Nature has it all: beauty, calmness, freshness, the air we breathe, the ground that holds us, and the beaches to freshen us. And with all this, it comes the wild part of it. Beauty is pain after all, right?

Sharks, jellyfish, rip currents, and even locals can ruin your vacation, so watch out for these. Here we’ve prepared a list of 10 beautiful beaches around the world, of which you should be more careful, as you might come across some not-very-friendly mates.

1. Staithes, Yorkshire, United Kingdom

This fishing village, which at its first glance gives you a very lovely impression, attracts many tourists and surfers from all over the world. But despite its beauty, Staithes is one of the worst beaches in Europe. The water is so contaminated with sewage that it doesn’t even meet minimum safety standards.

2. Heard Island in the Indian Ocean

Although the island belongs to Australia, it is far away from a warm part of the Indian Ocean, which makes it quite a chilly splash. Perhaps only winter swimmers might enjoy this cold beach. Nevertheless, lovers of extreme surfing visit the island regularly — they aren’t frightened of the risk of hypothermia.

3. Gansbaai Beach, South Africa

Great white sharks seem to have a thing for Gansbaai Beach because they love to be around. Perhaps they are more prevalent here than anywhere else on Earth. However, travel companies figured out how to capitalize on this. They organize diving in cells so that tourists can enjoy being close to these marine predators without the risk of becoming their dinner.

4. Hanakapiai Beach, Hawaii, United States

Without a doubt, this beach is one of the most beautiful in Hawaii. Unfortunately, it is far away from the local rescue station. Therefore, rip currents can carry swimmers out to open waters.

5. Praia de Boa Viagem, Recife, Brazil

There were no sharks near the Recife coast until 1992. But then the ecosystem changed as a result of human activities, including uncontrolled fishing. These days, a lot of sharks attack swimmers near the beach.

6. New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States

Although this beach is considered one of the best in Florida, you need to be very careful here. There are a lot of sharks that often attack swimmers. Out of the 112 reported cases of shark attacks on humans in 2007, 17 occurred in this place. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, New Smyrna Beach is the “shark attack capital of the world.” And as if this wasn’t enough, one should be very careful from local robbers, so always keep an eye on your pockets and bags.

7. Playa Zipolite, Mexico

You would be surprised to know that this beautiful place is called the “beach of the dead.” The reasons are huge waves and dangerous currents that have killed a lot of people. Recently, the number of accidents has decreased dramatically since a large team of highly qualified rescuers started patrolling the beach.

8. Shenzhen, China

Shenzhen’s beaches are popular holiday destinations for both locals and tourists. They are so crowded during the peak season that there is hardly any breathing space! And this is the main danger. A huge number of visitors is the cause of different accidents that most often affect kids.

9. Maho Beach, Saint-Martin Island

Maho is a very popular place among photographers and thrill-seekers because an airport is just a few meters from the beach. Only a narrow road and fence separate them! Lots of warning signs prohibit getting close to the runway. However, neither the risk of a plane crash nor the noise while taking off and landing stop tourists from visiting this unusual place.

10. Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia

Compared to most Australian regions, there are almost no crocodiles here but plenty of other dangerous creatures. This place is crawling with aggressive cassowaries, poisonous snakes, spiders, and jellyfish. By the way, more of the latter appear during the rainy season that lasts from October to June.