SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA

SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA

The sand: You've struck gold in the Golden State, with 29 miles of beaches and a seaside amusement park.

Marine life: Our teeth hurt and our stomachs drop just thinking about all the cotton candy to be consumed and the roller coasters to be ridden at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the oceanfront park that's been whirling and twirling Californians for more than a century. But it's only one source of amusement in this college town on Monterey Bay, where bookish students and buff Laird Hamilton types alike spend their downtime mountain biking, long-boarding, and refueling on organic, farm-fresh fare (or at least a great fish taco). Rookie surfers should head to Cowell Beach, while volleyball players can pick up a game—or maybe a new friend—at busy Main Beach. On the menu at the Pearl Alley Bistro,diners discover hormone-free short ribs and sustainable cod, helping to make up for all that cotton candy.

The sanctuary: Invoking the jumbled, whitewashed villages of the Greek Islands, the Pleasure Point Inn has four tropics-themed rooms overlooking a surf break; ask about their learn-to-surf specials.

PORT ARANSAS, TEXAS

PORT ARANSAS, TEXAS

The sand: An 18-mile stretch of beaches, marinas, and seafood shacks on the Gulf of Mexico. You'll find "Port A" (pop. 3,300) at the tip of Mustang Island, near Corpus Christi.

Marine life: So you're building a sand castle here? Be prepared for some competition, pal. Port A has its own official Sandcastle Guy, who can whip up intricate turrets, archways, moats, and stairways faster than you can whip out your towel. Lucky for you, Mark Landrum also offers lessons, making the Gulf Coast hideaway a must-sea spot for family bonding. The older kids (or kids at heart) will dig surfing the swells off the town jetty, kiteboarding off the beginner-friendly sandbars, and casting the bays and flats for trophy tuna and tarpon. Fishing tournaments nearly every weekend in July and August add to the competitive spirit, but everybody's chummy over burgers and beers back at the oceanfront Beach Lodge.

The sanctuary: Stash your shovels, sandals, and saltwater tackle at theTarpon Inn, an 1886 hotel whose 24 rooms have antiques and air conditioning but no phones or TVs.

CORAL BAY, ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

CORAL BAY, ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

The sand: There are more than 40 beaches on the island—many protected by a national park—with hiking trails to nearly all of 'em.

Marine life: As one of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John may fly the red, white,and blue, but an expat vibe runs through the well-sheltered harbor of Coral Bay. Long a hippie-ish hideout for old salts and new beach bums alike, the funky little town—on the far side of the island from the main settlement of Cruz Bay—has none of the bling and bustle of sister islands St. Thomas and St. Croix, with their cruise ports and duty-free shop-o-ramas. Here, the entire economy depends on the sale of tropical trinkets from rickety shacks and bikinis from a VW bus. The unofficial town hall is Skinny Legs, a beachfront bar where the burger selections are scrawled on an old windsurfing board and an old sail serves as the awning. For those who insist on earning their Heinekens with a bit of exercise, Crabby's rents sea kayaks and snorkeling gear.

The sanctuary: Forget staying at a hotel—truth is, there aren't any this side of the island. Instead, lord over the coast in a villa like the Starlit Escape, a 2,500-square-foot house with five bedrooms and a freshwater swimming pool.

SAUGATUCK, MICHIGAN

SAUGATUCK, MICHIGAN

The sand: Dunes that will remind you of Cape Cod, and khaki beaches that mimic Malibu—right in the heart of the Midwest.

Marine life: Combine an awe-inspiring landscape with the aw-shucks attitude of a small town, and you get Saugatuck, just across the Kalamazoo River from a surprisingly sandy stretch of Lake Michigan's eastern shore. The historic, gallery-lined town (within a three-hour drive from Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee) has long drawn those seeking a watery muse, rugged adventures, or simple beach pleasures. Beachgoers can cross the bridge or, more fun, board a 1913 hand-cranked ferry that chugs from Saugatuck across the Kalamazoo. The quick and quaint ride costs just $1 and rewards passengers with the unspoiled stretch of Oval Beach, which frequently finds itself listed as one of the world's best—despite being miles from any ocean. For an even less populated place to stake your umbrella, there's the nearby Saugatuck Dunes State Park, with two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, 200-foot-tall dunes, and 1,000 acres of hiking terrain. "Dune schooners" (think stretch ATVs) rumble through here from 10 am to 7:30 pm most summer days; some folks might want to retreat to the Saugatuck Drug Store, a soda fountain as sweet and as storied as the ferry.

