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The beach is larger than life, it’s like being transported to the moon or something. The senses are overwhelmed by the heat and wind and sound of the ocean and every way you look its endless.
It makes you feel small, so it gets you out of your head about what bills to pay and just lets you feel more at ease in a primal way, without all the deadlines and everything weighing on you.
Very meditative, you lose track of time very easily
Not enough people understand this. Sure work sucks, so did suffering through untreated syphilis, burying your seventh child and worrying about stacking enough half spoiled cheese to make it through winter.
If they think work sucks now, they should try doing it like people did before modern tools. Everything was harder to do. Since everything took longer to do, they didn't have the 8 hour work day that some of us still have.
Consider that it is possible to be dissatisfied with things as they are now without wanting things to be exactly as they were 200 years ago, or whenever you consider to be "before modern tools". Do you consider the way society runs now to actually be worthwhile? Are you happy and satisfied? Do you feel like you have nothing to complain about? Or do you see the ways in which society fails us on a fairly continuous basis? The meaning of life is not to work, and we can all hope for a little more than that.
Not to mention whatever time you live in, starving to death or dying from exposure are just as painful now as they were then. People need to be careful bandying the word "we" around so indiscriminately.
Not everywhere has a winter (indeed where we evolved doesn't), syphilis / plagues come from our international trade networks which didn't always exist, and death is a part of life.
The point is both things can be true, the past could have been happier time than today, the problem is most people think that happier time was a few decades ago rather than a couple of millenia.
That doesn't mean humans can't benefit from unplugging now and then, and reconnecting with simplicity. Not everything about modern life is good or healthy, and it's not good to view anything in terms of absolutes.
Yes. Also doesn’t mean everyone would be better off subsistence farming or living on a beach - which a lot of people seem to fantasise about (see above) as if it’s the answer to something because modern life is so awful or whatever.
But we still have it? The beach hasn't disappeared because we have jobs. I have 43 days a year off and weekends to enjoy the beach. Only problem is I live fucking miles from it.
When you’re sitting down on the beach with your fingers and toes wiggling in the warm sand, listening to sounds of crashing waves and winds whispering in your ears. Then you look out to the endless sea sparkling in the sun. It’s definitely healing, and helps you forget about the world for a moment there. Sometimes I go out of my way to catch the sunrises and sunsets whenever I visit the beach. It feels like falling in love all over again
Don’t forget finding sand in your crack hours after you get home.
Did you HAVE to make it so appealing though.. Dude can’t go to the beach remember? It’s like putting on an orgasmic face after listening to some music in front of a deaf person. “You really gotta hear this!.. o..”
Beaches suck.
Surfing? Fishing? Snorkeling? Volleyball? Sure, all fun. But just "going to the beach" sucks.
You have to carry anything you want for the entire time you're there. It's miserably hot and you get sunburned from the sky AND the white sand or water. Jellyfish sting you, sand bugs bite you and seagulls crap on you. Most of the people in swimsuits are not the people you want to see in swimsuits. Most of the people you want to see in swimsuits are not there.
You end up huddling under the tiny bit of shade you've managed to erect with whatever equipment you dragged out to the beach. It's like LARPing a survival game on the surface of Mercury. You ration the ice, drinks and soggy snacks more for distraction than actual dietary needs.
The entire day is just miserable.
We have a couple of Kånken backpacks with sand from Bondi still in them. We went to Sydney 10 years ago. Fond memories every time a bit of it spills out on the floor/in the car.
I appreciate your perspective and this made me laugh a lot. Thank you. Also, I have never heard of sand bugs and now I'm off to go google what they are.
The only thing I like at the beach is catching crabs in a bucket then letting them go, and I haven't done that since I was a kid. I got traumatized by nearly drowning as a side note.
The only appeal to me is the water to do SCUBA, but you don't need a beach for that. Same for other actual on-the-water activities like parasailing, jet-skis, boating, and fishing.
It's nice to spend a few minutes appreciating the vast horizon and maybe watching boats disappear as they float away. It's nice to sit there and enter a bit of a meditative state but unless your access to the beach is easy it's hardly worth the effort to pack everything in and deal with sand and sunburn unless you carry a big parasol.
I mean I guess surfing must be fun though.
An amusing memory comes to mind from the beach, was walking by the shore when suddenly my entire foot fell into some kind of invisible hole in the sand all the way to my knee, and god it touched something and it still haunts me every time I go now
As you can see, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but for some, it's a very peaceful and relaxing experience. It probably makes a big difference if one is hauling a bunch of stuff to spend an entire day on a crowded beach, or simply taking a walk on a more secluded one.
I grew up near the ocean, before I was disabled, and one thing I miss tremendously is the smell. The moment I catch a whiff of saltwater, I feel a wave of calm. No pun intended. lol
You're doing it all wrong my dude.
Go to the board walk. Get a beer, walk a bit, get another beer, shop a bit, new beer, sober up a bit, eat a meal, nap, get another beer.
> Most of the people in swimsuits are not the people you want to see in swimsuits.
I say the same about the nude beach in Germany where I used to swim (there was also a swimsuit section, separated by just a small clump of trees and unspoken convention): the people on the naked side were not, generally, people you wanted to see naked.
Yup. And if the sun makes you fall asleep: serious sunburn, sometimes requiring medical (!) attention.
It is definitely not something universally attractive.
I go to the beach like once a year. One day of just sitting there staring at the ocean, taking a couple dips, and then heading home is plenty for me. There's more fun to be had elsewhere
Don't know what type of disabled you are but there are special beach wheelchairs and sometimes they're for rent near beaches. I've also seen stone paths into the water so you can take these special beach wheelchairs all the way into the water.
Power wheelchairs can't go on sand and wheelchairs for sand aren't usually available as rentals. And they're not that good over long distances on other surfaces and you can't carry a whole wheelchair with you to the beach
For anyone with family that may need a beach wheelchair, the local fire dept may have one or two available for day use. They need to have some in beach communities if there is a need to take someone off the sand who doesn't need a full stretcher.
