Seychelles
Sand Origin
Beau Vallon beach, NW Mahe Island
Random Sand Fact
On Aride in Seychelles, the sand moves with the seasons.
Aride is a nature reserve with only one beach where boats can land.
During the southeast monsoon, wind, waves and currents move sand along the coast and offshore. A long sandy beach can shrink day by day until rock and coral are left exposed. When the winds change, the sand begins to move back again.
Sometimes so much sand shifts that it affects life on the island. After one storm, the beach became too rocky to launch a boat safely, leaving eight people stranded on Aride for several days.
