Beaches in Nigeria

Eight hundred and fifty kilometres of Gulf of Guinea coast, most of it Niger delta creek and mangrove rather than beach. What sand exists is around Lagos, a city of some twenty million where the shoreline is under active reconstruction — Eko Atlantic is being built on ten square kilometres of reclaimed sea. The Atlantic here has a heavy shore break and strong rips, and drownings are frequent. Beach use is overwhelmingly domestic and concentrated at weekends. Practically: the Lagos coastline is under active reconstruction and what exists changes fast — Bar Beach was consumed by erosion and replaced by reclaimed land, and a coastal highway partly demolished a private beach in 2024. Swimming is safe only in lifeguarded, marked areas, and drownings elsewhere are frequent. Beaches are used heavily by Lagosians at weekends and are quiet during the week. Tarkwa Bay, an island beach reached by boat, is the sheltered exception and the one most Lagosians name first.