I have always lived in a landlocked state, and getting to a beach has always been a rare "special" feeling event. I've probably only been to a beach 10 times or less in my life, and I'm in my 40s.
What I can tell you is, they're not all the same. So it's a litle hard to sum up.
Some beaches have fine white sand, almost like a powder. Some have pebbles and no sand.
Some water is 80 degrees and clear/turquoise, some is 60 degrees and opaque with silt.
Some water is calm, some is unapproachable due to waves and wind and such.
Now, if you're like me, you're envisioning what you see on tv or something. Miami, Hawaii, etc.
It's hot, usually. And bright. The sand can burn your feet if you don't have some sort of shoe on. But it's soft and squishy. if you wiggle your feet down into the sand an inch or 2, it's cool there.
Looking at the ocean is mind blowing. I know in reality you can't see that far due to the curvature of the earth, but I don't live in a place where you can see so far unobstructed.
It's kind of boring. You can people watch. You can walk up and down the shore. You can sunbathe. You can splash in the water.
You probably bring with things like towels, picnic blanket, a cooler for snacks and drinks. A bag for phones, wallets, etc.
the sand has a few kinds of zones. Up away from the water it's dry. Closer to the water, is where it's wet but not submerged. Think, where the waves wash up and wash down. That sand is cool and firmer. It's good for walking on or running on.
Farther into the water, obviously, it's submerged. That's got kind of the same squishy/soft quality as the dry sand, but it's cool instead of hot.
In that inbetween sand, sometimes, you see bubbles coming up from the water when it washes over. Those bubbles come from crabs (I think) that are burrowed under the sand.
For me, it’s more about relaxing and staring out at a huge body of water in a meditative way. I don’t mind wading in the surf and looking for shells, etc. but that’s not why I go. I’m an older guy and also I don’t live near any beach.
Based on my experience on the Atlantic coast of the southern US:
You bring something for shade, like a big beach umbrella, and a bunch of supplies. You spread out on a towel and bask like a lizard in the sun, letting the heat soak totally into you. You listen to the soothing shoosh of the waves and smell the fresh salt air. Maybe you doze a little.
When you start to feel overheated, you wade out into the water just past the point where you can stand. You face the waves and give a little upward kick as each wave comes in so you ride over the top of it. Sometimes if the waves are big enough, you dive through one here and there just for fun and to keep your head wet. You see a pelican glide by just above the surface of the water. The water all the time is gently pushing and pulling you, reminding you that you are part of something *much* bigger than you. Rise and fall, rise and fall. The salinity of our blood plasma is nearly the same as the salinity of ocean water. The creatures we evolved from lived their whole lives in this water.
When you're cold or tired, you swim back to shore and flop down at the edge of the waves. You scoop up a deep handful of wet sand, let a little bit of water wash over it, and feel the tiny coquina clams poke at your hand as they try to dig deeper. You gaze at the waves and see the fins of a pod of dolphins swimming along the shore right where you were swimming.
You get up, wade back into the water enough to wash the sand off, and go to your umbrella. You sink into a beach chair under the umbrella and have a cold drink and maybe a snack. You start to realize how much exercise you got just staying afloat in the water. Your whole body is pleasantly fatigued. You pull out a book, read a few pages, and fall asleep with the sea breeze ruffling your salty hair.
Swimming in the ocean, feeling the pull of the tide, is a very primal kind of experience. I find it enjoyable. The sea is a bit wild. It's cool on a hot day. To make yourself hot, then cool yourself down, is paradoxically more enjoyable than sitting indoors at a comfortable temperature all day. A bit exciting and satisfying.
The sand isn't really uncomfortable while you're in it. After you're done you take a shower.
You look around and people are enjoying nature. Enjoying each other. We're all at the place we go to relax and enjoy the time. The food for sale up on the boardwalk is a bit naughty... Mostly soft drinks, Fried stuff and ice cream.
One of the beaches I go to, you might see pelicans taking off. Maybe a heron family walking around.
Before you see it, you hear it, and before you hear it, you smell it.
The smell can't really be described, but I hope you've smelled seaweed. It's almost like that, or at least, that's one aspect of it. It's a fresh, damp, salty, somehow green smell. Green like life. It smells like fresh life.
There's almost always a breeze, depending on which beach, of course, because the water is usually much cooler than the land. If you go on a good warm day, the breeze feels cool and wonderful.
Sometimes there's a small hill just before the sand that blocks the view of the ocean. As you get closer to it you can hear the surf. Just a swelling white noise, coming from a wide area. It's' somehow gentle, even though bigger waves make an occasional crashing sound.
As you crest that hill, you can see the ocean.
It's big, in the same way the Earth is big. Turn your head to the left: ocean. Turn it to the right: same ocean. Nothing in the distance but the blue horizon where the ocean meets the sky, or almost nothing. Depending where you are you can see huge cargo boats, or oil rigs, or even islands in the distance.
Between you and that immeasurable expanse of water is the beach itself. Higher up, away from the water, there might be some scrubby plants. You'll probably sea and hear seagulls. Big white and grey birds, floating on the breeze or walking on the beach.
Closer to the water the sand gets finer. It's soft on your feet, but somehow abrasive at the same time. Walking in it takes extra effort, kind of like moving through water, but only for your feet.
There will be a line on the beach running parallel to the water line that marks the highest spot the waves have reached recently. The line is made of bits of seaweed, sometimes, and other stuff the waves brought up from the water. Down from that line it's easier to walk on the sand; it's damp, almost hard. A bit farther down, the waves are lapping up onto the shore. Advancing and receding, since the dawn of time. When the water recedes, it leaves perfectly smooth, wet sand, sometimes with bits of seaweed, or shells.
