Why are East Coast beaches not clear?

Distance from sediment sources: Beaches located far from major sediment sources, such as rivers or coastal erosion, tend to have clearer water. Sediments suspended in the water, including particles like sand, silt, or clay, can decrease water clarity and make it appear murky.



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Sediment plays a big factor in water color. Smaller, more fine sand particles can make water murkier since they are easily agitated. In clear water, sediments may be coarser and tougher to stir up since they are heavier and made of shell pieces and dead coral chunks.

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And Cornwall's lack of major rivers is also a contributing factor. Hannah explains: “We have no major rivers to bring down lots of mud and silt, and it has been a very dry spring which has meant the streams are not washing mud into our bays and beaches.

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Top 10 Unexpectedly Clear Waters in the UK
  • Cornwall Beaches, England. ...
  • East Sussex, England. ...
  • Luskentyre, Isle of Harris, Scotland. ...
  • Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye, Scotland. ...
  • Rhossili Bay, Swansea, South Wales. ...
  • Blackpool Sands, Devon, England. ...
  • Marloes Sands, Pembrokeshire, Wales. ...
  • Porthcurno, Cornwall, England.


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On average, west coast beaches are considerably more secluded, which is hardly a surprise considering only a handful of major cities line its shores. The surf is also superior due to larger Pacific swells and a distinct lack of shelter from bays and coves.

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The Weddell Sea has been claimed by scientists to have the clearest waters of any ocean in the world. Described by a historian as “the most wretched and dismal region on earth”, due to the flash freezes that caught Shackleton's ship, its clarity is only belied by the sheer depth of the ocean below.

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When surfer William Howells returned to the sea a year after suffering a heart attack, the swell was not the main thing on his mind. It was the smell. He said a wave of sewage releases in July left Harlyn Bay, Cornwall, just smelling of excrement.

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