New island appears off coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks

AN island which appeared almost overnight is suddenly swarming with visitors. But it will probably go away just as quickly.

A NEW island which appeared almost overnight has suddenly been swarmed with tourists. But experts say it will probably disappear again soon.

The new island, off the tip of Cape Point on the coast of North Carolina, seemed to appear overnight because of changing tides and currents.

“It’s a dynamic area. Because of the two different currents — the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current — the sand is always shifting and moving,” Mark Dowdle, the deputy superintendent of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which oversees the island, told ABC News.

“A large sandbar has formed off the tip of Cape Point and essentially created a new island.”

Nicknamed Shelley Island for its plethora of seashells and colourful pebbles, the island was first spotted as a “little bump” of sand above the water in April, but a recent photo of the sandbar taken with a drone went viral, prompting a surge in visitors to the mysterious new addition to the shoreline.

Chad Koczera spotted it while holidaying in the area with his fiance. They were driving to the point to collect shells after a storm when they spotted an area they couldn’t get to by car.

Confused, Mr Koczera sent up his drone to take pictures and was surprised with what came back.

He posted photos of the sandbar on Instagram and the images went viral.

“I didn’t think much of this until it went viral,” he toldCBS News. “I just thought it was shifting tides.”

But Reide Corbett, a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at East Carolina University and a scientist at UNC Coastal Studies Institute, said the new island won’t be around for long.

“[The island] is kind of neat and interesting and provides new piece of land for people to explore, but it is a dynamic environment,” Mr Reide told CBS News .

“I wasn’t surprised to see it, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it disappear.

“Our coast is often shaped by storms, Nor’easters, and those can really change our system overnight.

“If I was to predict something, I’d say we’ll see this likely stick around as long as we have these same calm conditions. But the first main storm that comes around, we’ll likely see a change in that bar — that island.”

Originally published as New island appears off coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks