Which Shore beach has the best sand? The devil’s in the details.
By Tim Hawk and Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
If you're an avid beach-goer, you likely have a favorite place to park your beach chair and catch some rays. And even if you only make a few day trips each summer, we bet you throw your beach towel or blanket on the sand in the same spot, give or take a few yards if your go-to place is packed that day.
But have you ever really thought about the sand itself? After all, you're laying on it, your kids are building sandcastles with it, you trudge all your beach gear through it, and it gets everywhere.
The sands from one Jersey Shore beach to the next vary widely, and everyone has a preference on what's the best. So we visited several beaches, from Sandy Hook to Cape May, to find out just how different they are from each other, and why.
Beachgoers relax on Manasquan beach, Tuesday, July 9, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
The beach sand study
We visited 12 beaches along the coast of New Jersey in July. The sand samples we gathered were taken approximately 10 feet from the wrack line -- the line of debris left on the beach by high tide. This process was used to keep the samples as consistent as possible from beach to beach, as the sand at the dunes will naturally be different from the sand at the water’s edge.
We took mason jars filled with our beach sand samples to Stewart Farrell, director of Stockton University's Coastal Research Center, who helped us analyze each sample for mineral content, and in some cases, the actual size of the grains of sand we collected.
Check out details on each of the beaches we visited, listed in order from largest grains to smallest.
Ashley Boulivard, of Elizabeth, relaxes on the sand in Asbury Park, Tuesday, July 9, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Asbury Park
Asbury Park's sand grains are an average size of 1.5 mm in diameter, the largest of all the beaches we visited. It was a bit rough on our feet as we walked on it -- not a bad thing if you're looking for a free pedicure.
Facebook user Emily Bader, of Asbury Park, said, "I love AP's sand. Definitely soft and fine-grained, nice on the feet." Bader also mentioned that the sand gets "super hot" around noon, and as a result, "you see people running to the water by jumping between umbrella shadows."
Sand sample taken from the beach at the end of 4th Avenue.
Asbury Park sand. Inset shows Asbury Park sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Very coarse
Sand color: Medium tan overall, with mostly yellow- and brown-stained sand grains and some white and black grains
What it's made of: Mostly quartz and feldspar, with glauconite and magnetite
Last replenished: 2015-16
Caitlin McGowan, right, and J.B. play in the Manasquan sand, Tuesday, July 9, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Manasquan
Manasquan's sand was a little softer than Asbury Park's, but seemed to have more pebbles and shell fragments mixed in. The sand grains here are an average size of 1 mm in diameter.
Sand sample taken from the beach at the end of East Main Street.
Manasquan sand. Inset shows Manasquan sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Coarse
Sand color: Light to medium tan overall, with mostly white- and yellow-stained sand grains and some brown-stained and black grains
What it's made of: Mostly quartz and feldspar, with glauconite and magnetite
Last replenished: Spring 2014
Multimedia Specialist Lori M. Nichols walks on the sand in Sandy Hook, Tuesday, July 9, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Sandy Hook
The sand at Sandy Hook was the roughest on our feet, probably due to the large amount of angular, rather than rounded, sand grains. Rounded grains reflect a long history of abrasion from water and wind, so the angular grains of sand on this beach are newer than others.
However, the sand here is less likely to stick to you in large amounts because the grains are larger.
A lot of the sand here is actually beach fill from Long Branch and Monmouth Beach, which has been transported north to Sandy Hook by the current, according to Farrell.
Sand sample taken from South Beach - Area E.
Sandy Hook sand. Inset shows Sandy Hook sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Coarse
Sand color: Light tan overall, with mostly white and light yellow-stained sand grains and some black, amber and purple grains
What it's made of: Mostly quartz and feldspar, with some magnetite and glauconite, and trace amounts of zircon, rutile and garnet
A couple takes pictures in Seaside Heights, Tuesday, July 9, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Seaside Heights
The beach sand at Seaside Heights contained a lot of pebbles, small stones and large shell fragments, making it a little rough on your feet. But we also noticed some softer areas when walking around.
Sand sample taken from the beach between Hancock and Sheridan avenues.
