The blog
Beach reports nobody asked for.
True stories, checked lists, odd measurements and rankings, each with its sources attached. Jokes invented, facts real.
One Beach, One Story
One beach. One true story.
One Beach, One Story · Las Teresitas, Tenerife
Playa de las Teresitas, Tenerife: 270,000 Tonnes of Sahara Sand, Some Scorpions Included
In 1973 a Canary Island beach of black stones became a beach of white desert sand, shipped in five million bags. It later played Cancún on MTV.
October 2026 · 4 min
One Beach, One Story · Bells Beach, Australia
Bells Beach: A Bulldozer, a Surfboard Sale, and the Point Break Ending That Wasn't Filmed There
A wrestler cut the road in 1960 and charged a pound a head. Two board-makers held a rally to sell boards. Six decades on, it is billed as the longest-running pro surf contest in the world.
October 2026 · 4 min
One Beach, One Story · Cala Goloritzé, Sardinia
Cala Goloritzé, Sardinia: The Beach a Landslide Made, and How to Book It in 2026
In 1962 a piece of the mountain fell into the sea and left Italy one of its most famous beaches. Now you need an app, a QR code and proper shoes to get in.
October 2026 · 4 min
Fake Beach Police
The travel lists, checked against the record.
Fake Beach Police · Case 006
Cabo Beaches: The Famous One Is Not in Cabo, and the Swimmable One Is 45 Minutes Away
Playa Balandra tops Mexico's lists and sits outside La Paz, not Cabo San Lucas. Near Cabo, the beach you can actually swim at is Cerritos.
October 2026 · 3 min
Fake Beach Police · Case 005
Best Beaches in Bali: Four Lists, About Thirty Beaches, None on All Four
We laid four published best-of lists side by side. Five beaches appear on three of them. Lonely Planet's list shares nothing with two of the others.
October 2026 · 3 min
Fake Beach Police · Case 002
Clearest Water Beaches: Five Lists, Ten Beaches, One Measurement
We pulled the ten places that five published lists name most often for the clearest water. Nine have no measurement of clarity anywhere. Two are not beaches.
October 2026 · 4 min
Beach Science
One number, explained. Nobody asked.
Beach Science
Nazaré Waves: When They Come, How Big They Get and Where to Watch
October to March, from the fort or the hillside, with a long walk from the car park. And the one rule: stay away from the water.
October 2026 · 4 min
Beach Science
Bali's 10 Most Famous Beaches in Photos, and the Best Thing About Each
Sunset dinners on the sand, a postbox under the sea, dolphins at dawn. One photograph and one true fact for each of the ten.
October 2026 · 4 min
Beach Science
Padang Padang Beach: The Bali Cove You Enter Through a Crack in the Rock
147 metres of sand, a staircase through a rock crevice and fishermen at sunset. Five things worth knowing, with the photographs.
October 2026 · 3 min
The Roast
Beaches that look better online.
The Roast · Kuta, Bali
Kuta Beach or Legian Beach: The Same Coast, 1.6 km Apart
One is described as the busiest beach in Bali. The other is next door and described as its quieter little sister. Here is the swap, and what it does not change.
October 2026 · 3 min
The Roast · Red Beach, Santorini
Red Beach, Santorini: The Cliff Has Come Down Three Times Since 2018
A strip of red sand about twelve metres wide, under rock soft enough to fall in 2018, 2023 and December 2025. The photograph does not mention this.
October 2026 · 3 min
The Roast
Six Beaches That Look Better Online
Every beach we have rated Overrated or worse, what the photo leaves out, and what to do instead.
October 2026 · 4 min
The Big Board
The count, from the survey.
The Big Board · The World
The Most Beautiful Beaches in the World, and What the Lists Leave Out
The internet's favourite list has a top ten. One is closed, one was rebuilt for a film and now bans swimming, and one charges you to cross a vanilla farm. All ten, checked for 2026.
October 2026 · 6 min
The Big Board · Sharks
The Sharkiest Beaches on Earth, and the Shark Attack Capital of the World
Sixty-five unprovoked bites in the whole world last year. They were not spread evenly. Six coastlines, ranked by what the records say, not by what the movies say.
October 2026 · 5 min
The Big Board
Beaches You Have to Book: 10 Famous Beaches With a Ticket, a Cap or a Closed Season
Reservations, daily caps, timed slots and months when the gate is shut, from Sardinia to Thailand. Every rule dated to its source.
October 2026 · 4 min
The Rankings
Top tens, one angle at a time.
The Rankings · Boracay
Boracay Beaches: White Beach, Puka and Bulabog, Rated
Four kilometres of powder on one side, kitesurfers on the other, and a quiet end made of jewellery. Three of the Philippines' ten are on one small island.
October 2026 · 3 min
The Rankings · Split and Central Dalmatia
Split Croatia Beaches: Bačvice, Zlatni Rat, Punta Rata and Stiniva
A city beach with a game every day of the year, a spit that moves in a storm, and a cove you enter through a gate in the rock. Six of them, around Split.
October 2026 · 4 min
The Rankings · Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik Beaches: Banje, Sveti Jakov, Šunj and Pasjača
One under the city walls, one down 160 steps, one on a car-free island and one made from tunnel rubble. Three of Croatia's ten are within reach of Dubrovnik.
October 2026 · 3 min
The Deep Guide
Everything about one beach. More than you asked for.
