All people who walk slowly down the beach, hunched over, peering down at the ground are not looking for shells. These days, many beachcombers are looking for sea glass. Defined as glass that has been tumbled by natural wave action to the point where there are no sharply-defined edges and all surfaces exhibit a frosted or etched appearance, sea glass is created when debris from glass objects end up in the ocean, breaks into pieces, and is smoothed by the action of waves and sand.

Sea glass specimens

In the days before environmental laws prohibited such actions, some of this glass came from trash dumped off ships. In other cases, the source of debris was old garbage dumps located near the ocean. Over the years, wind and rainstorms caused trash to migrate toward the shore, tumbling until it disintegrated, leaving behind only the more durable glass. In areas where perfect geography, wave action, and wind combined, sea glass deposits grew deep and were left undisturbed, since the glass was still regarded as useless trash. Read More »

Sometimes a beach has to be visited simply because it is strange. With sand the color of money, or algae, frogs, leaves, lettuce, lima, with sand that is green Papakolea Beach is just one such beach.

Located near Ka Lae (South Point) on the island of Hawaii, this secluded beach gets its dusky emerald-colored sand from the presence of a green, semi-precious stone named olivine (called peridot when the stone is of gem-quality). The cliffs above the beach contain this stone, and with the continual erosion of the cliffs by the waves of the ocean miniscule extracts of olivine are deposited onto the sand. 

Of course green sand does not come easily. Visitors must hike a rugged 2-mile dusty trail of ruts and trips down a giant bowl-shaped cinder cone.  The hike is so ragged that visitors might be tempted to question if it is worth it, but bear in mind: Papakolea is one of only two green beaches in the United States, the other located on Guam.

Please note: There are no facilities at the beach and little shade. Swimming is not recommended as the water is treacherous and there is no lifeguard on duty.

Photo credits in order of appearance: M + J’s Adventures, Weathermandale, both photostream’s via Flickr.

The real name of this famous Hawaiian beach is Ehukai Beach Park, but almost everyone calls it Banzai Pipeline, a nickname that refers to barrel-shaped waves that form just offshore. This legendary wave draws surfers from around the world who consider tackling “Pipe” to be a rite of passage. The difficulty of the task is evident both on the beach and in the water. Every surfer fantasizes about ducking inside the “Green Room,” as the tubular wave is known, and spitting back out at the very last moment before the tube collapses into a seething cauldron of whitewater.

Surfer carves the face of a smaller wave, while a larger wave towers in the background

In those fantasies, they conquer Pipe effortlessly, impressing their surfing buddies and winning the admiration of spectators watching from shore. But when standing on Ehukai Beach for real, Pipe’s legendary power and danger can intimidate the most accomplished surfer. Some Read More »

by Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

Beaches not only come in all shapes, sizes, and textures, they come in a virtual rainbow of colors. Most beach fans know that sand color can range from pale cream to golden to caramel, but few realize that in select places around the world, sands can be red, brown, pink, orange, gold, purple, green, and even black!

Just how does this happen? Beaches can form anywhere the ocean meets the shore. Over millennia, waves scour the coastline, creating flat areas. These new expanses begins to accumulate sediments washing down from surrounding uplands, as well as those eroded from the ocean floor and tossed up onto shore by wave action. Coastal winds and storms push sediments up beyond the reach of the waves and a beach is born.

Hyams Beach, Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonassmith

Quartz crystal

The color of the sand on any particular beach usually reflects the surrounding landscape and the makeup of the adjoining ocean floor. However some beaches are covered in sand that has been washed down from mountains hundreds of miles away, as in the case of Siesta Key’s Crescent Beach in Florida, which won the 1987 Great International Sand Challenge for the whitest sand in the world. Siesta Beach is composed of 99% pure quartz that started in the Appalachians, flowed down rivers, eventually to be deposited on the shores of the key. This dazzling white sand is so fine in texture that it runs though fingers like powdered sugar, and because it is nearly pure quartz it stays cool no matter how hot the temperature gets.

