Many of the most awe-inspiring beaches have sparkling white sand, azure waters, and plenty of sunshine year-round.
But one jaw-dropping shore that is considered among the world's best is located in the Great White North.
A beach in B.C. was recently included in a round-up of the 50 best beaches in the world, putting the Canadian selection alongside numerous tropical picks.
The World's 50 Best Beaches collaborated with over 750 leading travel influencers and professionals to compile its list. The beaches were ranked according to five criteria: "sheer untouched nature, remoteness, how swimmable it is, annual days of sunshine, and average annual temperature."
"Our study comes at a time when many travelers are dreaming of that perfect summer beach vacation," said Tine Holst, Co-Founder of The World's 50 Best Beaches. "It's a unique way of uncovering hidden gems that are often overlooked by the traveling public and provides the perfect inspiration for a beach vacation."
Lucky Bay in Australia claimed the top honour on the list, with Anse Source D'Argent in the Seychelles coming second. Hidden Beach in the Philippines rounded out the top three, "beating out popular beach favorites that are often touted by tourism boards," according to the report's authors.
Another Aussie shore, Whitehaven, appeared fourth, followed by One Foot in the Cook Islands in fifth. Trunk in the U.S. Virgin Islands came sixth, with Honopu, Hawaii in seventh.
The black-sand beach of Reynisfjara in Iceland came eighth, followed by the hypnotically blue water of Navagio, Greece in ninth. Balandra in Mexico rounded out the top 10.
San Josef on Vancouver Island was the only Canadian beach on the list, landing in 36th. Located in Cape Scott Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, visitors must hike for about 45 minutes to reach the unspoiled shore. Surrounded by lush forests, the soft white sand beach is the perfect place for a swim.
Have a look at the complete list of the world's 50 best beaches.
