Grande Santa Cruz Island

Philippines, Philippines

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Grande Santa Cruz Island is a small inhabited coral‑reef island off the southern coast of Zamboanga City in the Philippines, famous for its striking pink‑tinted beach and clear turquoise waters.

The island lies about 4 kilometres south of downtown Zamboanga, on the Santa Cruz Bank in the Basilan Strait, and is one of the few pink‑sand beaches in the world, the only one in Asia. The pink hue comes from finely ground red organ‑pipe coral mixed with white sand, and the shallow, calm sea makes it a popular day‑trip destination for swimming, boat tours, and photography.

The island is part of a protected landscape and seascape together with Little Santa Cruz Island, and visitors typically reach it by short motorized boat ride from Paseo del Mar, where they attend a short briefing on rules to protect the beach and coral ecosystem.