World's Best Beaches
October

Blue Lagoon beach, Fiji, South Pacific

Australia beaches (especially North East Coast)

- North Stradbroke Island, near Brisbane, for wildlife walks, quiet beaches and good surf.

- Noosa Heads, Sunshine Coast, soft sand, parks and surf.

- Fraser Island's Lake McKenzie, bathe in clear freshwater embraced by rainforest and the purest white sand.

- Whitehaven, Whitsunday Islands, oceans of powder sand and turquoise water. Considered to be Australia's best beach by some but not by Bugbog - too far out mate! Takes ages to get there, no shade, no facilities and what about the jellies? But on your own boat...that's another matter!

- Beaches on Northwest Coast, such as Exmmouth, Ningaloo Reef, Broome, and Kimberley are also in a good time to go.

Atlantic Ocean beaches

- The Canary Islands (Spain), being nearer North Africa than Spain, enjoy a climate that could be described as perpetual summer with sunshine as standard and temperatures rarely below 18C (64F), reaching upper 30Cs maximum in mid-summer; there's a grand variety of beaches on offer from action-packed city sand, to big and placid or secluded and natural. However, the waters are the Atlantic are hardly warm (18C - 22C).
Out of summertime the southern sections of islands tend to be the warmest and Fuerteventura and Lanzarote the sunniest.

- South Africa: Camps Bay, with stunning views, good surfing at one end, adequate facilities and easy access from Capetown but chilly water.

- Brazil: loaded with huge, soft white sand beaches. Rio's Copacabana is a classic wild city beach, but there are plenty more!

Mediterranean beaches

- Greece: OK to mid October but many services are shutting down at this time, including ferries. Beach pictures

- Turkish beaches are, like Greece, borderline cool and lonely in October. Turkey beach pictures.

- French beaches are now limited to the Côte d'Azur and Corsica, getting cooler of course, with possible rain, but the towns are still lively.

- Spain's beaches in October are mostly limited to the south coast and the island groups if swimming is required. The Balearic Islands - Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza - are cheap and cheerful while the Canary Islands are the best bet for serious sunshine.

- Italy: this might be a good time to check out the culture and beaches of Sardinia, but Italy has little else of interest.

- Egypt's Mediterranean coastal resorts of Sidi Abdel Rahman and Marsa Matrouh have slightly primitive facilites but are low cost and culturally interesting, but head for Egypt's Red Sea if comfort, coral and mass-tourism is more your thing.

Malaysia beaches

- Redang Island, Redang archipelago (South China Sea, near Thailand), good for scuba and snorkelling.

Pacific Ocean. See also Pacific beach pictures

- Anakena, Easter Island. A small beach with terrific ambience, soft sand, palm trees and six moai observing the action.

- Matira, Bora Bora, French Polynesia. One of South Pacific's best beaches.

- Yasawa Islands beaches, Fiji, a group of islands with some fine sandy strands and lively backpacker resorts.

- One Foot Island, islet of Aitutaki Island. Cook Islands beaches pictures.

- South coast of Ofu Island, American Samoa. A dramatic landscape with few visitors.

- Lefaga and Aleipata beaches, Upolu island, Western Samoa. Not well known but two of the most attractive beaches in the Pacific.

- Ha'apai Beach, Foa island, Ha'apai islands, Tonga. Perhaps the least costly destination in the Pacific with the most welcoming locals.

- USA: Fine sands and warm waters in Hawaii.

Indian Ocean beaches

- India: Goa beaches. A tourist magnet but still fun. The least crowded stretches are north of the Chapora River.

- Seychelles: Anse Lazio, Praslin island, Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue Island, Ile Souris, east coast of Mahé island. Pricey but stunning islands hosting some of the world's best beaches.

- Mauritius: Less isolated, dreamy and pricey than Seychelles but superb all-inclusive holiday resorts and great environment for both romantic and family holidays.

- Oman: Muscat beaches. Over 1,000 miles of coastline with infinite unspoilt sand, very few tourists and a tranquil, sensible Arab culture.

- Madagascar: Ile Sainte Marie. An idyllic island resort fringed by peaceful beaches.

Vietnam beaches

China Beach between Da Nang and Hoi An is an endless white strand, Mui Ne is breezy and fairly undeveloped while Nha Trang is a charming little town with a fine white sandy beach.

Red Sea beaches

Egypt's celebrated Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada and Dahab (or head north up the Sinai peninsula for less package holiday crowds) as well as Israel's rather tired Eilat have a lot of competition so prices are reasonable, sun is constant, coral is lush and lively, the sea's warm and side trips to ancient sites like Luxor are a mass-tourism must-do.
The Red Sea's air temperature is generally about 30°C in October (24°C at night) and water temperature is a warm 27°C with very low humidity and almost no chance of rain.

Beaches that are probably not a good idea in October

Caribbean: also see Caribbean Beach Resorts
August to the end of October is the hurricane season and though hurricanes are uncommon, rain is not, the humidity can be oppressive, water may be choppy, unclear and sands swathed in weed. However, islands in the far south Caribe are outside the hurricane route and could be fine. Check the Dutch ABC, Aruba, Bonaire (only to dive or windsurf), Curaçao.

Mexico beaches:
No, not just yet, though you could risk it. See above, the Caribbean.

Thailand beaches: or see Thai beach pictures, beaches map
May - Oct is the worst time to go, particularly on the west coast due to heavy rains.
The Gulf (east) Coast has less rain than the west but for longer, from June - Dec.