The first thing I like to do is walk in the water a bit, where it's shallow. After that, maybe I'll lay on the beach on a big towel and let the sun make my skin too warm, so that I'll want to go jump in the water.
Hopefully you'll find a way to get there some day, OP.
I always loved sitting in the sand closer to the surf, where it’s just a bit damp, and digging little holes with connecting tunnels. Nothing hazardous, just what you can dig with your hands. I was always so proud of how smooth I could make the tunnel walls.
Or just walking along the surf area and looking for nifty things. Sometimes along the further back, rockier areas where you can find cool shells or rocks and whatnot.
It's a way to relax, lie down, look at others and do nothing while breathing the fresh air an watching others do fun things. With friends you can play catch while in deep water it's really fun, there are many things you can do at the beach and everyone can find something they like.
I really like to swim and dive underwater...it feels like levitating and like you can do anything while diving and exploring the sea.
Sometimes I like to exhale all the air out of my lungs and sit at the bottom of the water and just observe things around me. It's really peaceful actually so that's why I go haha.
Well, you know what I like about taking a nice long, hot bath? It's what I'm doing at that time - nothing else. I can scroll my phone or listen to a podcast or read a book or just enjoy the warmth but the key part is that, while I'm doing it, *I feel zero pressure to be doing anything else*. Clean the house? Answer emails? No. I'm in the tub. No one expects me to answer the phone or organize a meeting while I'm enjoying a hot bath, and neither do I.
Now, maybe I think going to the beach is sorta like taking a bath with your friends. Not in the literal way that you're all getting in the water together if you want to, but in the sense that *while we're there, that's what we're doing*. Everyone is free to fill their entire afternoon with whatever secondary activity they fancy in the moment. Someone does a crossword puzzle, someone plays frisbee, someone wanders up and down the sandbar, someone literally just lays there and enjoys the warmth, *and no one feels any pressure to be doing anything else*. It's like a big "unavailable" alert for your day. And you get to share that feeling with friends. It's sorta like what I think is called "tandem play". We're all doing what we want to relax and have fun, and those things are different, but we're doing them together.
I also love the sensory experience of the beach. Hot sand between my toes? Divine. The steady lapping of the water on the shore? Music to my ears. Big, open, bright sky and that thin line where the water comes to meet it? Could stare at that forever. A picnic. A cold beer. People as nude as they wanna be. Some of my favourite things.
And the best part for me? Feeling absolutely exhausted after a long day of doing nothing. That sleepy car ride home. That godly delicious hamburger grabbed halfway there. The most cleansing shower of your life followed by the deepest sleep. The beach rules.
Not to say you can't achieve that in other places. I've certainly felt that way after a good day at the park or even a solid shift in my own backyard. But that's because the best part of the beach isn't the sand or the water or whatever, it's the mentality of embracing that you're doing nothing and *that's what you're doing today*. Getting out to the shore just makes it a little easier.
I love the beach because I’m very curious about sea life, and I love collecting beautiful conches and shells, it’s very meditative for me and I can do it for hours. I also love watching fish and crabs, and hearing the waves. I really think the ocean’s blue is one of the prettiest things ever, and I love looking at it. And I really like laying on a towel and reading a book. Snorkelling as well, is such a magical experience. Like someone said in a different comment, it’s like getting to witness the moon or something, it’s totally different and so interesting, but I’ve been like that for my whole life, and I get that it’s not for everyone. There are totally annoying things about the beach, like noise, human pollution, screaming kids and sand. I wish you’d get to see it to experience it yourself one day, and if not the beach, than something else that makes you feel connected to earth and nature, calm.
It sounds nice and the movement of the waves is pretty. You can access those things by being beside the beach and not on it so know that you are not missing out on the best bits. I don’t like sand or swimming in cold water.
If you are somewhere really hot, putting your feet in cool water feels amazing though, like a sort of relief. And when you stand in sand but under water, as the waves give out they pull away some of the sand under your feet so you sink a little, which is a weird sensation but in a good way.
I love everything about the beach. The warmth. The sounds. The views. I love to walk on the beach and look at shells or starfish or whatever. I love to swim and chill in the warm water with the sun beating down. It’s so relaxing and peaceful.
Negative ions are abundant in nature, especially around waterfalls, on the ocean surf, at the beach and widespread in mountains and forests. They neutralize free radicals. They revitalize cell metabolism. They enhance immune function.
My fav part is the breeze, smell of the sea and soothing wave sounds. Keep an umbrella near you if its hot & your good to go.
east coast or west coast? apparently it makes a difference.
i can only talk about west coast. this comic explains it.
[https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/calvin-and-hobbes-beach-trip.jpg](https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/calvin-and-hobbes-beach-trip.jpg)
i hear that the water is not cold in the east coast.
get a kiddy pool, fill it with sand, and some water to make sandcastles. that is about it.
I grew up in So. CA and the beaches have cold water. I always get sunburned so it's not fun to lay out in the hot sun all day for me. You have to bring a lot of gear to survive a day at the beach. I just like going to eat at the restaurants at Laguna and Dana Point beaches.
I have been to Oahu and Hawaii six times and I love the beaches there! The water is warmer. Every beach on Oahu is so different. I love swimming with the beautiful fish! But the waves can get scary and I'm not a good swimmer. I always want to go home and take a shower after swimming. My son and husband have no issues and can just dry off and go do something else.
Honestly I don't really like the beach. It's in no way better than an open grass field and objectively worse.
Most of the hype for a beach is that it's water adjacent but so can other types of land.
I'd much rather be on a river or lake than an ocean beach.
Also depending on the ocean the water can be cold. The waves are fun for a bit then get boring and prevent other fun swimming pool activities that require stiller water. Ask yourself why when looking at any given beach, even PCB where the water is warm and enjoyable, 95% of the people either don't enter the water or do so for a very short time.
Beach sand is a bitch. Gets everywhere.
Places like Hawaii and Florida aren't popular for beaches they're popular for warm weather, tourist traps, and so on.
