This year Sarasota celebrated it's first annual Siesta Key Crystal Classic - Master Sand Sculpting Competition. Twenty three master sand sculptors from around the US were invited to compete at Siesta Key on some of the most amazingly beautiful sand in the world. Siesta Key is renowned for it's pure white sand and has won competitions for the best sand.
At the "Great International White Sand Beach Challenge" held in 1987, it was recognized as having the "whitest and finest sand in the world. "Why you ask? "Unlike beaches elsewhere that are made up mostly of coral, Siesta Beach's sand is 99% quartz. Even on the hottest days, the sand is so reflective that it feels cool underfoot. It's estimated that the sand on Siesta Beach and Crescent Beach on Siesta Key is millions of years old, and started in the Appalachians and flowed down the rivers and was eventually deposited on the shores of Siesta Key."
So, what better place to have a sand sculpting competition? Here are some before and then after shots of some of the sculptures which took four days to complete.
