Beaches in Barbados

The easternmost Caribbean island, sitting outside the arc, which gives it two entirely different coasts: a calm west facing the Caribbean and a rough east facing the open Atlantic with nothing between it and Africa. A coral island on an uplifted limestone cap rather than a volcanic one, which is why the sand is white, the water clear and the cliffs the same material as the beaches. The three coasts differ completely: the west is calm, expensive and Caribbean; the south is windy, lively and where most visitors stay; and the east faces the open Atlantic with a shore break that makes swimming unwise and body-boarding standard. All beaches are public by law and access paths are marked, though the direct route to some runs through hotels. The island sits at the eastern edge of the hurricane belt and is struck less often than most. Bathsheba on the east coast hosts the island's surf competitions and is not a swimming beach.