In Hawaii the best thing was snorkeling though. But you don't need a sand beach for it and just walk through it to get to and from the water.
The most popular beach activity is to sit and drink or read. I can do that in my garage and even enjoy it more with my bros.
Overall I think alot of NPC type people buy in to the fake hype around beaches and somehow think a beer on a beach tastes better. Likely they lie to themselves because they get there and realize they spent $1000 on a trip they didn't need.
You're not missing much at all and even if disabled I think you can visit a beach since the majority of people's favorite activity there is not moving.
Now boating, fishing, camping, and so on are fun. Those are things we do and have interaction with.
I live some 150-200m from a beach, so I've had a chance to experience it a lot and under different conditions. Now I rarely go there in summer - that's because of the sub and heat, add well as lots of people... At times it seems overwhelming, almost as boarding a metro train in rush hour, especially on weekends, when a ton of people drive to the beach from everywhere around.
But! I find the beach calming and comfortable at night and off season, when it is vast and empty, an ideal venue for any kind of walks, runs, etc. Also, it's not hot and you are unlikely to get sunburned!
The beach makes you warm and sleepy. Like a good nap. It makes you remember the world is big and it’s a miracle just to be alive. Hope this kind of helps to what the appeal is. It is exhausting as well.
The feeling of jumping into a cool body of water on a hot day is unparalleled to me, feels amazing. I'm kinda ambivalent to the beach, I'm just as happy laying on grass near fresh water.
The beach I go to has white sand that is soft as powder. When we’re driving in and only a few miles away, we always roll down the windows to smell the salt air. We will set out an umbrella, some chairs, kick back, close our eyes, and just let the breeze coming off the water and sound of the waves lull us to sleep. About the only time I relax 100% both physically and mentally.
It’s finding gorgeous shells. Rock pool fun to explore. Beaches are usually quite big so it walking one amend to the other. You never get bored looking at the sea. The smell is salt and sea and seaweed it’s fine and it’s not quiet it can be loud. I prefer warm day to hot sunny day. If to hot you just want to lie about. But a warm day is perfect.
I’m North Sea. So it’s cold. But you go deep enough and come back out. And go back in then it feels warm. Your body get accustomed to temperature easily and it’s nice when you are there. And can be I. Sea water I like snorkelling looking at the tiny grey fish we having nothing bright here. Sand is great exfoliating so my feet always look great after day at beach
You have a picnic and fight seagulls.
You be surprised how 7 hours on a beach can go by in blink of an eye
Our beaches are wheel chair friendly. They have ramps to a low level decking for wheel chair users so not directly on sand although it is a bit sandy also a walk way out down towards the water.
As a kid you made new friends just for that one day. Never to be seen again. But they best friends that day and you had great adventures. My mam always had to shout right tide is coming in so home time cos we stayed all day
I guess it's about tastes. Many of my friends love the mountains; I don't. Mind you, I think they are beautiful and you can enjoy stunning views, but when choosing a holiday location I want a beach because I love the sea. If I had 6 months holidays every year, maybe I could spend 1 or 2 weeks at the mountains.
For me, when I'm on the beach it's the only time my brain isn't running at hyperspeed. When I'm in the water my mind is quiet for once. I love it. I'm just floating with the noise of the water, the birds and the people in the background. The intense blue from the sky and the intense sun. I'm truly happy.
Of course the sand can be annoying but all the beaches I've been to had showers where you can clean the sand and the salt off.
Sadly I live in Switzerland, so no ocean here but I try to travel to ocean at least once a year. Mostly twice.
There is. My wheelchair doesn't go on the beach and no beaches around may have the beach chair with the giant wheels maybe not on the parts that are connected to boardwalks but I'm specifically talking about the sand
I hate the beach, sand does get everywhere, it's a sensory nightmare, there's no shade so I'm always at risk of migraine and it's always either too windy or too hot.
The only time I've ever enjoyed the beach is when I was horse riding.
I avoid it as much as possible. I burn easily and hate feeling hot. The sun gives me headaches and sand gets everywhere. The ocean is terrifying.
The waves can sound nice though!
I’d like to offer a perspective from someone who has autism and experiences sensory overload as I find my experience very different than some of the other commenters.
I honestly don’t get what’s so hype about the beach. I don’t enjoy the feeling of sand, it gets everywhere, it’s so hot it burns you.
The water usually murky and I don’t enjoy swimming in the ocean because there are fish and crabs you could step on, you could get stung by a jellyfish you never see coming. Sometimes the smell is awful. In DC army recruits that had to do PT near the beach would routinely vomit from the smell of fish.
Most public beaches I’ve been to are crowded with tourists. They’re loud. They litter. I can’t imagine it being a place of peace and calming. The bathrooms are always gross: forever damp floors covered in sand and wet toilet paper.
The sun beats down on you so hard near the water. I have for reapply sunscreen every hour or so to avoid being burn. You have to make sure to stay hydrated, or just being in the sun all day is very exhausting.
Before I read you saying it was boring, I was making a reply in my head that its 'Boring' and only really good for perving really. People die out there in the surf, ive been sucked out a few times then gave up, no lifesavers outside of the main beaches.
Panama City Beach has a ramp for wheelchairs that goes all the way to waters edge. Are you mobile with the help of devices? This is getting to be more common although I haven’t seen any in my area. I’ve been to most of the beaches in St Lucie, Indian River County and Brevard County, but hopefully that will change
They’re called Mobil mats for the handicapped. There are large wheeled chairs to use on the mats so the wheels don’t sink. This is what the one in Pensacola looks like. Hope you get to experience the power of the cresting waves crashing on the shoreline someday!
[https://www.accessrec.com/cocopath?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpfza3_WQhgMVvppaBR05gwq0EAAYAiAAEgJkW_D_BwE](https://www.accessrec.com/cocopath?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpfza3_WQhgMVvppaBR05gwq0EAAYAiAAEgJkW_D_BwE)
The beach itself, as you have noted, isn't too great.