The sanctuary: Silver Palate cookbook co-author Julee Rosso runs theWickwood Inn, so expect complimentary hors d'oeuvres like crab crostini as lovely as the 11 guest rooms, each based on a different theme, like an English garden or mountain cabin.

FOLLY BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

FOLLY BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

The sand: A six-mile barrier island with room for surfers, beachcombers, and shellfish aficionados, 15 minutes south of Charleston

Marine life: Officially, Folly Beach is part of the Charleston metro area, but there's not a smidgen of anything metropolitan here. Communing with nature is more common than commuting to the office, honking is what the birds do, and a board meeting is a bunch of surfers hanging out at the Washout. Newcomers' first stop should be McKevlin's Surf Shop, here since 1965. They'll set you up with a rental and one-hour lesson for $40. Or head straight for Folly Beach County Park, which is quieter than busy Center Street beach, but still has boogie boards, umbrellas, and bikes for rent. Take those wheels to Folly Beach Crab Shack,grab a hammock chair, and munch on buckets of seafood as "traffic" goes by.

The sanctuary: The new Water's Edge Inn, just three blocks from the Atlantic, is shaded by palms trees and has eight rooms with crisp white sheets and flat-screen TVs.

South American Beach Games confirmed in Uruguay

The South American Sports Organization (ODESUR) has confirmed that the First South American Beach Games will be held from December 3 to 13 in Montevideo and Punta del Este, Uruguay and Surfing is going to be an official sport in this historic occasion. Recently, Surfing has taken big strides on the long path towards Olympic Games participacion, something first requested by multi Olympic gold medallist Duke Kahanamoku in 1920. In October 2008 Surfing debuted in the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) sanctioned Beach Games, part of the Olympic Movement, that were held in Bali, Indonesia. Surfing was the most popular sport according to visitors’ votes on the official event webpage. Now, in the first ever South American Beach Games, the Olympic Movement has invited Surfing once again in its newest and more and very promising event. Fernando Aguerre, ISA President, said about the upcoming event: “The ISA is proud and honored to accept to organize the surfing competitions on this Beach Games. This time aided by the Pan American Surfing Association (PASA) our organization will show the world that Surfing is a key sport for today’s youth. Surfing and its attractive lifestyle are at the centre of beach culture around the world. The inclusion of surfing in these inaugural Beach Games is a very wise move by ODESUR. Millions of surfers in South America are going to be very supportive of these Games.” Dates are set. The famous Punta del Este will witness the best surfing of South America from December 9 to 13, 2009 in the waves of Montoya.

NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND

NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND

The sand: Beaches for every budget, from exclusive clubs to free, secluded spots on Aquidneck Island

Marine life: Hey, if we were a Vanderbilt, we would have built a summer cottage here, too. Only an hour and a half from Beantown, Newport has a dramatic, ocean-crashing-on-rocks side facing the Atlantic; a cutesy, colonial side facing Narragansett Bay; and a third, Rhode Island Sound–oriented side that's swept with beaches. Easton's Beach—better known as First Beach—is the classic Americana spot, with a carousel, snack bar, and cabanas; Sachuset (Second) Beach is a 1.25-mile stretch below St. George's prep school that catches the crowd runoff. Few make it as far as Third Beach, a quiet spot for kiteboarding, kayaking, and bird-watching. Fewer still know about Bailey's Beach, reached at the end of the mansion-lined Bellevue Avenue. Most of the sand belongs to the blue-blooded members of the Spouting Rock Beach Association, but the west end is open to the public, with no fee for parking. Spend your cash instead on a platter of fried clams from Flo's Clam Shack.

