Here mountains give way to an expanse of deserted white sand that runs hundreds of metres from shore at low tide, with the warm water waist-deep for hundred of metres more.

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On the Jersey Shore, winds raked the beachfront in Point Pleasant Beach, blowing drifts of sand onto Ocean Avenue, and shredding the decorative entrance canopy at a hotel across the street from the beach.

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Berm crest: ridge of sand or gravel deposited by wave action on the shore just above the normal high water mark.

UNESCO: L O S S A R Y

Further afield, Kenji World, (81-19) 695-3333, in northern Japan's Iwate prefecture, boasts a colossal onsen "beach" where warm water washes up on the shore (made of brownish soft board instead of sand).

CNN: ASIANOW - Travel Watch | Offbeat Onsen Offer Tradition with a Twist

Sand bar: accretionary deposit of sand formed across a river mouth or bay by wave action and joined to the shore at both ends.

UNESCO: L O S S A R Y

Crews are still sifting a pile of sand dubbed "Mount Sandy" for debris before it can be safely returned to the shore.

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Spit: accretionary deposit of sand or stones located where a shoreline changes direction, formed by wave action and joined to the shore at one end only.

UNESCO: L O S S A R Y