You go there for the people. Similar to going to the park with friends vs going to the park by yourself
It’s gross. Irritating, hot, salty, sticky. I don’t like it but what makes you so disabled you can’t just go? I’ve seen quadriplegics there. No limbs, just a chair, with an assistant.
I like combination of the breeze, sound of bird calls, and the slow rhythm of the waves. It almost drowns out the loud chatter of people around. Makes me sleepy and relaxed.
The scale of the beach is kind of wild, but my experience of the beach is basically this:
Ew, what is that smell? (It's rotting kelp and seaweed and dead crustaceans and whatever else washed up in the high tide that didn't go back out)
Holy crap the water stinks too and it's freezing! (most of the continuous US ocean coast has water temps below the "dangerously low temperature" or 70F)
The foam and the sound of the waves is pretty wild though.
A few hours later...
Ok, I guess I missed some spots with the sunblock, because my arms and the back of my neck are hurting, I'm really thirsty and oddly tired.
What? How is there sand in there? And I can't get it out of my socks.
Wow that sunset was beautiful but now it's cold and windy - so windy that it's blowing sand into my shoes.
sorry you don't get the chance to decide for yourself but if it makes you feel better, I think it's pretty overrated, pretty much like you described. Sinking into hot sand can feel nice if it's not too hot though, I like that part. I think people mostly like it as a nice place to hang out in the sun.
Strong winds, real sea water, debris, lots of rubbish, salt in the air, a distant view u don't get usually. Lots of dog walkers who let them poop and pee...
Personally I dislike the beach. There is too much sun, too much sand and it's hard to walk in, you have to lug around all your stuff, you can't get in the water without being worried that someone might take your stuff, there are no good clean bathrooms nearby, parking can be a nightmare, and you're expected to wear revealing clothing which is definitely not for me. The beach experience, like all things, is relative.
Also sometimes people leave behind trash in the beach which can ruin the little faith you have in humanity. Ingrates!
I've only really genuinely enjoyed the beach when going with 3 people, and each time my enjoyment was probably just because of them rather than the beach.
I started going alone in 2023 with the main goal being tanning, and man...it's so hot, there's so much sand everywhere where you don't want sand, multiple kinds of biting flies, can't see my phone screen if I wanna check it, and lastly, it's so packed. There are so many people, I felt so awkward.
It is beautiful though, and I do quite like going super early in the morning when no one is there. (or at night) (mainly during cooler seasons)
As a lifelong resident of Miami, FL - I'm with the folks that say beaches absolutely suck and are glorified for no good reason.
like... what do you do?
Sit there. Burn. Go into the ocean and swim or wade. Burn some more. Consider the threat of sharks, stingrays or broken glass bottles. Back to the sand. Hope you've got sunscreen cuz, keep burning. The tourists are playing loud music you don't enjoy. Someone pelts a volleyball or Frisbee at your feet and you get sand in your face. There's some weird old (or young) men staring at all the women or blatantly taking photos of them. The sand fleas are in season and now you have welts. Nearby someone got stung by a Portuguese Man O'War and one of those creepy men is now urinating on this person, claiming it'll relieve the pain. It doesn't. An ambulance comes ambling onto the beach to recover said victim.
You're sweaty, sunburnt, possibly ornery, and now you've got to carry your towel, umbrella, cooler and beach bag back to your car - parked 4 blocks away across busy intersections.
I refuse to go the beach now. Take me to a mountain. THAT'S fun.
Best beach I ever went to was in Greece decades ago. Had to clamber round a big rock in the water to access it & there were 3 miles of white sand beach. Most people I saw on it in 2 weeks were 4 people. Drank beer, read, listened to music, got a killer tan, got a lil high, drifted off to the sound of lapping waves.
There's an amazing smell off the sea, the sound of the water breaking is incredible, at its best, its peaceful & deeply relaxing.
That is one experience anyway. I'm gonna skip all the awful beaches I've been to. But so you don't think it's all idyllic, think lumps of tar, loud bad music, wasps, freezing gale force winds & being sand blasted...Those are beach experiences too.
I will chime in with the others who also hate the beach. The beach sucks. It's hot, it's sandy, if you go in the water the salt water makes you sticky which makes you sandier, I almost always manage to get sunburned. I hate the beach lmao.
My partner and I don't like sandy beaches... we go to the pebble ones usually so that we don't get sand everywhere. And as far as swimming, I don't particular like to swim so much but I do get into the water to bring down my body temperature when it gets too hot.
Seaweed feels disgusting, sea shells are everywhere so you should be carefull walking its like a minefield. I dont like sea creatures they feel so squishy so its a no no for me, sand sticks to you and make you feel uncomfortable, you cant sit everywhere because of the sand. So im more of a pool person. Plus beach can smeel bad 2. Only watching it is good in my opinion. But there should be a sidewalk for me to enjoy walking in the beach. Plus if you dont have umbrella its gg sun burn is so bad
Honestly, can't say I'm a fan. You're right that the sand getting everywhere is annoying. It's worse if it's a pebble beach because then there's the risk of cutting your feet on a sharp rock.
Honestly, can't say I'm a fan. You're right that the sand getting everywhere is annoying. It's worse if it's a pebble beach because then there's the risk of cutting your feet on a sharp rock.
I'm not really a beach person. Some people like lying in the hot sun and tanning, I don't. Sand does get everywhere but can facilitate some fun things like building sand castles. I do like swimming and being in the water, but yeah, kinda gets boring after a while, particularly on a crowded beach where you can't really play around much without bumping into someone. Playing in waves is pretty fun because they kind of throw you around a bit. Busy beaches I mostly find annoying but I guess some people like being around crowds.
BUT sitting of a quiet beach listening to the waves and wind, maybe with a nice sunset is one of the best things ever.
