central New Jersey consisted of road trips down to Lavallette and Seaside Park, beaches with off-white sand and ice cold waters where the boardwalk and $3 lemonades were all we needed. Although this was wonderful during my adolescence, I’ve had the opportunity to visit and explore countless beaches, all with defining characteristics and gorgeous landscapes.
Here are 5 incredible colored beaches that I highly recommend visiting to help make your summer a little bit more memorable.
5. La Plage Publique de Beau Rivage in Nice, France
Although Beau Rivage isn’t exactly categorized as a “colored” beach, it’s an absolutely gorgeous place and by far my favorite beach in the world. Instead of sand, Beau Rivage is covered in galets, which are white, round, marble-like stones. The stones have been smoothened by the ocean and create the most impressive looking coastline nuzzled next to the most breathtaking cerulean colored water.
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4. Papakolea Beach, Hawaii
Papakolea is located on the south end of the Big Island of Hawaii in Hawaii and is known for it’s famously striking dark green sand. The sand’s color derives from the existence of a green semi-precious stone called Olivine. The effect of the ocean washing along the cinder cone covered beach unearths Olivines out of the cinder, providing the sand with a greenish tint.
3. Punalu’u Beach, Hawaii
Another stunning beach in Hawaii, Punalu’u is the most celebrated black sand beach on Hawaii’s Big Island. The sand is made of basalt and created by accumulated lava that cools when it reaches the ocean. Underground fresh water runs into the beach and Hawksbill and Green turtles, two types of endangered sea turtles, densely populate the shoreline.
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2. Pink Sands Beach, Harbour Island, Bahamas
The Pink Sands Beach is by far one of the most beautiful beaches in the Bahamas. The light pink tinted sand gets its color from the abundance of coral and tiny microscopic shelled animals known as Foraminifera. A nearby reef keeps the water amazingly calm and tranquil, making this beach the perfect spot for snorkeling and underwater adventures.
1. Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, California
Unusual yet exquisitely lovely, Pfeiffer Beach is one of the most extraordinary colored beaches. The rocks and hills that surround the beach give off deposits of Manganese Garnet that fashion a multitude of colors on the sand. The beach resembles a canvas adorned with hues of pink and purple, while decorated with soft sands, cool ocean air, and pounding waves.
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