A Day at the Beach with Perfect White Sand - Essay Example

A Day at the Beach Walking up, it would seem this beach is just like every other beach one might find along the coasts of any continent. There is a fragrant swath of ground-hugging growing things filling your nose with freshness before crossing into the seemingly barren stretch of bare sand shifting under the feet and the endlessly rolling waves filling the air with a salty haze that sticks to the skin and fills the ears with sound. However, there are special qualities to this beach that mark it as something special and different from any other beach in the world. Located on Padre Island, Texas, the United States’ longest barrier island and perhaps the longest barrier island in the world, the beach area near Bob Hall Pier is unique in its ability to both relax and excite at the same time. This is because of its soft white sands, its range of surprising wildlife, an element of danger invoked in this same wildlife and its unusual beach structure. The beach near Bob Hall Pier is characterized by very fine white sand. This sand is made up, like all sand, of tiny particles of rocks and other minerals, but it is sorted to a much higher degree than are most sand beaches. The sand at Bob Hall Pier is generally very soft and very fine, almost like dust, thanks to the high winds the area often gets. This fine sand drifts across the roadways in beautiful, wave-like sheets that give the invisible breeze a face, illustrating the various ways it dances across the surface of the planet in gorgeous pirouettes and shifting patterns of direction. Standing within this blowing dust gives one a fine coating, turning the skin a chalky white and embracing one into the entire beach atmosphere immediately upon embarking from the car. It brings with it the faint taste of salt from the nearby ocean and leaves a gritty feeling between the teeth. Because the sand is so fine, it causes no pain when it strikes, feeling instead like a soft brush of feathers against the skin at most times. Only when the wind is particularly brisk does it feel any different. Taking a closer look at the scenery may reveal any number of surprising wildlife. Sea gulls are, of course, present everywhere, but the gulls in Padre Island have their own distinction as ‘laughing gulls’ because of the unreserved laughing sound that is their call. There are also sand pipers and other shore birds stomping their little legs like jackhammers against the wet sand trying to find the ghost shrimp hiding just below the surface. Sand crabs can be sung out of the ground if the beach is mostly empty of people. Lulled by the soothing sounds of music and the lack of strong vibrations on the surface, these small, light-brown colored crabs scuttle cautiously out of their holes and orient their eyes toward the singer for all the world like a human audience in an amphitheater. However, at the first surprising movement, they disappear down the dark holes that are their homes. This intermediate land caught between civilization and wilderness also yields the occasional snake soaking up the warming rays of the winter sun before retiring to a den buried somewhere deep within the sand dunes and railroad vines. The railroad vines make the reason for their name clear in the criss-crossing tracks they make on the sand and, if caught during the right time of day, add a splash of vibrant purple color to the beach atmosphere. If one is very lucky, a Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle, an endangered species, may waddle up to the dunes to lay a clutch of eggs. While the land animals can sometimes provide a touch of danger, such as the very outside risk that a confused crab might pinch at an exposed toe or that an attack on the dunes might startle an otherwise shy snake, it is the water animals that provide the element of excitement to the scene. Walking along the surf zone, visitors often point out the strange, oblong bluish-purple sacs laying at the upper end of the tidal wash. They would be mistaken for inflated sandwich bags except for the obvious ridge-line that flows lengthwise across the creature and the mess of dark-colored strings that seem attached to the bottom side. These strings are actually tentacles containing barbed stingers intended to neutralize prey that the Portuguese Man-o-War hunts. The sting has an effect on humans as well, but is relatively minor for most people and requires no special first aid beyond basic topical applications. Box jellyfish are often found as well, posing no threat even of a sting to humans, but interesting because of their size and their ability to completely disappear once floating in the water. Standing within the shallows, small bait fish swarm around feet, looking for the morsels that are dislodged from the sand by moving feet. This is a process that continues regardless how deep a visitor might go into the water with the only difference being the size of the fish that school. At waist-deep water and deeper, these fish can be as large as two foot long whiting – long, narrow fish that jump through the waves as they attempt to flee from their own natural predators, the black-tipped shark. These sharks look tremendously frightening in size and behavior as they are caught from the end of the pier, twisting and writhing, throwing droplets of water to glint in the sunlight for a moment. While the sharks are not interested in humans, it is impossible to forget their presence as one immerses in the salty warm waters of the Gulf. If these waters are relatively calm, there is also the chance that one can feel the velvety smooth softness of a passing sting ray looking for a little affection by rubbing itself up against the palm of an outstretched hand. Perhaps the best part of this particular beach is not the relatively tame nature of its dangerous animals, but is instead its unique structure that keeps the truly dangerous animals out in deeper waters. The beach at Bob Hall Pier is essentially an extension of the sand dunes that lead to it. Wading into the surf at the water’s edge reveals that the water gets progressively deeper until one reaches approximately mid-calf. At that point, a sand bar runs the length of the beach, bringing the wader back into ankle deep water despite being several feet beyond the water line. The ground, invisible through the churning waves and fine sand particles floating in the water, then suddenly dips back down, perhaps taking the wader to waist-deep water before rising again in another sand bar. The third dip will sometimes reach above the typical wader’s head before rising again to allow him or her to stand on the third sand bar at about chest-high water. It is only after this point that the water becomes sufficiently deep enough to accommodate surfers. This structure ensures that larger sharks, such as the tiger and mako sharks that reside in the deeper waters of the Gulf of Mexico, do not come close to shore. As long as records have been kept, there has never been a significant shark bite in the area at the same time that children can be regulated by depth and skill level while parents relax and enjoy the sun. Spending a single day on this particular beach reveals all the wonderful elements of seaside vacations including the fresh air, briny smells and sandy parks with several twists of its own for interest and variety. The animals are slightly different from what might be found on other beaches while the relatively empty sands and safe waters provide a ready-made amusement park for families looking for a combination of relaxation and excitement. Read More