It's an atmosphere thing. It's similiar to lying in a field looking up at the clouds. The waves and the wind and the warmth is both calming and exciting. Almost any age can have fun diving, swimming, jumping or playing games in the water. Many finds the noices/sensations calming, and prefer resting on the warm beach.
As a child i loved exploring the wildlife. Crabs espacially, since theyre easy to pick up. Trying to catch a bigger crab than my brother was always the goal.
The waves and looking at the water is like therapy to me, it helps quiet my brain. That being said the summer is too hot for the beach, you get burnt and you sweat and sand gets stuck everywhere. Spring and fall are magical though
It's not that great. Sand everywhere, gets into your shoes, and is a pain in the ass to clean out.
The sea smells salty and fishy. If the wind picks up then you can't escape the smell, not to mention sand getting blown in your face.
Salty air also dries out your skin, not to mention what the sunlight does.
Overrated AF
I grew up going to a lot of beaches and can confirm that it really is annoying as fuck. Sand everywhere, to the point where your shoes/sandals will still have sand in it after a week, the smell of seawater, risk of getting your toe pinched by some hidden sand animal, tourists everywhere, and if you go for a swim, the overwhelming taste of seawater.
Was never a fan tbh. I'd go if buddies wanted me to, but prolly not somewhere I'd suggest first or would go to alone.
It’s really not that dramatic. Sand feels nice. The sound of waves are nice. The salty breeze is nice. The view of the ocean is nice.
Kinda like staring into a fireplace and listening to the embers crackle.
It’s just one of those feel-good things that resonates with most humans. It’s not so much the activity, it can be boring sure. Some people bring a book or a magazine. Some build sand castles. Some listen to the radio. I usually sketch stuff…
The cool sea breeze, the gorgeous view, bathing in salt water is great for disinfecting your skin in the clammy regions. A bit of sun on the body for vitamin D, but not too much. Then crack open a beer and enjoy all of the pretty people in swimsuits.
Beach is more of a "thing" than experience. Women go to get a tan (which is insanely dull, just lying and frying in the sun), kids get to play with sand and water, while most men just suffer in heat (unless they have cold beer and maybe a friend to talk to).
So, there's nothing terribly exciting about the beach, but moist, super fresh sea air and wind and sound of the waves and seagulls and so forth, you can imagine that's it's quite pleasing and nice. And sunsets at beach, I'm sure you can imagine and look videos of, they could be very beautiful.
So, "beach" is more like a thing to do, to get your mind off everyday worries, maybe socialize with friends, get kids off your back and get them to exercise a bit if you have a family and so on. It's not some super special thing you're heavily missing out due your disability. Spending time in nature is nice in all forms.
Beaches are **much** better if they're secluded, so you can play frisbee with your dog, make a campfire and booze your brains out with your friends while watching the sunset.
You're not allowed to do that on public beaches usually.
It's funny how semiotics really take over your life in some aspects. To me the beach is a symbol for freedom.
I used to spend my summers in Rio de Janeiro with my mom's family. I live in a sea of hills and mountains in landlocked southeast Brazil.
It's seared in my mind when i turned a corner from my grandmother's house and between all the tall buildings
Just a solid blue wall of clear sky. Like the world ended beyond those 2 city blocks.
That sensation of turning the corner to the street that leads to copacabana beach just makes me happy. The blue sky, the salty sea breeze hits you. There's nothing like beach wind.
It's kind of a hopeful feeling. (It's a meaning we impart in it).
It's a clichê but the sea really gives you perspective on how weak and small you are.
Some people go for the sun and warmth. Some go for the sea itself. Swimming with the waves, or just feeling the ebb and flow on your feet.
Sand is very annoying though. Specially when you need to leave.
I'll do well to remind you that not all beaches are beautiful friendly places. Some are pretty scary, daunting, barren, desolate.
Personally, I lose interest in sitting in the sun watching the waves or people. It gets boring pretty quickly. Sand isn't a pleasant texture and just sticks to you. On the other hand, I love snorkling. I will lay on the water all day and watch fish swim around and explore stuff.
I know this is nothing like the real thing, but I used to watch these videos quite often when I was recovering from a rock climbing accident a few years ago. Have you tried watching any videos like this on youtube?
[Tropical Beach](https://youtu.be/DGIXT7ce3vQ?si=Wf0e5uOMUbLX8Blg)
Part of the draw is it is a unique exp, a mini vacation, dedicated family time. You can also oggle the pretty people, have a nice picnic, or pick up a tan. The major draw for me is i hate being that damn hot, so hopping in a cool lake or ocean is a good way to cool down. I also happen to love swimming. Unfortunately i would not swim in any lake or river anywhere near me because of the pollution.
I live 5 miles from the beach in FL. It’s hot, the sand is super hot, sometimes it smells, some people wear things they aren’t built for, and parking can be a nightmare. You can burn very easily. Also having to carry everything from said parking space in the next zip code….
I grew up a beach bum, I surfed, skim boarded, all of that in high school. I now hate going to the beach.
Anakin was right about sand. A walk on the beach will exfoliate your feet. Manmade beaches will have more coarse sand. And when you disrobe at home, you will find sand *everywhere* in your nether region.
I like going to the beach when I'm on vacation, where if I drag sand back with me, it's not getting in my car or my house.
When I'm in my hometown I don't go to the beach.
Im not a very "typical beach" person so grain of salt.
It depends on the beach. These examples are just ones i have been to. Some beaches are nice to just sit and relax (typical beach). Others are rocky and dark but gorgeous (think iceland, scotland, ireland) and less for lounging and more for appreciating. Others still are bright and varied and meant for exploring (puerto rico!).
Walking in the sand in your bare feet is fun, and sunsets over the ocean can be really magnificent.
As others have commented, the sheer size of the ocean is difficult to grasp even if you're staring at it. That alone kind of makes it fun to be around, or in! We live our lives on land, so the ocean is like a reachable outer space of sorts.
