Navagio Beach, Zakynthos Island, Greece. Navagio Beach (or Shipwreck Beach) is an exposed cove, sometimes referred to as “Smugglers Cove,” on the coast of Zakynthos, the third largest of the Ionian Islands in Greece. Zakynthos Island is divided into two distinct zones. The Pre-Apulian zone consists of an eastward dipping succession of Upper Cretaceous to Miocene carbonates overlain by Pliocene-Quaternary alluvia. The Quaternary deposits are composed of layers of Holocene and Pleistocene gravels, sands, silts, and clays. The Ionian zone, on the other hand, consists mainly of Eocene carbonates and Pliocene sediments. These two zones are then divided by the Ionian thrust fault. Limestones cover about 50% of the total area of the island, which makes Zakynthos prone to soil erosion and mass wastage due to a combination of steep topography and a highly erosive climate.

Navagio Beach was originally known as Agios Georgios, but on 2 October 1980, a freightliner (theMVPanagiotis) ran aground during stormy weather and bad visibility. It has been rumored the ship was smuggling contraband, such as cigarettes and wine. The vessel was abandoned and still rests buried in the limestone grains that now bears the nickname: Shipwreck Beach. (Photograph taken 20 October 2018 by Dr. Jay Jooyong Lee, Kangwon National University [KNU], Chuncheon, Republic of Korea).