Beaches are usually associated with relaxation, leisure, and fun activities. With blazing sunlight, refreshing breezes, and glistening waters, often accompanied by shimmering waves, beaches can be the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Yet, some beaches can break the rule, hindering one’s enjoyment or even ruining a most-awaited vacation. Here are some of the world’s most dangerous beaches.
Zipolite Beach (Oaxaca, Mexico)
Reason: Dangerous rip currents
Locally known as Playa de los Muertos (Spanish translation of “The Beach of the Dead”), Playa Zipolite is widely known, not just as a picturesque beach. It is also known for its deadly rip currents, which are channeled currents of water flowing away from shore at surf beaches. Along with rip currents, strong undertows and crashing waves impose a significant risk, even for skilled swimmers. Since 1995, a lifeguard team has volunteered to help reduce the number of drownings per year.
Fraser Island (Queensland, Australia)
Reason: Deadly creatures and rip currents
With a combination of shifting dunes, tropical rainforests, and lakes, Fraser Island is home to World Heritage-listed natural gems. Officially known as K’gari, it is the largest sand island in the world, stretching over 122 km long. However, strong rip currents, sharks, and jellyfish plague its long shores. Each year, between October and April, swarms of box jellyfish force the closure of hundreds of beaches across Queensland in northern Australia. Box jellyfish is the most venomous marine animal, notoriously known for its deadly stings that some victims have reportedly suffered from cardiac arrests before reaching the shores safely.
Gansbaai (Western Cape, South Africa)
Reason: Great white sharks
Known as the “Great White Shark Capital of the World”, Gansbaai is home to a large number of great white sharks and around 60,000 fur seals that live in the small water channel between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock. Despite being called a “Shark Alley”, some visitors choose to get up close to these scary creatures by going cage diving with tour companies.
Reynisfjara Beach (Iceland)
Reason: Sneaker Waves
Globally known for its beautiful black sand, lava formations, and basalt columns, Reynisfjara Beach is a unique filming location and one of Iceland’s most popular tourist attractions. However, its deadly sneaker waves often cause serious emergency calls, with tourists losing their lives and government officials calling for the closure of the beach altogether.
Sneaker waves are a natural phenomenon, although the term itself is of a popular rather than scientific nature. They occur when several smaller waves combine their energy to create one bigger wave. It happens in Reynisfjara because of an underground cliff just offshore. Although sneaker waves may sound less serious than other deadly beach phenomena around the world, sneaker waves can easily lead to fatalities. Victims who get caught in a sneaker wave find escaping back to shore extremely difficult, especially with experiencing hypothermia, as the water temperature can be just a few degrees above freezing.
References
euronews.com
miamiherald.com
visitfrasercoast.com
weather.com
weather.gov
whc.unesco.org
Image by wirestock on Freepik