On the sun-scorched southern coast of France, wedged between the bustle of Marseille and the calm of Cassis, lies a slice of wilderness that looks like it leapt out of a Mediterranean dream. Welcome to Parc National des Calanques, a national park where jagged limestone cliffs plunge into turquoise coves so clear, they look Photoshopped.

Along the wave-battered coast of USA’s Pacific Northwest, just south of Yachats, Oregon, there’s a place where the sea seems to vanish. Not metaphorically—but literally. A foamy rush of ocean crashes into jagged black rock, swirls, and then plunges into a gaping hole in the earth. Locals call it Thor’s Well. Travelers call it mesmerizing. Scientists call it a collapsed sea cave. But stand beside it during high tide and you'll likely call it something else: terrifyingly beautiful.