Cool coasts: Gray Malin’s amazing aerial beach photos | CNN

Aquinnah (Martha's Vineyard, Massachussetts) —

In Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, the quaint town of Aquinnah has some of the area's most picturesque beaches. Its coastline is flanked by the cliffs of Gay Head.

courtesy Gray Malin

Bora Bora (French Polynesia) —

"Bora Bora is sort of a fantasy place for people, where what you see is hard to believe," says Malin."It's literally this teeny piece of paradise, it's a coral reef in the middle of this giant ocean."

courtesy Gray Malin

Camps Bay (Cape Town, South Africa) —

"Cape Town, South Africa is my favorite beach destination," says Malin. Among his shots of the area are this one of Camps Bay. "I went to Cape Town for the first time three years ago and I've been every year since. I can't go a whole year without Cape Town."

courtesy Gray Malin

Da Luigi ai Faraglioni beach club (Capri, Italy) —

"I love going to beaches in Italy because it's so easy," says Malin. His images of the country include this, of the Da Luigi ai Faraglioni beach club on the island of Capri. "You have a chair there, they open the umbrella for you, you can order food... I think that quality of a beach makes it more relaxing, where you're not stressed out about bringing everything."

courtesy Gray Malin

Coogee Beach (Sydney, Australia) —

"My favorite beach that I shot in Sydney was Coogee... it just photographs beautifully," says Malin. The beach is 20 minutes from downtown Sydney and is considered a great spot for families and backpackers.

courtesy Gray Malin

Ipanema Beach (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) —

Ipanema is one of Brazil's most iconic beach destinations and neighborhoods, a favorite for the chic, jet-set crowd in Rio. Weekdays are best to avoid the weekend crowds.

courtesy Gray Malin

Joatinga Beach (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) —

"I love Rio," exclaims Malin. "Everyone knows Ipanema and Copacabana, but if you go beyond those areas, it's a whole other world. Joatinga Beach, for instance, is so cool... It's like a rainforest meets the beach."

courtesy Gray Malin

Kings Bath (Cape Town, South Africa) —

Cape Town's plentiful beaches, are all stunning and unspoilt, but beware: the ocean water temperature can be unbearably cold for many due to the frigid South Atlantic currents.

courtesy Gray Malin

Cascais, near Lisbon (Portugal) —

"Lisbon's beaches took me by surprise," says Malin. "The cover of the book is from Lisbon [pictured], and they're these wide, sweeping beaches, and everything was close to the city. There were great surfer beaches and family beaches."

courtesy Gray Malin

Albatross Beach (Cascais, Portugal) —

Many of Lisbon's beaches are easily accessible by public transport, but the further you leave the city (by car), the more pristine, less crowded beaches you'll find.

courtesy Gray Malin

Oak Street Beach (Chicago) —

"The people in Chicago get miserable winters, so when they get their eight weeks of summer they are at that beach every Saturday and Sunday," says Malin. "I remember riding the helicopter and being like, 'Holy s---... there are so many people here!' It looked like there were more people on the beach in Chicago than in Rio."

courtesy Gray Malin

Pink Beach Club (Miami) —

"South Beach is where the beaches project started. It feels like you're in St. Tropez, with the beach clubs, the umbrellas..." says Malin. "Miami is wild and fun... It's sort of like Las Vegas on the beach."

courtesy Gray Malin

Surfside Beach (Nantucket, Massachussets) —

"I shot a series in the Cape Cod area this summer... and I just love when you can take a dog to the beach," says Malin. "Any beach where a dog's allowed to run free is a great beach."

courtesy Gray Malin

Tamarama Beach (Sydney, Australia) —

"There's this little beach called Tamarama... There's no tourist stuff, it's just locals," explains Malin. "It feels more private than Bondi, Bronte and Coogee, which have so much going on. Though Tamarama is close, it feels a bit more off the map."

courtesy Gray Malin

The reef (Bora Bora, French Polynesia) —

"We went on a snorkeling adventure one day, and we were with people from all over the world. It was shocking," says Malin, realizing Bora Bora's idyllic tropical lure attracts travelers from far and wide.

courtesy Gray Malin

Stunning beaches you need to be on right now

Story highlights

Photographer Gray Malin is renowned for beach photography

He's taken aerial shots everywhere from Sydney to Lisbon

CNN —

Who doesn’t want to be basking on a balmy beach right now?

Those who can’t hop on a flight to Copacabana or Capri on a whim can still surf, swim or relax vicariously through Gray Malin’s stunning aerial beach photography.

Malin, the New York Times-bestselling author of 2016’s photography book “Beaches,” dangles from open-sided helicopters to shoot stunning beach life images in Sydney, Lisbon and everywhere in between.

Malin’s first foray into his now-famous beach photography started in Miami’s South Beach.

MORE: Neon metropolis: Aerial shots of London by night

“It feels like you’re in St. Tropez, with the beach clubs, the umbrellas…” Malin says, and seeing the area from a unique point of view prompted his quest to capture the globe’s most beautiful coastal destinations from above.

Some of his travel images have him more down to earth, however, as seen in his newly unveiled series, “The Art of Living,” which includes both aerial and eye-level perspectives of Polynesian paradise Bora Bora.

‘Teeny piece of paradise’

“Bora Bora is sort of a fantasy place for people, where what you see is hard to believe,” Malin told CNN at the launch of an exhibition at Le Meridien Piccadilly in London, which included a retrospective of his “Follow Me” works in Barcelona and Bhutan.

Malin shot “The Art of Living” series at Le Meridien Bora Bora, with many images featuring the jagged, dramatic Mount Otemanu in the background.

Malin shot his "Art of Living Series" at Le Meridien Bora Bora.

Courtesy Gray Malin

READ: 20 stunning cliffside beaches

“[Bora Bora] is literally this teeny piece of paradise, a coral reef in the middle of this giant ocean,” Malin says.

“I would tell anyone to take a helicopter tour of Bora Bora; it’s stunning.”

Out of the countless beaches he’s visited, which destination, according to Malin, is the most underrated?

“Cape Town, South Africa, which happens to be my favorite beach destination,” he says. “I went to Cape Town for the first time three years ago and I’ve been every year since.”

What makes a great beach?

For Malin, it’s on-site amenities like loungers, umbrellas and food service – as well as the sight of roaming pets.

“Any beach where a dog’s allowed to run free is a great beach,” he says.

You can feed your inner wanderlust with Gray Malin’s aerial beach photography featured in the gallery above.

See more of Gray Malin’s work on his website graymalin.com or follow him on Instagram and Twitter at @graymalin.

READ: World’s 100 best beaches

Travis Levius is a globetrotting writer, editor and photographer for the likes of BBC Travel, Business Insider and The Daily Meal. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his travel/inspiration blog MisterLevius.com.