Though not as broad as it once was due to
storms, Coquina Beach is still one of the widest beaches on the Outer
Banks and a favorite getaway. Just 6 miles south of Whalebone Junction,
this beach has half the crowd but all the amenities you need: a lifeguard
in the summer, a bathhouse, restrooms, outdoor showers, and lots of
parking. Part of the allure of this remote area is that it's miles away
from any business or rental cottage, making it a superb spot to sunbathe,
swim, fish, and surf. The sand is almost white, and the beach is
relatively flat. Drawing its name from the tiny butterfly-shaped coquina
clams that burrow into the beach, at times almost every inch of this
portion of the federally protected Cape Hatteras National Seashore harbors
hundreds of recently washed-up shells and several species of rare
shorebirds. Coquinas are edible and can be collected and cleaned from
their shells to make a chowder. Local brick makers also have used the
shells as temper in buildings. One of the last coastal schooners built in
America, the Laura A. Barnes was completed in Camden, Maine in
1918. This 120-foot ship was under sail on the Atlantic during a trip from
New York to South Carolina when a nor'easter drove it onto the Outer Banks
in 1921. The Laura A. Barnes ran aground just north of where it now
rests at Coquina Beach. The entire crew survived. In 1973 the National
Park Service moved the shipwreck to its present location, where visitors
view the remains of the ship behind a roped-off area that includes
placards with information about the Laura A. Barnes and the history
of lifesaving.
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