Rainfall on Iran’s Hormuz Island created a dramatic natural scene this week when the coastline of its famous Red Beach briefly turned deep red.
The beach, which is located in the Persian Gulf, is known for its breathtaking red sand and cliffs. This colour comes from very high levels of iron oxide in the soil.
Due to rainfall, the loose red earth was washed down from the hills and cliffs toward the sea.
A breathtaking video of the scene is going viral on X (formerly Twitter), shared by @AMAZlNGNATURE with the caption, “December 17, 2025, saw heavy rains transform parts of Hormuz Island’s shoreline, known as Red Beach, into a vivid crimson tide, with the sea turning bright red due to rainwater washing iron-rich red soil into the ocean.”
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Check out the video here:
Rain washes red soil:
According to a report by The Guardian, on Tuesday, rainfall caused streams of red soil to flow across the beach and into the water. As the soil mixed with the sea, the normally blue water changed to dark red and crimson shades.
{{/usCountry}}According to a report by The Guardian, on Tuesday, rainfall caused streams of red soil to flow across the beach and into the water. As the soil mixed with the sea, the normally blue water changed to dark red and crimson shades.
{{/usCountry}}The result was a sharp contrast between the red-coloured areas near the shore and the blue waters further out in the Gulf.
According to The Sun, the jaw-dropping red-tinted downpour is said to attributed to the Iranian island’s iron-oxide-rich crimson soil.
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Here's how people reacted to the video:
Social media users reacted with a mix of awe and surprise after videos of the red coastline were shared online.
One of the users commented, “Nature just dropped a fire filter on the ocean.”
A second user commented, “The color looks dramatic, but it’s a reminder of how powerful runoff can be after heavy rain, reshaping coastlines and carrying huge amounts of material offshore.”
“Amazing and strange at the same time!” another user commented.