The sanctuary: The Victorian furniture at the Chanler at Cliff Walk invokes the Gilded Age of the nearby mansions, and most of the 20 rooms have views of First Beach, plus Vanderbilt-quality niceties like Fili D'Oro linens and working fireplaces.

MEXICO BEACH, FLORIDA

MEXICO BEACH, FLORIDA

The sand: Around these three miles of confectioners'-sugar sands, you'll see bald eagles, sea turtles, dolphins—and only a few footprints.

Marine life: Never heard of Mexico Beach? Exactly. South of Destin, on the Florida Panhandle, the 1,200 residents have avoided high-rises, strip malls, and theme parks like the plague, keeping their low-slung town to themselves. The "government" is a five-person council that's put the kibosh on anything taller than 48 feet, and the focus is on small-town fun, with gumbo cook-offs, kingfish tournaments, and fireworks fundraisers. You can kill two beach birds with one stone at the souvenirs-and-seafood shopShell Shack. If you want to get off the beach, pop into the pool bar at the El Governor motel or take a scuba dive through a sunken oil tanker just offshore.

The sanctuary: The Driftwood Innhas four-poster beds in its rooms and DIY barbecue grills on its back deck. If you want to play at being a local, opt for one of the separate, two-bedroom Victorian houses.

OGUNQUIT, MAINE

OGUNQUIT, MAINE

The sand: Three and a half miles of white-sand beaches on a long hook of land, separated from the mainland by the mouth of the Ogunquit River

Marine life: Lobster? Ach, you can find that anywhere in Maine. But only in a few select spots along the state's 5,500 miles of rocky coastline will you find actual soft, bottom-inviting sand, and that's outside the hamlet of Ogunquit. To avoid the traffic of crustacean-seeking crowds, you'll also want to ditch the car. Snag a parking spot at Footbridge Bridge early in the morning ($15 for the day) and take the trolley back into town for blueberry pancakes at Bessie's. Then stroll with a cup of coffee through the galleries and too-cute shops. Cross back over at Ogunquit Beach to find the spot you've staked in the sand. Then you're free of obligations until your dinner reservation at Ogunquit's acclaimed Arrows Restaurant. It goes beyond typical beach fare, serving foie gras-and-oxtail dumplings, sea salt–roasted rabbit loin, and mango bubble pudding. And, yeah, Maine lobster, too.

The sanctuary: Book one of the 19 cottages at Dunes on the Waterfront:They have screened porches and Adirondack chairs just 200 yards from the main beach.

Great American Beach Towns

Enough with your fancy remote beaches. The Maldives? St. Tropez? With the economy what it is, we'll be lucky to get to the next state on a $73 tank of gas. We want close. We want old-fashioned. We want a town where we can park the car, drag a beach chair and a book to the sand, and then shuffle down the boardwalk in our flip-flops for fried clams and an icy-cold can of beer: a place with fireworks, friendly locals, and sticky scoop shops. So we dug up 11 great American seaside escapes, from classic fun-in-the-sun California to New England colonial charm. Because when it comes to precious summer weekends in the sun, there's no place like home.

The Uluwatu Beach Bali: Surfing Spots in Indonesia, Travel to Surfing Paradise

The Uluwatu Surfing beach in Indonesia is truly a very spectacular and ideal place to go surfing. The beach is a public access beach. The beach over looks the very magnificent view of the sea with its clear blue waters and watches the surfers surf along the waves of the waters.

The amazing waves of the shore give every surfer the best surfing weathers and perfect winds. Surfers are truly amazed with beauty and features of the places making them get back to the place from time to time.

The vast beauty of the beach is what makes the Uluwatu beach a famous tourist attraction site in Indonesia not only for surfers but all beach lovers and water sports aficionados coming from different parts of the globe.

What is more fascinating here is the beach offers surfing schools for the ones that wants to try out surfing but does not have quiet the knowledge to try it hand in the waters. One can always have the bast surfing time in Uluwatu beach that is rarely to find in other beaches.