In recent years, a competitor to Siesta Key has emerged: Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay, Australia is listed in the Guiness Book of Records as having the whitest sand of any beach in the world. It, too is comprised of fine particles of quartz.

Siesta Key Beach, Florida. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/59064186@N00/

But white sand, spectacular as it may be, can hardly compete with the likes of a blood red beach. Located on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Kaihalulu Beach is tucked into a tiny pocket cove near Hana Bay, on the eastern half of the island. One of a very few red beaches in the world, the sand gets its red-black color from the iron-rich crumbling cinder cone hill surrounding the bay.

Kaihalulu Beach, Ulupalakua, Maui, Hawaii. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/frfrdufour/

Not to be outdone, Ramla il-Hamra beach on the Maltese island of Gozo has orange colored sand, as does Porto Ferro, a mile-plus long orange sand beach backed by large dunes on the island of Sardinia off the coast of mainland Italy. Both of these islands are volcanic in nature, jutting up from the floor of the Mediterranean off the southern tip of Italy. Their orange colored sands derive from volcanic deposits as well as unusual orange limestone found in the area.

A sand dune at the bautiful Ramla il-Hamra beach in Gozo, Maltese Islands. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/carmelos-pictures/

Olvine sands from Mahana Beach

An absolute gem of a beach is Pu’u Mahana Beach in Mahana Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii, one of only a few known beaches in the world with olive-green sand (the others being in Guam and the Galapagos Islands). The land surrounding Pu’u Mahana consists of lava that contains large quantities of olivine, the mineral that forms of the semi-precious gem peridot. Strong waves constantly pound this coast, sweeping other particles out to sea while leaving the heavier olivine on the beach. Beach-goers have been rumored to find peridots on the beach large enough to sell to jewelers.

Pu'u Mahana Beach, Mahana Bay, Big Island, Hawaii. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinshearer/

Pink beaches are also quite rare. They occur only in areas near a very large coral reef formations that contain a tiny organism that has a red skeleton. When they die, these skeletons fall to the ocean floor and are gradually eroded to small particles that are carried to shore by the current, where they mix in with the sand. The finest example of a “Pretty In Pink” beach may be the one at Harbor Island, Eleuthera in the Bahamas, although pink beaches are also found in Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Barbados, the Philipines, and in Scotland.

Pink beach at Harbor Island, Eleuthera, Bahamas. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/photos_mweber/

Garnet gem

When the manganese garnet in the hills surrounding Pfeiffer Beach in California’s Big Sur gets washed down to the ocean it turn the sand a vivid purple color. The further north you go, the more purplish the sand becomes. Depending upon the day, the sands can sparkle in shades of violet, lavender, ruby red, pink, or royal purple. On the opposite side of the continent, mountains northwest of Long Island contain the mineral piedmontite, which also turns coastal sands purple.

Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/sith120/

Rockaway Beach in Pacifica, California, exhibits a most luscious shade of chocolate brown. This unusual color occurs when eroded bluish-grey limestone mixes with volcanic greenstone from the hillsides that ring the beach.

Rockaway Beach, Pacifica, California. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/jag72/

Rainbow Beach sand by http://www.flickr.com/photos/eye-fibre/

And then there’s Rainbow Beach on Fraser Island in Australia. Seemingly unable to make up its mind, Rainbow Beach displays more than 70 different colors whenever waves and winds shift and blow its sands around. Most of the colors can be clearly seen in the cliffs behind the beach, which formed during the last ice age and are so richly banded that they have been compared to layers of rainbow sherbet. But for a real treat, dig down into the beach sand to see layer upon layer of colored, banded sands that create a new work of art with each sweep of the hand.

