There are some dangerous beaches in the world that you may not want to visit. Beaches are all about unwinding, taking in the view, and having an excellent time.
Imagine pure white sand, crystal clear turquoise waters, with palm trees softly swaying in the year-round sunshine.
Beaches can be harmful for various reasons, including pollution and a higher risk of lightning strikes.
Of course, drowning will always be the most significant risk, and when you look at the statistics, you’ll see that the same beaches appear repeatedly.
Powerful waves and, in particular, rip currents, which sweep inexperienced swimmers out to sea, are the main dangers here.
The monsters that lie beneath the waves, on the other hand, are the most dreaded threats at the beach while being responsible for a minimal number of deaths. This can range from jellyfish and venomous fish to crocodiles and sharks of all sizes.
From Hawaii to Australia, India to Namibia, these sites worldwide are downright frightening, if not downright deadly, with shark attacks, eel-infested waterways, fatal currents, and poisonous waste.
Don’t pretend we did warn you. So, let’s go on and discuss some of the most dangerous beaches globally.
1. Praia do Norte, Nazare, Portugal
On Portugal’s Atlantic coast, Nazare is one of the oldest and most popular holiday destinations. The beaches of the historic fishing community became a hotspot for vacationing Portuguese families every summer.
It also has some irregular bathymetry (google it! ), with a deep oceanic trench pointing from deep water directly to the seashore town. As a result, massive Atlantic swells are funneled right to the town’s North shore (Praia do Norte). When the waves reach the beach, they are enormous. Have you ever rode the most significant waves at over 100 feet (30m). Even the most experienced surfers with specialized equipment, let alone the average beachgoer, might be killed by such waves.
2. Bikini Atoll, U.S. Marshall Islands
On the plus side, the gorgeous beaches of Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific are far safer than they were 60 years ago. This tiny island was the site of a series of nuclear tests conducted by the United States in the 1950s. The “Castle Bravo” test, the most significant test explosion ever carried out by the Americans, was one of them. The blast was nearly three times more powerful than experts had predicted. Weighing in at a whopping 15 megatons — 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. This is one of the most dangerous beaches in the world.
Furthermore, The large volume of radioactive fallout that contaminated 7,000 square miles (18,000 km2) of the neighboring Pacific Ocean also startled the scientists. This not only killed some of the crew of a nearby Japanese fishing boat and poisoned people on numerous adjacent islands. But it also rendered Bikini Atoll uninhabitable for the time being.
With all those sunken ships and large craters in the lagoon, tourism has come back to the island, becoming a popular diving spot. Visitors are, however, strictly forbidden from eating or removing anything from the island.
3. Smyrna Beach, Florida
Smyrna Beach in Florida has miles of white sand that draws thousands of visitors each year. However, in the last few years, this beach has seen an increase in shark attacks. In 2007, 112 persons were attacked worldwide, with 17 of them occurring on Smyrna Beach. This is one of the most dangerous beaches in the world.
4. Northern Shore On Oahu, Hawaii
Sharks abound in this ocean island’s waters, primarily tiger sharks and Galapagos sharks. Velzyland Beach, a local surfer’s favorite hangout, is said to be the most contaminated beach.
5. Long Beach Island, New Jersey
On the big screen, this beach features the most fearsome shark. Long Beach Island served as a source of inspiration for author Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel “Jaws,” later adapted into a horror cinema classic. A rash of shark attacks occurred in 1916, although swimming nowadays carries little risk.
6. Arnhem Land Beaches, Northern Territory, Australia
If it moves, presume it can kill you, as they say in Australia. This is especially true in the isolated Northern Territory, home to all of the common threats, giant crocodiles, and lethal jellyfish. Arnhem Land, particularly the Top End, is home to a large saltwater and freshwater crocodiles population. Many beaches here, such as Gala and Bawaka, are magnificent, with uncrowded expanses of pearl-white sand, blue waters, and swaying palms. Furthermore, it’s difficult to relax even when you’re not in the water because you never know what’s hiding around the corner. Also, this is one of the most dangerous beaches in the world.