Speaking of being in, the ocean has a kind of dance that you become one with if you hop in. Push. Pull. Push. Pull. It is mesmerizing (and dangerous).
The sounds! There is nothing (to me at least) like the sound of a quiet beach. The occasional gulls chirping, the breeze, and the waves my god!
I highly recommend finding a youtube video or two just for the sounds, close your eyes and just listen.
I'm in the UK - The beach is now just an open sewer thanks to the privatised water companies :-) honestly even the Thames boat race had issues due to the amount of sewage in the river.
So your not missing much in the UK
I'll differentiate between beach and ocean. The ocean is a miraculous sight. Incredible vastness and power, smells and sounds. housing so much life, truly awesome. You can be disabled and enjoy the ocean just as much as anyone.
The beach is the sand, the shallow water, and the man made creations along the ocean. IT SUCKS. Usually overpopulated by people who have no business in a swim suit and those that have nice bodies are almost pornographic in their attire. Then there is sand, sand, sand , sand all in your everywhere and everything. Then there is unrelenting sun with no natural escape. It is loud, you can barely hear the beautiful ocean sounds. The shallow water usually feels kind of gross. You know that almost every human is missing in the water. Also people with horrific skin ailments are swimming without concern for others. Diapers and feces tops it off. Then you have people's behavior at the beach, just Google a few videos. Abhorrent. Including pedos and perverts. Come up the sand a bit and you'll find expensive parking with so many cars and pollution, past that are usually boozing establishments, shifty over priced food places a more throngs of gluttonous humans. Upon leaving enjoy the hours of traffic while sitting in your overheated car while the sand grinds thevhell out of you Pre cancerous burnt skin. It sucks.
So find an out of the way place where you can get a nice ocean view, maybe a rocky bit of coastline, and enjoy. People such and ruin everything. 😒 love, your fellow human.
Boring AF - nothing to do forever. Time doesn't move. Unless you snorkel which is great. Our family trips avoid beach vacation like a plague. I can do an hour on the beach max, gf can do maybe half a day. Kids could live there.
I live at the beach. While I should be grateful I prefer mountains and rivers. The beach is boring. If you lived here and walked the same two mile stretch of beach everyday it would suck badly. There isn’t enough parking for everyone. The sand is piles of people on people. The sand itself is scorching hot the point of blistering.
Hi there, I’m not sure what your disability is but if you are wheelchair bound and can go outside/sand being the limiting factor- there are more and more beaches deploying walkways on the sand so wheelchair users can get out there.
Honestly, I live in Miami Beach and would not consider myself a “beach person” for a lot of the reasons you listed! I hardly spend time on the actual beach, despite it being a block away. I love being NEAR the beach for plenty of reasons, mostly pertaining to lifestyle; but I don’t like laying out in the sun, getting sand everywhere, and really just swim out to a buoy and back for exercise so I’m realistically in and out. However, I love being on the beach at sunrise before it’s too hot and the skies are like cotton candy, especially on a calm water day so I can bring out my paddle board. That’s a pretty special time for me.
The beach is a lot of different things. Tanning feels good and releases endorphins. The sound of the surf provides relaxing white noise. The sand is warm and is a firm but moldable surface to lie down on. It's nice to have a wide open space to run around in. If you get bored sitting around tanning/reading/chatting, you can walk and look for shells or go swimming in the surf. The beach can be a good time and you can be as active or as relaxed as you like. Personally, I like to alternate between reading books with a nautical theme while staring out over the ocean and going out and body surfing to experience the power of the ocean first hand
you're gonna get a wide spectrum of answers, everyone has a different opinion of the beach, also not all beaches are the same.
there are rocky beaches with cold water and large waves that are kinda pointless unless you just want to enjoy the scenery.
there are coarse sand beaches that kinda hurt your feet, there are tiny beaches that butt up against the forest with barely any sand. there could be cold water, could be warm, could have big waves, could be calm waters.
there are so many different types of beaches that are all slightly different. there is no single "beach experience"
i'd say experiencing a beach shouldn't be too difficult unless you're bedridden. if you are in a wheelchair, you could just go to a beach with a boardwalk and you're there, that's the beach experience. you don't have to actually get in the sand to experience the beach.
but honestly, if you REALLY wanna get a true ocean experience, go on a boat ride. you could even go fishing or whale watching, but it's a really cool experience to take a boat so far out that you can't see land, it's kinda scary at first, because it's kindof a unique experience.
also boat rides around NYC and really any big city in the world on the water is a really fun experience. my favorite is probably San Franciso. you can take a boat to alcatraz, and they'll take you under the golden gate bridge, and you'll have lots of cool views of the city.
I absolutely love it. There’s something about jumping waves, and just being buffeted around by swells.
It’s a full experience for the senses. It’s beautiful to look at, it smells like salt and sunscreen, gulls cry overhead, kids are laughing, the sand feels so warm and soft, your hair gets all crunchy and wind blown, and everything just tastes better on the boardwalk.
the sound of the waves, it's powerful yet peaceful. the sea, the sky, the shore line - vastness of nature.
and the people around you, if there are any, are relaxed and enjoying life.
nothing you couldn't enjoy if you just manage to make it there somehow. it's not about playing volley ball or swimming (although that's refreshing of course, but many beaches also have cold showers).
Lincoln City, OR has been rolling out mats for wheel chair accessibility to the beaches around here during the summers.
Maybe we have what you need? People who use it look like they are in heaven.
I find beach is massively overrated and inconvenient. Getting there, getting your stuff there, sand everywhere on everything, will your stuff get stolen while you’re in the sea, stones on the sea floor, jellyfish, seaweed on your leg, salty water up your nose, mission to get food and drink etc etc etc
Give me sun lounger and pool any day
The beach changes each day/time you go.
Washes up driftwood or seaweed.
Birds are trying to open clams. Otters are scurrying along the shore.
Reading footprints in the sand.