Rainbow Beach and Great Sandy National Park, Queensland, Australia. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/imaxandco/

Rainbow Beach cliffs. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/brendio/

Since this roundup of rainbow beaches began with white (technically, the blending of all colors), it seems appropriate to end with black, which is the absence of color. While that may be true in scientific terms, there is no absence of color at the world’s black sand beaches – they are simply stunning! The result of volcanic activity near a coastline, these beaches are created when particles weathered from cooled lava wash down to shore. The black sands are also a source of gemstones such as garnets, rubies, sapphires, topaz, and, of course, diamonds, which form within volcanoes and are spewed out during eruptions. Though black sand beaches can be found in Argentina, the South Pacific Islands, Tahiti, the Philipines, California, Greece, and in the Dominican Republic, the best known and perhaps most stunning black beaches are found in the Hawaiian Islands.

Black Sand Beach, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Sausalito, California. Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/thestroms/

One could spend a lifetime searching out beaches with uniquely colored sand, but to see the greatest variety in a short period of time head for Hawaii, which is home to beaches representing almost every color of the rainbow.

Always wanted to learn to surf? The sport is demanding and takes a while to master, but there’s no greater thrill than standing up on a board for the very first time and riding a wave into shore. For the best success, choose one of the following surf breaks, all of which are great for novices.

Top Ten U.S. Beaches for Learning to Surf:

Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
Waikiki Beach may be the best place in the world to learn how to surf. During the winter months the waves are easy to catch, and instructors at Waikiki Beach Boys have a reputation for getting beginners up and riding waves in minutes, regardless of age or physical prowess. Lessons begin on the beach, where students learn how to safely paddle out and how to pop up onto their feet when they catch a wave. Then it’s time to paddle out, turn around, and wait for the instructor to give the board a gentle push as the first wave approaches.

Miami Beach, Florida

Miami Beach, Florida
In Miami Beach, you’ll never have to worry about the surf being too big, making for great learning conditions and uncrowded waves. The water is always warm and you’re never far from some of the country’s best entertainment hot spots.

Cocoa Beach, Florida

Cocoa Beach, Florida
Kelly Slater, the surfer with the most world titles, grew up and learned to surf in Cocoa Beach. The year-round gentle waves at this beach are small, slow and mushy, making them ideal for learning.

Jobos Beach, Isabela, Puerto Rico
Although most waves in Puerto Rico are too big for newbies, the exception is Jobos Beach on the northwestern corner of the island. This crescent shaped bay has an outside break for experienced surfers and an inside “reform” break that quickly drops to powerful whitewater -perfect for learning.

Cowell's Beach, Santa Cruz, California

Cowell’s Beach, Santa Cruz, California
At Cowell’s the crowd is mostly beginners on foam boards, so there’s no need to be intimidated. The wave breaks on the outside and rolls slowly into the beach. And Santa Cruz is a perfect stepping-off point for exploring northern California’s beaches and Redwoods forests.

Huntington Beach, California

Huntington Beach, California
Billed as the Surf Capitol of the USA, Huntington Beach has numerous breaks for surfers of all capabilities. The double-breaking waves on the south side of the pier are best left for the experts, but beginners will find the waves on the north side of the pier perfect for learning.

Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach is where the University of California, Irvine hosts their beginner surf classes. Between the Newport Pier and the first jetty there are numerous great beginner breaks.

Cardiff By The Sea, Encinitas, California

San Diego, California
There are several San Diego area surf breaks that are appropriate for beginners. Notable among them are the sand-bottom beaches in the northern part of the County, in communities such as Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Leucadia.

Zuma Beach, Malibu, California
The northern area of Zuma Beach in Malibu boasts a soft sandy bottom with consistent wave activity and this beach is consistently identified by lifeguards as one of L.A’s best places for kids to learn to surf!

Hanaalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii

Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii
There is always a perfect beginner break somewhere on the north shore of Kauai, but most days you need look no further than gorgeous Hanalei Bay, where you can learn to surf on consistent, gentle waves in one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth.

In addition to choosing a beach with a wave that’s appropriate for beginners, the following tips will go a long way toward ensuring your success:

• Start with a long foam board (at least 8′ long but preferably 9′ or longer), rather than a regular fiberglass board. These are usually available for rent at any local surf shop.
• Avoid beaches with large, aggressive waves and experienced surfers.
• Rather than perfectly formed waves, look for a long whitewater break – this type of wave will provide plenty of energy to push your board without the need for you to initially understand how to drop in to a wave.
• Choose a beach with small to medium size (waist-high or smaller), slow-moving waves and a gently sloping sandy bottom that allows you to walk out to the break rather than paddle out.