If you join the water, which we strongly advise against, you run the chance of being stung by one of two dangerous jellyfish species. With its two-meter-long tentacles laden with thousands of deadly stingers. The box jellyfish (Chironex) may at least inflict an agonizing sting. It will kill you in the worst-case scenario, especially given the remoteness of some of these beaches. Also, the Irukandji jellyfish, which is likely more venomous, is the same. Furthermore, the sting can cause the Irukandji syndrome. A disease that can continue for many days and includes symptoms such as a “feeling of impending doom.”
7. Sheerness, Kent, United Kingdom
Sheerness is a typical example of a faded British coastal town located at the mouth of the Thames. The beaches are devoid of palm trees and white sand instead of rocks and shingles dropping into the dark waters of the river estuary.
On the surface, Sheerness’ coastline appears to be unremarkable; there are no visible risks or a sense of impending disaster. But here is a place that is actually on the verge of exploding.
Furthermore, The American cargo ship SS Richard Montgomery ran aground on the Nore sandbank about a mile off Sheerness in August 1944, at the end of World War II. Around 1,500 tons of high explosives in several types of bombs were on board the ship.
Also initially salvaged some of the explosives, but the great bulk remained on board, deemed far too dangerous to transfer and increasingly volatile as time passed. It is predicted that if the cargo exploded, it would be one of the world’s most significant non-nuclear explosions. This is one of the most dangerous beaches in the world.
8. Bryon Bay, NSW, Australia
In the 1970s, Byron Bay gained a reputation for being a bit of a hippy haven. There’s no denying that Byron’s laid-back feel hasn’t faded, together with its magnificent, pristine beaches and coastline. It’s still a popular stop on the Ozzy backpacker path.
The Cape Byron Marine Park, which is home to dolphins, rays, turtles, and even whales, is formed by the pristine seas of this portion of the New South Wales coast.
Because Australia has the highest frequency of fatal shark attacks globally, it only makes sense that the “shakiest” beach there should be on our list of dangerous beaches. It’s difficult to say which Australian coast is the most deadly. With candidates hailing from New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA). However, there is a difference: NSW has twice as many attacks as WA but only a third as many fatalities.
9. West End, Grand Bahama Island
Before diving into the seas of this Caribbean island, be sure there are no fins in the water. The island is surrounded by some of the world’s most shark-infested waters, with a significant population of tiger sharks. Although there haven’t been many incidents, an Austrian visitor was killed last year.
10. Beaches Of Brevard County, Florida
Tourists adore Brevard County’s Cocoa Beach, Jetty Park, and Klondike Beach. Beachgoers beware: there have been 90 shark attacks in the area in the last 100 years.
11. Cape Tribulation, Australia
In northern Queensland, Australia, Cape Tribulation has a name that may serve as a cautionary tale for many travelers. Jellyfish, venomous snakes, crocodiles, and cassowaries, the world’s deadliest birds, live in the area. According to National Geographic, cassowaries are big, flightless birds related to emus that can weigh more than 160 pounds. Cassowaries are violent and capable of causing damage when aroused.
12. Gansbaai, South Africa
Because of the large number of these lethal predators spotted lurking off the coast. Gansbaai has been dubbed the “Great White Shark Capital of the World.”. The Telegraph reports that the sharks are drawn to the area by a population of 60,000 fur seals who live in “Shark Alley,”. A narrow passage of water between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock. Despite how dangerous these waters can be, visitors can safely get up close to these fearsome monsters by cage diving with a reputable tour company. This is one of the most dangerous beaches in the world.
13. Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
Acapulco was once the most famous of all Mexican vacation spots. Consider spring break, cliff divers, golden sand beaches, and sunshine all year. While this is still true, Acapulco’s reputation as a vacation destination today has to contend with a darker claim to fame: the world’s second-largest murder capital.
Guerrero, and particularly Acapulco, have become the scene of a deadly turf battle between competing drug cartels in recent years. Only Caracas, Venezuela, now has a higher murder rate than the city, which had 2,316 murders last year. According to the US State Department’s travel advisories, Acapulco is on par with Afghanistan and Syria in terms of hazards.
14. Reunion Island
Reunion Island is a French dependency in the Indian Ocean with an exquisite tropical climate. It should go on every beach lover’s bucket list. With an interior of rainforest-covered volcanic peaks and a coastline of coral reefs and pure white sand beaches. However, there is a lethal threat lurking beneath the often beautiful waters.
