Sometimes, the sea doesn't just show you beauty, it gifts it to you. This was one of my experiences at the Takwa Bay, the beach off the coast of Lagos Lagoon with an endless roll of the Atlantic.
When I first set foot in Lagos a couple of months ago, I thought I was simply entering a city. But Lagos is not a place you merely enter. It is a force that enters you. Within this period, this city has handed to me experiences apparent for five to ten years of living in some other cities in Nigeria. Although I am tempted to talk all about it in this post, but I'd rather receive the grace to stick to Takwa, my bae 😘. No, wait, I need to rant this out. So I once tipped an agbero for pointing me to where I'd get a bus to my destination, but instead of being thankful, he refuted with a murmur, "fine girl this one no reach your level na" and demanded for more. Uncle it's not your fault o, na me allow my good heart to influence me. Sorry, I don repent.This is Lagos indeed!
Hidden across the waters from the bustling heart of Lagos, lies the Takwa Bay beach. Here, time seems to pause as the waves rolls in gently, sometimes forcefully, spreading their foam like lace across the golden sand. The air hums with freedom, sea breeze and sun-drenched calm, while laughter drifts from groups of friends, families and couples enjoying the wide stretch of shoreline, a complete contrast to the city’s restless energy just across CMS. It is a place where city dwellers escape the chaos and reconnect with the calm rhythm of nature. That's what I did. I escaped the chaos to regain some sanity. Perhaps someday, I would understand why the inhabitants hereof are always in a haste.
At arrival, the first thing that greeted me was the long, gentle sweep of tan or golden sand. As I walked closer to the water’s edge, something extraordinary happened. A wave surged toward me, curled with sudden energy, and right before my feet, it tossed out a tiny shell, barely the size of a fingertip. At first glance it seemed ordinary, but when I picked it up and turned it in the direction of sunlight, its beauty unfolded.
The shell glistened with shades of sky blue, creamy white, and a whisper of lavender, with a polished glass-like smooth surface. It felt like I was holding a fragment of the sea’s artistry or perhaps, a fragment of the beach’s soul. Did the sea just vomit one of its wisdoms to me? I puzzled.
I looked it up on Google and found it was Donax shells, also known as coquina clams. That they are small bivalves and thrives in sandy surf zones. On beaches like Takwa Bay, they live just beneath the surface, burrowing quickly as each wave recedes. Their shells are often painted in pastels of pink, purple, yellow, or blue.
In that instant, I felt not like a passerby but the chosen one, and the ocean had gifted me something precious, an oracle of the beach. But why me?
To me, Takwa Bay beach is a world of its own. Its rhythm is unhurried. It is the kind that invites you to slow down and simply breathe. And within its sands, it hides countless treasures for those willing to look closer. The Donax shell I found was not just a souvenir, but a reminder that sometimes, the sea does not just show us its beauty, it hands it to us if we are attentive and such moment lingers long after the tide has withdrawn.
Which of the beaches in Lagos have you visited and what was your experience like?
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