Beach Sand
As an avid beach lover, I certainly appreciate all types of beach sand, but my favorite is soft white sand beaches and pink sand beaches – followed by tan or brown sand.
The island of Anguilla has some of the best, soft white powder sand beaches I’ve ever encountered. You can literally sink down in the sand while walking.
Islands like St Lucia have exotic black sand beaches. Only volcanic islands have black sand beaches – you can see many of these beaches in the South Pacific. Black sand holds heat, and walking without shoes can be a little uncomfortable – especially around noon when the suns rays are starting to heighten. Black sand is also courser than other types of sand, and I have never found a soft black sand beach.
Other Caribbean islands with black sand beaches are Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, and Nevis & St Kitts.
Pink Beach on Harbour Island, in the Bahamas is one of the most beautiful pinks sand beaches in the Caribbean. Pink Beach is also the most photographed beach in the world. Bermuda is the island known for its pink sand beaches, which cover the entire island. Bermuda is not technically in the Caribbean, but you cannot talk about pink sand beaches without mentioning Bermuda.
White Sand is actually formed by the Green Parrot Fish. These colorful fish use their beaks (yes they have beaks) to scrape on off the algae on the coral rock. Once the algae s expeled from the fish – it comes out as fine white sand. Experts say that just one parrot fish can produce tons of white sand per year.
Pink Sand is formed from the red shells of tiny sea creatures which live beneath the rocks and inside underwater caves. The ocean surf breaks the red shells up into fine pink colored beach sand.
Black Sand comes from volcanic lava, which is broken up into pieces by the ocean surf. As stated above, black sand does not break up into fine particles, and is much courser.
Beaches of the Caribbean 