Ah, the beach! Gorgeous blue skies, refreshing turquoise water, and… sand. You know, sand-colored sand. While that may be the case on most beaches, Coastal Living has found 12 amazingly colorful shorelines. Great additions to any beach lover’s retirement bucket list.
Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda — Pink sand made up of crushed shells, coral and calcium carbonate.
Porto Ferro, Sardinia, Italy – Ochre sand that mixes orange limestone and volcanic deposits.
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Papakolea, Hawaii – Green sand colored by a mineral called olivine.
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Vik Beach, Iceland – Black sand made of lava fragments.
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Kaihalulu Bay, Hawaii – Red sand created by volcanic run-off.
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Ramla Bay, Malta – Bright orange sand with a high iron content.
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Punalu’u, Hawaii – Black sand created by active local volcanoes.
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Pink Sands Beach, Bahamas – Three miles of vibrant pink sand colored by the red shells of microscopic sea creatures.
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Muriwai Beach, New Zealand – Sparkling black sand flecked with minerals, including titanium.
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Red Sands Shore, Prince Edward Island, Canada – Much of the island’s coastline features bright red sand rich in iron oxide.
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Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California – Violet and dark purple sand from crystals that wash down from the nearby mountains.
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Hyams Beach, Australia – The whitest sand in the world, according to The Guinness Book of World Records.
