Have You Ever Seen a ...Pink Beach?

You know that sand comes in colors of yellow, white, or gray. Sometimes, if it's volcanic, also black. But what about a pink sand beach?

As incredible as it may seem, they do exist. Harbour Island (Bahamas) is most renowned for its pale pink sand beaches, some over 3 miles (5 km) long and 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 m) wide, some of the very best beaches in the archipelago. The unique color of the Pink Beach is amazing by itself, and imagine the combination of pink sand, azure-blue sky, turquoise water, and green palm trees. Add a pinch of sunset and you won't believe your eyes.

The beach is located 50 mi (80 km) east of Nassau (the capital of the Bahamas) and it is sheltered by a coral reef. The island itself is just 3.5 mi (6 km) long and 0.5 mi (800 m) wide with a resident population of just 2,000. Many of the buildings come from the early 19th century and the best method of getting around the island is by bicycle or golf cart.

The unusual sand is a mix of bits of coral, broken shells, minute rocks and calcium carbonate from tiny marine invertebrates. All these provide the white part of the sand. To get the pink hue, this is mixed with the tiny microscopic shells of some protozoa animals known as Foraminifera.

Foraminifera are related to the better known Amoeba and produce a bright pink or red shell perforated by holes through which the unicellular animal extends its "tentacles", called "pseudopodia", which are employed both for attaching and feeding, like in the case of Amoeba. These creatures live on the underside of the reefs, on the sea floors, beneath rocks and in caves, being part of the plankton.

When Foraminifera die, they are washed up on shore due to the action of the waves but the shells can reach the shore also as the fish knock them loose as they feed on the fleshy part of the animals. These protozoans are among the most abundant unicellular organisms in the ocean, being a crucial part in the feeding chain.