So, go catch a few, but be forewarned – once you’ve ridden a wave you’ll probably be hooked for life!

Photo credit: Waikiki Beach

Article by Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

by Barbara Ann Weibel at Hole In The Donut

The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau just announced “A Thousand Reasons to Smile” contest. Having spent many months in the Hawaiian Islands, I can think of a million things about Hawaii that make me smile, but none so much as their gorgeous beaches. So, in honor of the contest (which, by the way, offers a chance to win a trip to Maui) I offer my personal list of the beaches across Hawaii that make me grin, smile, or laugh:

OAHU:

Any list of Hawaii’s best beaches simply must start with Waikiki Beach. It’s pretty enough, but its location in the heart of Honolulu is the real attraction. Stretching from Duke Kahanamoku Beach near the Hilton Hawaiian Village to the Duke Kahanamoku statue on Kuhio Beach, Waikiki is actually a collection of seven different beaches strung together by boardwalks and parks. Along the way, Waikiki Aquarium, Honolulu Zoo, the International Marketplace shopping center, and some of Hawaii’s finest restaurants and hottest nightspots beckon. The people watching here keeps me grinning.

Honolulu lights over Waikiki Beach

About ten miles east of Waikiki, famous Hanauma Bay offers one of the island’s best snorkeling experiences. This collapsed volcanic crater is home to an amazing variety of coral and sea life, but the site is so popular that access is limited to 2,000 visitors each day, so plan to arrive early.

On the eastern, windward side of Oahu, the powdery sands and crystal turquoise waters of Lanakai Beach are considered by many to be Hawaii’s best swimming beach. However, its calm waters are just as wonderful for kayakers and canoers who wish to spend a day investigating the tiny offshore islands. Whether sunning or paddling, I’m always wearing a blissed-out smile after a day at Lanakai.

As host of the Van’s Triple Crown of Surfing contest every year, Oahu’s North Shore may be best known for surfing, but it also lays claim to some of the most beautiful beaches on the island. At Waimea Bay you have a choice – just bake on the lovely crescent of sand like a lazy lizard or climb the lava outcropping that splits the bay and jump into the azure waters below. A bit farther north is Ehukai Beach Park, home of the famous Banzai Pipeline. While this beach is fine for sun bathing, it’s more likely that you’ll be watching the amazing prowess of the surfers as they duck in and out of the perfect barrel waves just offshore. Finally, Sunset Beach rounds out the top three North Shore Beaches. A great place for sunning and surfing, this sandy cove wears its fame in a name – the sunsets here are truly gorgeous and always leave me smiling.

KAUAI:

Kauai’s best known strip of sand, Poipu Beach, is a favorite with families, not only because of its location in a popular resort area, but also for its a man-made kiddie lagoon. With an assurance of gentle waters, the only thing to beware of at Poipu are the Hawaiian Monk seals that regularly climb up onto the beach to sleep…and that always makes me giggle!

It  takes a little effort to get to Secret Beach (aka Kauapea Beach), but it’s definitely worth the trouble. A 15-minute hike from a dirt parking lot rewards you with views of high cliffs, long stretches of sand, and the Kilauea Lighthouse.

Secret Beach, Kauai

With its man-made pools, lovely crescent of soft sand, and grass field that’s perfect for kite flying and frisbee throwing, Lydgate Beach is heaven for families. On site facilities also include a playground, picnic tables, bike paths, showers, bathrooms and an abundance of parking, making it the most complete ocean park on Kauai.

I’ll tell you a secret – Secret Beach is not my favorite beach on Kauai – Polihale Beach is! Few people venture out to this furthest western beach because the dirt roads leading to it are riddled with pot-holes. Those who endure the bumpy 10 mph ride are rewarded with mile upon mile of deserted beach with sand so pristine it literally squeals when you walk on it. Backed by tall sand dunes and capped at one end by soaring red cliffs that mark the southern terminus of the Na Pali Coast, Polihale is the beach most capable of making me laugh with delight.

