Beaches · 21 of the best in The Bahamas
Why Harbour Island’s sand is pink
The back story
About Why Harbour Island’s sand is pink
It really is pink: a soft blush where the waves break on Harbour Island’s Atlantic side. Here is why, and where else to find it.
The beach
Pink Sand Beach runs for about three miles along Harbour Island’s Atlantic side, 50 to 100 feet wide, a short walk from Dunmore Town’s inns and cottages.
Why it’s pink
The colour comes from foraminifera, single-celled sea creatures with pink or red shells full of tiny holes. When they die, the waves wash their shells ashore, where they mix with the white sand. The effect is strongest at the water’s edge and changes with the light. One red foraminifera found in Bahamian waters, Homotrema rubrum, is shown in our photo from San Salvador.
Single-celled sea creatures with pink and red shells, mixed into white sand.
More pink sand
French Leave Beach near Governor’s Harbour stretches for more than a mile of pink sand. Lighthouse Beach at the southern tip of Eleuthera has blush-rose sand that the official tourism site says some compare with Harbour Island’s. And Cat Island has an eight-mile pink-sand beach, with a rose-coloured stretch near Port Howe.
Visiting
Harbour Island is reached only by boat, a five-minute ferry from North Eleuthera or by Bahamas Ferries’ fast boat from Nassau. Golf carts are the way to get around. Please leave the sand where you found it, so the beach stays pink for the next visitor.
Why it's on our list
- The beach
- Why it’s pink
- More pink sand
- Visiting
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Why Harbour Island’s sand is pink before you go.