Many beaches have become world-famous for different reasons: natural characteristics, historical importance, unique watersports and activities, surrounding terrain, pop culture, etc. There can be various aspects that make people from all around the globe want to visit a particular beach. Maho Beach in the Caribbean island of Saint Martin has a defining feature and its USP is rather unexpected. Many people actually throng to this Beach to watch aircrafts. It is adjacent to the Princess Juliana International Airport, and plane spotters like to view arrivals and departures up close.
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The beginning of the runway is only around 160 feet from the fence on the beach, according to the BBC. Thus, the planes fly quite low over the sand during landing or taking off. This is one of the few spots in the world where the flight path can be observed so closely. Plane spotting here is so widespread that restaurants on the beach display airline timetables for tourists' reference. Recently, a video capturing the take-off of a plane at this airport took social media by storm. It has clocked over 3 million views on X so far and has got many people talking. The clip shows an Insel Air MD 80 aircraft at Princess Juliana International Airport.
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Beyond the fence of the runway, we can see the beach dotted with visitors. Most of them are watching or filming the plane on their devices. As the aircraft taxis and prepares for take-off, the sound of the engines and the force of the jet blast increase. This seems to directly impact those on the beach. Several people look away from the scene as sand starts to fly around. Some lose their footing and end up closer to the waves rather than the fence. By the end, hardly anyone is left standing on the sand - such is the force of the wind. Some visitors also ended up in the water. Watch the viral video below:
Here's how X users reacted to the viral video:
Although watching planes here is an attractive prospect for many beachgoers, they are also told to heed warning signs. Visitors should not stand too close to the fence or hold on to it. Local authorities have warned that trying to brave the force of the jet blast from the beach is not safe, and instances in the past have proven to be quite dangerous for particular tourists.
