We live about 3 minutes drive from the west coast. I prefer to go first thing in the morning, or late in the afternoon, when there are less people around. The sand is black and filled with iron ore. The sand is very fine and not a good mix with camera equipment. I usually wear my gumboots during the winter and as per usual, I ended up with the water going over the top and very wet socks! Seems those waves sneak up while I'm busily composing 'that' image.
I love this photo. The sea foam is reflecting almost perfectly in the wet sand. Love the misty look in the background too. Had a chuckle over your description of getting wet feet. Too much concentration going into the photos to worry about the waves! Did you know the black sand originally comes from Mt Taranaki?