North America has more coastline than most people picture when they think of beach travel here. The Caribbean side of Mexico and Central America, the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic seaboard, the Pacific coast from Baja to Alaska and everything in between. The continent's beach geography is varied enough that the same word covers white sand Caribbean coves, rugged Northern California headlands and the flat barrier islands of the American south.
The United States alone has enough beach variety to fill a separate list. Florida's Gulf Coast is different from its Atlantic side, both are different from the Outer Banks, and none of them resemble the Oregon coast or the beaches of Lake Michigan. Hawaii sits apart from the continental picture entirely, with black sand beaches, snorkelling reefs and surf breaks that have shaped the sport as it's practised worldwide.
Mexico and the Caribbean add another dimension. The Yucatán Peninsula, the Pacific coast of Oaxaca and Baja California each have their own following among visitors who've moved past the resort towns. The Caribbean islands range from heavily developed to genuinely remote, and the difference between them is significant enough to be worth researching before you go.
