Caribbean Sand – How do we get the powdery white stuff?

Do you dream of walking on a beautiful Caribbean beach lined with palm trees? Can you imagine dipping your toes into some of that powdery fine white sand warmed by the tropical sun? For many, I have just described their “happy place” that they go to in their minds when they need to escape the pressures of modern life.

Wiggling your toes on the fine white sand of the Caribbean is an incredible experience, without a doubt, and I highly recommend it if you haven’t felt that pleasurable sensation yet. Those of us who live in the Caribbean or visit frequently can take this beautiful white sand for granted. Few of us really stop to think about how it was formed and why it is so different from the sand we find on many other beaches around the world.

So, I want to ask the question:

How does the Caribbean sand become so fine and so white?

Well, first I should probably point out that not all Caribbean beaches have fine white sand. Some Caribbean beaches have coarser sand tinted yellow or gray. This type of sand, in fact, is common in the Virgin Islands. In fact, medium to coarse whitish, grayish or yellowish sand is probably the most predominant type of sand in the world on ocean beaches. There are also the pink sand beaches like those found in Bermuda derived from foraminifera, a tiny microscopic creature with a hard shell and pink corals. Then there are those rare weird beaches in the world that sport a completely different color like the black volcanic sands in Hawaii. There are also the green sands due to the presence of olivine crystals, and before you ask, “no,” they’re not on Mars. These rare green beaches are here on Earth in the tropical Pacific. Regardless, the green and black sand beaches are certainly a curiosity and worth experiencing at least once, but they don’t exactly conjure up my dream image for a relaxing stroll on a tropical beach!

So, going back to the iconic Caribbean beach with white sand like extra fine snow… how are these magnificent beaches coveted around the world formed?

I’m going to use the Dominican Republic as a good example, since that’s where I live and work, and I think it illustrates pretty well the two attributes of how you get fine white sand.

First, let’s consider the texture of how fine the sand is. It all has to do with how fast the water is moving. Fast-moving water, ie a “raging” sea, has the power to pick up larger particles and transport them over great distances. However, slower moving water, ie a “calm” sea, does not have the energy to pick up the larger and heavier particles. Still water can only carry fine particles. Thus, we get fine powdery sand and no coarse particles are deposited on beaches adjacent to calm oceans. This describes the conditions in the southeastern part of the Dominican Republic.

Second, let’s consider how white the sand is. To begin with, let’s distinguish between off white or opaque white and very white or bright white. Hey, this discussion reminds me of those laundry soap commercials where they show whites and compare them, but I digress! To get truly white sand on a beach, that beach must be next to a coral reef whose skeleton is truly white.

But that brings us to a new question: how do we get the white coral skeleton to grind up well and be deposited on adjacent beaches as fine white sand?

That’s where the amazing parrotfish comes into the picture! There are many species of parrot fish and they are all popular with scuba divers and snorkelers because they come in pretty colors and patterns. They also have a large, thick mouth shaped like a parrot’s beak, which is why they are called parrotfish. The main food for parrotfish happens to be the algae that grow on the corals, and while they chew on this algae, they use their extremely sharp and strong teeth to scrape it off the coral. In doing so, they also absorb some of the hard, white skeleton that is chewed into the fish and then defecated after traveling through the fish’s digestive system.

So we essentially get our beautiful, fine white sand beaches from parrotfish droppings and lots of it! A single parrotfish can produce about 200 pounds (that’s over 90 kilograms) of sand a year! Okay, that’s just the humorous way of looking at it from the essentially true as well. However, you can also see it as Mother Nature’s wonderful way of recycling her abundant resources.

Our beaches here in the southeastern corner of the Dominican Republic, including the beaches of Bayahibe and the beaches of Saona Island, are adjacent to some of the largest and most beautiful coral reefs in the world. That is why this area has long been a favorite spot for divers. These coral reefs are an ever-growing source of our exquisite powdery white sand beaches that we and our guests enjoy. They offer excellent opportunities to walk barefoot on the beach and melt away all the stress. I invite you all to visit a beach in the south east of the Dominican Republic and slide your toes into the powdery soft white sand and when you do, give a special thanks to the amazing Parrotfish!