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Farther south along Habushiura, local surfers once kept a break nicknamed Secret Point quiet to escape the crowds. It hosted heats of the 2003 Niijima Quiksilver Pro—so the secret was out.
At Habushiura’s southern end, Shiro-mama means “white cliff”: mama is the local word for cliff. Its pale volcanic layers were laid down during Mukaiyama’s violent 886 eruption, then exposed as the coast eroded.
Before modern surfboards, Niijima children played se-tsukashi, belly-riding waves on planks borrowed from fishing boats hauled ashore. They did it at western Maehama: Habushiura’s rough surf was considered too dangerous, even by local youngsters.
Habushiura’s surf fame was no accident: Niijima’s tourism association and Tokai Kisen helped promote the sport. The first Niijima Cup was held in 1969, and the coast hosted Japan’s national surfing championship in 1970.
Habushiura’s famous white sand is mostly rounded quartz, not coral; many grains are about 0.5 mm across. In one beach sample, quartz made up about 25% of the sand by the water and 85% farther inland, where wind and waves sort the grains.
One island, three striking beach colors: white at Habushiura, green at west-coast Maehama, and black at northern Wakago. Different volcano-derived rocks supply the grains, turning Niijima’s shores into a natural color chart.