There is a lot of anxiety and sensationalism around shark attacks, even though the actual threat is negligible. People in most regions on the earth with a reputation for being a little “sharky” just keep going; swimmers continue to swim, surfers continue to surf, and divers continue to dive.
This is not the case in Reunion, where a ban on swimming and surfing on most beaches due to the number of attacks is a very harsh step for an island with a thriving tourist industry.
Furthermore, there have been around 20 shark attacks in this area since 2011, with eight fatal. Also, the reunion was dubbed the “shark attack capital of the world” in 2017 after accounting for nearly half of all deadly attacks worldwide.
15. North Sentinel Island, Andaman, Island
The Andaman Islands are located in the Indian Ocean, on the other side of the Bay of Bengal. This 300-island chain is home to tropical rainforests, palm-lined white-sand beaches, and coral reefs, making it a tropical paradise. They are somewhat off the usual path due to their distant position, which is even more true for some of the more remote islands.
North Sentinel Island has practically escaped the modern world, one of these distant islands. However, this island, which is almost the same size as Manhattan, is not uninhabited. It is home to the Sentinelese tribe, possibly the world’s most isolated and dangerous people. This is one of the most dangerous beaches in the world.
Two fishers poaching mud crabs were the last visitors to North Sentinel Island in 2006. The men had fallen asleep in a drunken stupor while the boat was tied but drifted towards the land, where they were attacked and killed. When the Indian coastguard dispatched a helicopter to recover the remains, the tribe retaliated by shooting arrows at the chopper.
Of course, there are many other lovely beaches in the Andaman Islands that don’t pose a significant risk of mortality. But few can boast of being as unspoiled as this one.
16. Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai
According to The Telegraph, Mumbai’s Chowpatty Beach is one of the world’s most polluted, rendering the sea unsafe for swimming. The sands on this beach are littered with debris and scraps from sunken ships, while the waters are teeming with dumped filth and garbage from Mumbai. Since the MV Rak crashed in 2011 and left 60,000 metric tons of coal. The beach’s waters have become more filthy. Furthermore, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, Swimming in dirty water can cause ailments including diarrhea and sore throats and more severe infections in children, the elderly, and individuals with compromised immune systems.
17. Beaches of the Amazon, South Africa
On a trip to the Amazon’s perilous beaches, travelers may come face to face with piranhas, anacondas, and electric eels, to name a few. The river has the most diverse biodiversity of any river on the planet. According to Discover Peru, the Amazon is home to 2,500 distinct kinds of fish, including sharp-toothed red-bellied piranhas, and many scientists believe many more have yet to be discovered.
18. Fraser Island Australia
Whether you’re underwater or on land, the beaches of Fraser Island are dangerous. The island has been flooded with Irukandji, one of the world’s most toxic jellyfish, in recent years. Abdominal discomfort, vomiting, sweating, anxiety, hypertension, pulmonary edema, and, in difficult situations, fatal cardiac arrest may be experienced by anyone stung by these tiny sea organisms. Several Irukandji assaults have been reported on the island in recent years.
Dingoes, a breed of dog native to Australia that has been known to attack humans, live on the island in 25-30 packs.
19. Mindanao Island, Phillipines
The Philippines’ islands have some of the world’s most gorgeous beaches, and breathtaking islands like Palawan are growing in popularity. However, one island, in particular, should be avoided despite its beauty.
Furthermore, tourists have been kidnapped in Mindanao in recent years due to a conflict between Muslim terrorists and government troops.
20. Costa Del Sol, Spain
The Costa del Sol, located in Andalusia in southern Spain, is a stunningly breathtaking piece of the European coastline (Malaga, anyone?).
However, due to an increase in jellyfish attacks (over a ton of jellyfish here! ), its beaches are best enjoyed from afar.
21. Shenzen Beach, China
Another place made deadly by humans is Shenzhen Beach. The issue in its case is that the large number of people who visit during peak season makes it vulnerable to accidents and tragedies.
People are easily hurt and become victims of skilled pickpockets in this sea of people. Every year, people report multiple drownings, which is unfortunate.
22. Kosi Bay, South Africa
This bay in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province is as beautiful as shark-infested. And not just any sharks, but bull sharks, the world’s most dangerous.
Any shark is frightening enough, but sharks with a reputation for being violent and frequently entering lakes and rivers are the stuff of nightmares. This is one of the most dangerous beaches in the world.