Seaside Heights sand. Inset shows Seaside Heights sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Coarse
Sand color: Light tan overall, with mostly white and very light brown-stained sand grains and little amounts of black and brown- and yellow-stained grains
What it's made of: At least 90 percent quartz, with some feldspar and magnetite
Last replenished: January 2019 by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Harry Bugal, 7, and his sisters Brielle, 13, left, and Cailyn, 10, play in the sand at Island Beach State Park, Tuesday, July 9, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Island Beach State Park
The sand at Island Beach State Park is still pretty natural, as the beach fill from other beaches has not migrated here yet, according to Farrell.
Many of the sand grains are smooth and rounded, giving the beach a soft feel despite having coarse grains, which are an average size of .75 mm in diameter.
Sand sample taken from the beach at Ocean Swimming Parking Area #1.
Island Beach State Park sand. Inset shows Island Beach State Park sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Coarse
Sand color: Nearly white overall, with mostly white sand grains and little amounts of light yellow-stained, amber and black grains
What it's made of: Mostly quartz and trace amounts of rutile
Last replenished: USACE has not done any nourishment here
Jennie Kuus, left, and Tina Ace, of Lacey Township, sit in the Beach Haven sand, Monday, July 22, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Beach Haven
The sand at Beach Haven was medium-grained, and while not super soft on your feet, it wasn't rough either. Some smaller pebbles were scattered among the sand, which on average were .5 mm in diameter.
Two beachgoers commented that the sand used to be whiter. Facebook user Kris Vogdes agreed, writing that while the sand was orange and coarse following last year's replenishment project, "over time, the pleasant white color, and the 'sugar sand' texture returned."
"The Beach Haven sand is superior to other towns, where the sand is gray and very fine," Vogdes wrote. "The texture is similar to Island Beach State Park, widely praised as one of the best beaches in the U.S."
Farrell was also impressed with the sand, noting the sample we collected contained "beautifully rounded quartz grains mixed in with the angular stuff."
Sand sample taken from the beach between 3rd and 2nd streets.
Beach Haven sand. Inset shows Beach Haven sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Medium
Sand color: Light tan overall, with mostly white and yellow- and brown-stained sand grains and little amount of black grains
What it's made of: Approximately 60 percent quartz with a good amount of feldspar
Last replenished: Winter 2018 by USACE
William Eason, of Connecticut, throws sand on his son William, 7, during a beach day at Barnegat Light, Monday, July 22, 2019. Looking on is William's 3-year-old brother, Wesley. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Barnegat Light
The sand in Barnegat Light was soft on your feet, and the magnified sample shows why: many of the grains were rounded. When you first walked onto the beach, just past the dunes, there were a lot of shells and large shell fragments (keep those flip flops on!), but our sample area closer to the water contained only some small shell fragments and pebbles.
"Love BL sand," said Facebook user Terry Haumesser Meehan. "Soft, fine, doesn't stick... sometimes too many broken shells but never gets old!"
Another Facebook commenter agreed, writing that while the sand in Barnegat Light has more shells, it's "still the sugary white sand that LBI is known for."
Sand sample taken from the beach between East 22nd and East 23rd streets.
Barnegat Light sand. Inset shows Barnegat Light sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Medium
Sand color: Light tan overall, with mostly white and light yellow-stained sand grains and trace amount of light gray and black grains
What it's made of: Approximately 95 to 98 percent quartz with trace amounts of feldspar
Last replenished: USACE has not done any nourishment here
Harper Honeycutt, 3, of Leonardo, and Emerson Lyons, 3, of Middletown, play in the sand at Sea Bright, Tuesday, July 9, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Sea Bright
Sea Bright's sand was a darker, yellowish tan when you first walked onto the beach, and there was a distinct line in the sand where it turned to a light tan. Nearly everyone enjoying the beach found a spot along the lighter-colored sand, and this is also where we took our sample. The sand contained pebbles and small stones throughout this area.
Silvia Yang, who has brought her family here numerous times throughout the season over the past two decades, is a big fan of the Sea Bright public beach. "The sand is not harsh to our feet... even when our kids were little toddlers," she wrote in response to our questions on the “All About Sea Bright” Facebook group, adding that her kids are now lifeguards "on that same beach they grew up on."
Sand sample taken from the beach between Peninsula Avenue and River Street.
Sea Bright sand. Inset shows Sea Bright sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Medium
Sand color: Light tan overall, with mostly white and medium yellow-stained sand grains and fair amount of black and brown-stained grains
What it's made of: Mostly quartz, some feldspar, and small amounts of magnetite, ilmenite and glauconite
Last replenished: Summer 2014
The Conlin family, of Hoboken, builds a temple in the Cape May City sand, Friday, July 26, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Cape May City
You may be shocked to find out that none of the famous, nearly white sand of Cape May City is native to its beaches.
