Dreaming of the Sea

by Terri

"The sea,  once it casts its spell, holds  one in its net of wonder forever." ~ Jacques Yves Cousteau

About this time of year, the heat starts to wear me down and I start dreaming of getting away to the beach. But it’s not only for the great weather. It’s a place that always makes me feel at peace. At the end of this month we will be spending a week in Del Mar, CA where we went every summer when my kids were growing up.  This will be the first year that we have all been there together in quite a number of years and I am SO looking forward to it!

But I thought, as long as I’m dreaming, I would REALLY dream and do some research on the most beautiful beaches in the world, or at least in the opinion of the guy who wrote the article.  One thing these beaches have in common, however, is their inaccessibility, at least for me.  Read the red print and you’ll see what I mean:

Hidden Beach, Marieta Islands, Mexico

Located in the Marieta Islands, near Puerto Vallarta, the Hidden Beach is a serene, one-of-a-kind natural wonder hidden underneath a hole in the ground. The difficulty of getting to it adds to its wonder – besides being hoisted down from a helicopter, the only known way to access it is by swimming or scuba diving through a very small tunnel (50 feet long with only 6 feet of air space) on the tidal side of its cavernous walls.

Honopu Beach, Kauai, Hawall 

If you want to get to this beach, you’ve got to work for it. You can’t hike, boat or drive – swimming from an offshore boat is the only means of access. 

Papakolea Beach, Ka’u, Hawaii

The Papakolea Beach is located about three miles east of Ka Lae on the island of Hawaii – surrounded by pasturelands and only accessible after a three-hour hike across rugged paths. Climb down a huge cinder cone and you’ll get to this secluded beach with green sand. The color comes from olivine – a silicate mineral containing iron and magnesium – a common mineral in Hawaiian lavas.

 

Kaihalulu Red Sand Beach,  Hana, Hawaii

Kaihalulu Beach in Hana, Hawaii is one of the few red sand beaches in the world. Contrasted against the blue water, black sea wall and green ironwood trees, the iron-rich sand is a brilliantly beautiful red color.  The beach is extremely isolated most likely due to the short but steep, narrow and slippery hike necessary to reach it. This may also be the reason why clothing is often considered optional.

This last one I’ve actually seen from above but didn’t take the hike down to the shore.  I’m afraid these beaches will remain places I will only visit in my imagination.  Do you  have a favorite beach you'd like to add to this list, either one you've been to or one you're dreaming about?