Visit the beach together with your friends and family and even your surfing teams to do surfing and indulge with the fun and lively experience of being in this very amazing Uluwatu beach resort.

uluwatu beach

Uluwatu temple on the Cliff

Uluwatu Sunset

ULUWATU TEMPLE is one of Balinese Hindu Temple is located in southern part of Bali right on the Cliff bank with magnificent view of the Indian Ocean.it is very amazing temple built on the narrow with crevasse under it.it own very beautiful view in particular on sunset time.they are group of monkeys live around the temple that to keep and protect the temple from the bad influence based on the local resident's believes.Uluwatu temple own the History and culture heritage that is one of the value and feature that many vi.

SANUR BEACH

There are some beaches in Sanur area, but mostly for local people, if they talk about Sanur Beach, it means that they point to the main beach of Sanur. You can reach the beach through Jalan Hang Tuah, Sanur. Yes, this is the location of the main beach of Sanur.

A lot of visitors come to Sanur Beach every day. This is an ideal place to watch morning sunrise. The sun seems rise from the sea. Sanur beach is great for sun bathing using beach chair provided by some hotels and restaurants here. The beach is also exciting for swimming.

To secure the area, there is a police station erected at Sanur Beach. When I visited the beach, I saw some police personnels were patrolling around. 
Beside that, you can visit the Le Mayeur Museum at Sanur Beach. It used to be a house of the painter, Le Mayeur and her wife, Ni Pollok. The house was handed over by the government to become a museum. Now the Le Mayeur Museum is collecting 88 paintings. To go to the museum, just walk about 200 meters from Jalan Hang Tuang, Sanur to the south through the beach walking track. The picture below shows statues of Le Mayeur and Ni Pollok at the museum.

After all, If you come to the island of God, Sanur Beach is a must seen place in Bali.

BEACH BOY BEN McKENZIE

Ben McKenzie has left the O.C to join temporarily the South Beach society ! He is improving his tan for an upcoming top less scene !? We will see.

BEN McKENZIE

tactics of the beach volley

tactics of the beach volley

LAO BEACH VOLLEYBALL TEAMS CONFIDENT OF SEA GAMES SUCCESS

The Lao male and female beach volleyball teams are confident of reaching the semi-finals at the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane this December. 

The teams are currently training at a facility in Nongtha village in Chanthabouly district. 

The teams previously trained on Done Chan beach and are now under the instruction of Chinese and Lao trainers. 

One trainer, Mr Inthaphone Chengsavang said there is only one field for training, which means the female team trains between 8 and 10am and again from 2 to 4pm, while the male team trains from 6 to 8am and 4 to 6pm. 

The teams hope to train at the facility to be used during the games in the coming months. 

Mr Inthaphone said the Lao teams will face strong opposition from the Indonesian and Thai teams, who are amongst the best in the region. 

The Lao teams will seek to gain international experience in the lead-up to the games. 

The Lao Volleyball Federation will host a regional beach volleyball tournament before the games commence. 

The women's team consists of players selected from the Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of National Defence teams. The team is Phonthava Phetsalath, Thammasin Phongsavath, Nanthaxay Latmany and Somboun Sidavong. 

The men's squad is made up of players from the Vientiane and Ministry of National Defence teams. The team is Chan-aloun Vongxaya, Pany Chanthavong, Phimphone Bualapha and Vongphachan Xayamoungkhoun. 

Laos has never won a medal in beach volleyball at the SEA Games level. 

Olympics Beach Volleyball

Olympics Beach Volleyball

In This Photo: Tamsin Barnett, Natalia Uryadova

Tamsin Barnett of Australia spikes the ball against the defense of Natalia Uryadova of Russia during their preliminary women's beach volleyball match at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground during day 1 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 9, 2008 in Beijing, China.

Beach Volleyball Cheerleaders

You won't see a beach ball but no one is looking for it anyway when such sexy girls dominate the photos. 

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