It's all brought in from the Ice Age terraces of the Delaware River, and most of that sand is dumped on the northern end of the city near Pittsburgh Avenue, where it moves south due to the currents to nourish the rest of the city's beach areas, according to Farrell.
The reason why? When the jetties between the Wildwoods and Cape May were built in the early 1900s, it stopped the natural flow of sand to Cape May, causing the beaches to diminish, said Farrell. In the 1980s, Cape May City sued the federal government over the issue, and the courts agreed with the city, ordering the federal government to replace the sand.
Sand sample taken from the beach between Madison Avenue and Queen Street.
Cape May City sand. Inset shows Cape May City sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Medium to fine
Sand color: Very light tan overall, with mostly white and light yellow-stained sand grains and some black grains
What it's made of: At least 95 percent quartz, a small amount of feldspar and trace amounts of heavy minerals
Last replenished: Winter 2017
"Ocean City, NJ 2019" is written in the sand, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Ocean City
The powdery soft sand in Ocean City is fine-grained and well sorted, meaning the grains are similar in size.
"I'm impressed with how uniform this sand is, it doesn't change much," said Farrell upon inspection of our sample.
"The sand in OC is perfect," wrote Facebook user Anne Rinehart Sabol. "It’s soft and clean, and it feels so soothing when I’m walking on the beach. It’s so much better than the sand on the Monmouth County beaches."
The sand we found in Stone Harbor and Sea Isle City was nearly identical in appearance and texture to the sand in Ocean City.
Sand sample taken from the beach at the end of 13th Street.
Ocean City sand. Inset shows Ocean City sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Fine
Sand color: Light tan overall (and a small amount of sparkle), with mostly white and light yellow- and brown-stained sand grains and some black and medium brown-stained grains
What it's made of: 80 to 90 percent quartz, very trace amounts of heavy minerals
Last replenished: September to December 2015 (at the sand sample location; nourishment has occurred in other parts of the city since then)
Lauryn Jackson, 3, of Philadelphia, plays in the sand during a visit to Atlantic City, Monday, July 29, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Atlantic City
The sand in Atlantic City is now primarily beach fill, which originally came from Brigantine Inlet but now all comes from offshore.
The sand grains are an average size of .25 mm in diameter, with white and light brown being the dominant colors.
According to Farrell, in the early days of Atlantic City as a tourist destination, hotels used to dump their furnace slag -- which contained coal and broken glass -- right onto the beach. And while you might find traces of it here and there, many current visitors are fans of the sand, noting that it's "not gritty or sharp," "nice and soft," and like "little diamonds," possibly referring to the small amount of sparkle in the sand caused by the reflection of the sun off flat grains of quartz.
Sand sample taken from the beach between South Morris and South Chelsea avenues.
Atlantic City sand. Inset shows Atlantic City sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Fine
Sand color: Light tan overall (and a small amount of sparkle), with mostly white and light yellow- and brown-stained sand grains and some black and medium brown-stained grains
What it's made of: Mostly quartz and some feldspar, with trace amounts of furnace slag such as coal and glass
Last replenished: Winter/Spring 2018
Brendan Schaffer, of Cape May, works on his crab sculpture during the Wildwood Crest Sand Sculpting Festival, Friday, July 12, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Wildwood Crest
The sand grains in Wildwood Crest -- most of the Wildwoods, actually -- are the smallest of any Jersey Shore beach, with an average size of .125 to .25 mm in diameter. It's believed that the sand on the continental shelf some five to 10 miles offshore is the source of the sand on the Wildwoods beaches.
In 1922, when a causeway was built to connect Wildwood with Two Mile Beach, a barrier island just to the south, the opening was made too small, and waves closed Turtle Gut Inlet.
"After the inlet closes, suddenly this whole place called Wildwood Crest appears out of nowhere," said Farrell. "Literally, it was open water, now it's the beach."
The effects of the closed inlet, combined with the jetties built between Wildwood and Cape May City approximately 15 years prior, caused the sand to remain trapped in one area.
"So the Wildwood sand stays in Wildwood," said Farrell.
Before this work was done in the early 1900s, the Wildwood beaches were of average size, similar to Stone Harbor, but now are among the widest in the state.
