Bacterial communities inhabiting the sands of some popular beaches in Durban, South Africa.

Coastal sands are important natural recreational facilities which have become hotspots for tourism and economic development. However, these sands also harbor diverse microbial assemblages that play a critical roles in the balance between public health and ecology. Here, 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing was employed to determine the bacterial populations inhabiting four sand beaches in Durban, South Africa.