Find Your Perfect Beach Getaway

Abel Tasman, El Nido, Lan Ha Bay, Dubrovnik, La Jolla, Mosquito Bay and Na Pali top our kayaking list. Four suit beginners; Na Pali is summer-only and hard.

Waves break when depth drops to about 1.3x wave height. Period sets speed, bathymetry bends the energy, and bottom slope decides whether you get a spilling roller or a barrel.

Walking in dry sand costs 2.1 to 2.7 times the energy of a hard surface, and heat adaptation takes 7 to 14 days. Maintain rather than progress: three 20-minute sessions before 9am is enough.

Learn on flat, waist-deep water at Dakhla, El Gouna, Kalpitiya or Pamlico Sound. Progress at Le Morne, Tarifa and Brazil. Tarifa in August is not a beginner spot.

The best shore snorkeling: Turquoise Bay at Ningaloo, Two Step in Hawaii, Hanauma Bay, Trunk Bay on St John, Bonaire, Eilat, Champagne Reef and Abu Dabbab. No boat needed.

Beach yoga retreat costs per week: $600-$1,400 Bali, $700-$1,500 Nosara, $2,400-$3,200 Tulum, $450-$1,800 Portugal and Greece. Massage and transfers are extra.

California's best surf, by skill: Doheny and Tourmaline for beginners, San Onofre and Huntington for intermediates, Rincon, Lower Trestles and Steamer Lane for experienced surfers.

Spain's quietest coasts: Bolonia, Cabo de Gata, Calblanque, the Ebro Delta, Costa da Morte, Torimbia and car-free La Graciosa. Four now cap summer parking or run shuttle buses.

Spain beach safety in plain terms: red flag means no swimming and can be fined, purple means jellyfish, lifeguards typically cover 11:00-20:00 mid-June to mid-September, emergencies dial 112.

Spain’s most photogenic beaches and their access rules: Las Catedrales (free summer permit, low tide only), Cies Rodas (permit then ferry), Gulpiyuri, Bolonia, Macarelleta, Cofete, El Golfo.

Spain’s best active beach bases: Club La Santa on Lanzarote, Port de Pollenca and Calpe for cycling, San Sebastian for running and open-water swimming, Teide for altitude.

Spain's real eco-tourism beaches are the Cies Islands, La Graciosa, Cabo de Gata, Menorca, Formentera, the Ebro Delta and El Hierro - all capped by permit or vehicle quota.