Sand sample taken from the beach at the end of East Heather Road.
Wildwood Crest sand. Inset shows Wildwood Crest sand at 40x magnification. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Grain size: Very fine
Sand color: Light tan overall (and a good amount of sparkle), with mostly white and brown-stained sand grains and some black and yellow-stained grains
What it's made of: Mostly quartz, with some feldspar, magnetite and ilmenite
Last replenished: USACE has not done any nourishment here
Microscopic images of sand, magnified at 40x, from the Jersey Shore coast. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Amanda Baker and her husband Chad, of Hershey, Pennsylvania, play volleyball on the beach in Stone Harbor, Friday, July 26, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
What is sand?
Simply put, sand is made of very, very small rock and mineral fragments -- between 0.063 mm and 2 mm in diameter. When you lay a typical beach towel out on the sand, you're covering approximately one million grains of sand, and that's just on the surface.
On the East Coast, a handful of sand will contain mostly quartz, with feldspar coming in second. Quartz is translucent and feldspar is opaque; both are white or light brown. The color varies due to staining from iron oxide.
Other common minerals found on New Jersey beaches are magnetite, ilmenite, garnet, zircon and glauconite -- all of which change the overall color of the beach. And if you see the sand sparkle as you walk along the beach, that's caused by the sun's reflection off the flat surface of quartz.
Jean Francois Lussier, of Montreal, and his daughter Cassandra Bourassa, 6, play in the sand during the day in Ocean City, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Where does the sand come from?
Well, that's a complicated question, since most beaches are no longer in their natural state due to beach nourishment projects, which first began in the 1950s. The composition -- and therefore the sources -- of the beach sands in their natural state was determined around this same time.
The natural source of sand from Long Branch to Manasquan came from the erosion of Monmouth County coastal plain sediments, from at least 65 million years ago. Those same sands have been transported north up to Sandy Hook and south from Mantoloking to Seaside Park by wave-generated currents.
New Jersey's barrier islands -- from Long Beach Island to the southern tip of the state -- were formed at the end of the last Ice Age, about 18,000 years ago, from the continental shelf as the sea level rose, pushing sand materials inland.
Charlie Schaffer, 10, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, plays Wiffle ball on the beach in Sea Isle City, Friday, July 26, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Beach nourishment
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says beach replenishment is an "extensive process" -- which includes "physical sampling as we seek to closely match the grain size to the 'native' sand on the beach," guided by the information in the state report from the 1950s. The beach fill gathered from these borrow sites may not initially match the sand, as the dredged sand has not been exposed to sunlight and will eventually lighten over time.
"The Monmouth County sand supply was derived from about 1.5 miles offshore and was most likely a predecessor beach ridge when sea level was about 50 feet lower," said Farrell.
The South Jersey beaches of Atlantic and Cape May counties were "nourished from tidal inlet sand composed of the same material as the native beaches" as well as offshore, he said.
And, since beaches are constantly changing, the sand you walk on today will not be the same sand you walked on last year, last month, or even a few hours ago, whether it came from a natural source or beach fill.
Beachgoers walk in the Sea Bright sand, Tuesday, July 9, 2019. (Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
So what does all this mean to you?
The finer the sand, the easier it is to walk on, Farrell said. At the Wildwoods, it's a huge plus that its sand grains are the smallest in the state, because there's a really long walk to get to the water's edge. Finer sand is also easier to drive on, something the city of Wildwood has capitalized on with numerous auto events, such as The Race of Gentlemen, held right on the beach.
Larger grained sand is more difficult to walk on, as that sand works like ball bearings: you just sink with every step you take. This may be great for those looking to tighten the muscles in your legs, but if you're carrying a lot of beach gear, you'll likely be getting a harder workout than you bargained for.
If you're among those who like to lay a beach towel down to catch some rays, the finer sand is also likely to be more comfortable to you. But there's a catch: it's also more likely to stick to you.
The different minerals in the sand have no impact on comfort level, unless you include the temperature of the beach sand. The higher the presence of magnetite, ilmenite and glauconite -- all of which are black -- the hotter the sand. The whiter the beach, the cooler it will be.
No matter which Jersey Shore beach you visit, one thing is almost guaranteed: you'll likely find some sand in your car long after that trip is over. But as one Facebook user said, "It always makes me smile because I have a little piece of the beach with me."
