Beware: Uncover the 9 most dangerous beaches in the world

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Summer is beach season, and if you're like most of us, you'd like to go to the beach to cool yourself, but beware of the danger lurking beneath the surface of many of our favorite destinations.

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  • New Smyrna Beach in Florida is infamous for having the highest number of shark attacks globally, particularly from aggressive bull sharks.
  • Bikini Atoll Beach in the Marshall Islands remains dangerously radioactive due to nuclear bomb testing conducted by the U.S. in the 1940s and 1950s.
  • Playa Zebolite in Mexico is known for its deadly rip currents that claim around 50 lives annually, earning it the nickname "beach of the dead."
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  • Fraser Island Beach in Australia poses multiple threats including deadly jellyfish, dingo attacks, shark-infested waters, and lack of medical services.
  • Despite its scenic views, Chopatti Beach in India suffers from extreme water pollution, with fecal bacteria levels far above safe limits.
  • Manaus Beach in Brazil may be visually stunning, but it’s home to dangerous wildlife and plagued by high crime rates, including homicides and theft.
  • Lamu Island Beach in Kenya is rarely visited anymore due to threats from Somali pirates and terrorist groups operating in the nearby waters.

Check out this list of the most dangerous beaches and keep your family safe during the summer holidays. From cobras gliding between beach chairs, lions roaming the dunes, and crocodiles swimming in the waves, we discover some truly terrifying beaches.

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

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If you have a fear of sharks, you won't want to go to New Smyrna Beach. This beach has seen eight shark attacks that culminated in deaths over the past five years. The most common here are bull sharks, which are able to swim and fish in fresh water. New Smyrna Beach in Volosia County saw more confirmed shark bites than any other region in the world in 2007. In 2008, they took first place again, beating their previous record for shark bites with a staggering 24 bites.

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If you can look further, you might also appreciate the many recreational opportunities available on the beach such as fishing, sailing, motorboating, golf and hiking. It is also rated as one of the best surfing cities by National Geographic. It's up to you if you want to do it all in tandem with a 290-pound animal and a biting force of up to 5914 N.

Bikini Atoll Beach, Marshall Islands

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This is a beach you won't want to add to your wish list, and that's not because it's not pretty. The deserted beach is located almost on the equator and is filled with more than 23 nuclear bombs dropped by the United States on seven test sites located on coral reefs in the forties and fifties.

If visitors obtain prior approval and pay for a diver and two local government council representatives to accompany them, they are allowed to board ships. If that doesn't seem right to you and you don't want to tan amid nuclear waste and radiation, it's best to find another beach.

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Playa Zebolite, Mexico

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Locals actually refer to this place as the "beach of the dead," and there's a good reason for that. Although this beach is very popular and close to many attractive resorts, it is also the deadliest beach in Mexico, pulling around 50 swimmers to it every year due to its heavy current.

Although swimming here is not recommended, watching people can be a better option because the beach is the first and only legal public beach in Mexico. Perhaps that is why the beach is so popular among tourists who choose to stay in one of the many guesthouses lined by the beach.

Fraser Island Beach, Australia

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Who doesn't love clear water? What about the clear waters teeming with sharks and box jellyfish? Besides the dangerous creatures you may meet, the water has exceptionally strong currents. This, coupled with the fact that there are no rescuers on duty or any warning flags, inadvertently leads tourists and locals alike to jump into potential danger. Out of the water, conditions remain dangerous on the sand, where wild dinjos and killer spiders roam.

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Dingos is an Australian breed of feral dog that poses a great danger to humans, like any land predator. While Fraser Island, located off the southeast coast of Queensland, has been inhabited by humans for more than 5,000 years, it remains a very dangerous place to visit. Rescue helicopters are often transported to rescue swimmers, as there is no medical care around.  And did we mention that the island is a favorite place for small large white sharks?

Chopatti Beach, India

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The name of this beach has a pleasant character, but unfortunately it has become one of the most polluted beaches in the world. Unfortunately, visitors leave their waste on the sand and industries dump their waste into the water. In 2013, fecal bacteria were recorded in water at levels of 1455 per 100 ml, which is very high above the permissible level of 500 per 100 ml. So, not only garbage is a problem, but also the problems of open defecation and sewage, which is a widespread problem in India.

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For some reason, it is still a popular beach despite having the risk of getting sick from the water and thousands of locals come to attend the celebrations of Ganesh Visarjan, a Hindu festival celebrating Ganesh's birth.

Manaus Beach, Brazil

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Do not be fooled by its beauty. Located in the Amazon, in the northern region of Brazil, Manaus Beach is home to jaguars, pink dolphins and electric snakes. But what's even scarer than these dangerous animals is that just outside their waters roam other dangerous species you should beware of: humans.

Manaus, Brazil has the highest number of homicides in 2016. It also has one of the highest theft rates in Brazil. Despite the risks, the area is a tourist hub for jungle lodges and river cruises.

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Lamu Island Beach, Kenya

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This beautiful beach does not receive any visitors due to the control of its waters by Somali pirates. With its proximity to Somalia just 100 kilometres away, the Somali-based terrorist group al-Shabaab has significantly affected the economy of this small island off the coast of northeastern Kenya.

Pirates have captured visitors several times in the past, and the terrorist group has claimed responsibility. What was once Kenya's destination for beach recreation and luxury travel has become an economy that has been struggling in the aftermath of these events. However, if you're brave enough to visit, you'll be blessed with traditional stone buildings and a place where time seems to have stopped.

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West End Beach, Bahamas

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This beach in the Bahamas hosts the largest number of tiger sharks in the world, so it's not the place where you can swim without any care in the world. Ranked as one of the top 10 shark-infested beaches in the world, it has seen several shark attacks in the past few years.

Besides tiger sharks, keep an eye out for hammerhead sharks, black sharks, and bull sharks.

Skeleton Coastal Beach, Namibia

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This beach is terrible. It contains skeletons of whales and other large animals that have been washed ashore by deadly sharks. Animal bones are dotted, as well as hundreds of shipwrecks suspended by sea rocks and fog. If that's not enough to deter you, the beaches are full of lions and hyenas, and sometimes elephants are spotted strewn in the waves.

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Just outside the water roam cheetahs, giraffes and others. Surfers look for long breaks while others come to enjoy the thrill and absolute almost uninhabited solitude.

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