Hanalei Village is the staging area for anyone planning to hike the gorgeous, remote Na Pali Coast, but any visit also demands a stop at Hanalei Beach. Majestic emerald mountains provide an exquisite backdrop for the pure white sand of this two-mile long half-moon bay. A favorite with surfers, the Hanalei Pier (located on the east side of the beach near the mouth of the Hanalei River) generates a smaller break for the less experienced, while the pros head for the big waves offshore.

Hiking the rugged Na Pali Coast requires an adventurous soul, but it is the best way to visit some of the loveliest beaches on Kauai. At the beginning of the trail is Ke’e Beach, the only Na Pali area beach than can be accessed by car. Hanakapiai Beach lies further along the trail and is best seen from atop sheer cliffs that plunge straight into the ocean. Na Pali’s 15 miles of trail offer gorgeous vistas of rocky coastline, wind and wave swept shores, and lush tropical vegetation.

MAUI:

Many long time Maui visitors insist that Makena Beach State Park is the best beach on the island. I simply nod and give them my Mona Lisa smile, then head for Makena Cove Beach, a tiny spit of sand enclosed between two lava arms that enjoys the most magnificent sunsets. Located just past the last entrance to Makena Beach, this cove is a favorite spot for weddings and renewals of vows.

Makena Cove Beach, Maui

Kapalua Beach, located along Maui’s western shore, was the first ever to earn the designation of “America’s Best Beach.” Although that happened back in 1991, Kapalua is today more gorgeous than ever, as the 1500-acres surrounding the beach having since been transformed from a pineapple plantation to one of Maui’s most luxurious resort areas.

Also located on Maui’s western shores, Ka’anapali Beach was named “America’s Beast Beach” in 2003. Sailboat rides, catamaran rentals, and surfing and windsurf lessons are all readily available on this three-mile long beach, and the black rock that splits it in two is an ideal snorkeling spot.

THE BIG ISLAND:

Though known more for active lava flows and extinct volcanoes than for its sands, the Big Island of Hawaii earns kudos for two unique beaches. Near the northern tip of the island is Hapuna Beach, a perfect white sand crescent and one of the largest beaches on the Big Island. Strong swimmers will discover good snorkeling around the rocks that border the beach on either side, and kids love the shallow, sandy-bottomed pools at the north end of the beach. On the exact opposite side of the island is Punalu’u Black Sand Beach. Formed from crushed lava, Punalu’u is famed as much for its black color as for the turtles that regularly crawl onto its shores. Indeed, on the day I visited, a giant turtle seemed more than happy to let me observe as she soaked up the sun.

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, Big Island

MOLOKAI:

On Molokai, wind and wave-swept Papohaku Beach is stunningly beautiful and largely deserted, despite the fact that it offers campsites, showers, bathrooms, and picnic facilities. Except during May, when the island’s biggest cultural festival is held here, you are almost always guaranteed to have the beach to yourself.

Papohaku Beach, Molokai

LANAI:

Although tiny, the island of Lanai also claims one of Hawaii’s best beaches, Hulopoe Bay. With its frequent sightings of spinner dolphins and humpback whales, its unique tide pools, and its jagged coastline, Halopoe Bay has a feeling of remoteness that makes it hard to believe Maui is just nine miles away.

Hulopoe Beach, Lanai

There’s nothing better than a tour of luscious beaches to brighten any day…. but don’t just sit there dreaming of sugar-fine sand and tropical sun – cruise on over to the “A Thousand Reasons to Smile” contest. Just upload a photo of your smiling face for your chance to win a trip for two to Maui, including 80,000 Hawaiian air miles, four nights of accommodations, and a helicopter tour for two.

Each of the beaches discussed above are shown in the gallery below. Click on any thumbnail for a full-size image:

Photos not otherwise credited courtesy of Barbara Weibel