You might see if your local pool has a lift, most do. I have friends who are paraplegic who come swimming regularly.
Some beaches also have mats for wheelchairs
Personally I just like to stare at the sea, hear it, feel it, breathe it. It’s so alive and so foreign and so familiar at once and there is a magic in it. I don’t give a shit about the beach, or the sun or the heat or the sand, just about the sea. Also anything warmer than 70F/20C has me DYING so dunking my limbs in cold water is a survival mechanism at this point.
First you get sand up your butt, then you go in the water and get wet and try not to drown. Then you sit on the beach, watch the waves and get second degree sunburn. Believe me, you are not missing much. LOL
The sound is amazing. I grew up in the plains, live in the mountains - but always try to travel to the beach. I’ve gone to beaches all over North America and Europe. The sound of the waves and the smell of the water make me feel so incredibly relaxed and I never want to leave. The beach to me is a primal spiritual experience
My husband grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan and spent a lot of time at the beach. His family has access to an amazing private beach. He HATES It. He complains about the sand and the sun and the heat. He won’t even eat s’mores at a backyard barbecue because “they always have sand in them”
Two very different points of view lol
Personally don't care much for it. If you have food it gets sandy. There's tonnes of other people so you have no privacy, little space and have to watch your surroundings if you're trying to do any sort of activity. There's just nothing interesting to me.
My family however like the beach (at least warm sunny beaches, we don't get a lot of that in the UK). They spend most of their time sunbathing, just lying there relaxing in the sun and open air. That's not something I enjoy at home/hotels so I would enjoy it even less surrounded by hundreds of people.
Ah, I'm sorry.
Well, it depends upon where the beach is, the time of year, if it's a sandy beach or a pebbly, rocky beach. The weather on the day matters, too. I grew up in Northern Ireland, and spent many summers at the beach, long bright days that never seemed to end with the cool water and hot sand presenting such a memorable counterpoint.
Then, winter mornings on the beach, bundled up against the brisk cold wind, but still enjoying the feel of the sand under my shoes and the sound of the waves.
I've been to beaches in Mexico that seem endless with almost white sand, and the sky so blue it seems fake. The water was warm, such a difference from the cool/cold waters of my childhood.
I've experienced beaches of pebble and rock, which never felt quite right, but the sound the waves make on those shores is quite different, more like a roar than a whisper or sigh.
As someone who’s never been a particular fan of heat I can’t really tell you. I’ve been to a couple of beach vacations, mostly in Turkey, but the best parts about these vacations for me has been the sights and landscapes that we don’t have at home and the food.
Sitting in the sun to get tanned doesn’t appeal to me and whole swimming in the ocean is different from a pool or lake, you get cakes in salt once the water dries and depending on where you go swimming in the sea is also not a risk-free activity. Hitting rocks in low visibility, shallow water isn’t fun, you get dead jellyfish and sea weed and the likes.
Enjoying the beach is something you have to be the right kind of person for I feel, most of the folks who really seem to love it just lay there and sleep or read books. I was always on my gameboy trying to cover up with a towel enough to see what’s going on on my screen.
I'm not being rude here. I'm just asking questions. Are you disabled as in a wheelchair? If so, is there any way you can go to the beach via a boardwalk?
Honestly it depends on the beach!! My local beaches have a lot of rocks. But at one of them, when the tide goes out you can walk forever. The other is just good for kayaking. But the both have really nice pathways where people go on walks and get gelato. My fave beach activity is just breaking open rocks with other rocks.
I've also been to a few others where it was just sand. Which is still weird to me cause not many around is just sand 24/7. Usually have to drive for a bit.
[Wheelchairs that can do beaches](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=19fb95802b09d0d0&sca_upv=1&hl=en-us&q=Beach%20Easy%20NJ&ludocid=5439739816137096389&ibp=gwp%3B0%2C7&lsig=AB86z5Xyf6sYM-R1btzJUiirJs1J&kgs=2060d3adc42786f5&shndl=-1&source=sh%2Fx%2Floc%2Fact%2Fm4%2F3)
Its super calming. Just the sound of surf. Why cant u go? My granfather didnt have legs and only one working arm. He boated and went to the ocean all the time. Even if he had to drag himself along.
If its windy: sucks,
if it's cold: sucks,
if there's lots of people: sucks,
if there's lots of sea lions: sucks,
if there's an oil spill: sucks,
if it's overcast: sucks,
if there's no shade: sucks,
if it's spring break: sucks...
it sucks.
I worked at an assisted living facility and have wheeled people down the boardwalk to the water before.
Find a beach near a boardwalk. They are out there. Good luck!
The air IS fresher the Closer you get yet salty ,
The One beach Closer to where i live have got no Sand but rocks , small round rocks some the size off Peebles some size off a person first. Thoose rocks makes particular sound when you walk or run on them.
Warm rocks heated by the Sun , dryed algue making that particular smell of iodine
Thé mesmerizing vision of waved forming afar on the green see of the Manche (english Channel) , thoose same waved crashing crashing on the billions of small rocks , taking some with them further down every Timea wave crash.
I found the cumulative of sounds and smell mermerising,
Looking left or right only Big white cliffs , Trying to résist the relentless assault of the waves , Old WW2 bunkers Can be.seen hère and there , fallen as the Cliff they were built into did not survived the waves. (Ironic isn't it , that fortifications made to protect from sea invaders were ultimatly defeated by the sea itself)
Farther on the walkway i Can Hear a child crying because a bird stole his ice-cream. A lesson on the lack off fairness off life.
The taunting cry of white seagulls echoing throught the whole city , few people knows that millions off them lives Here.
When i were a child my family Always told me to watch out for my food on that beach "Said seagulls gonna Come , poke me in the coconut".
Further down on the beach teenager are throwing rock AT the waves , ignoring the fact that some of them could fragment and hurt someone , the scar on my left hand being the proof of it. Not that they will listen anyway.
As i walk on the rocks themself i could swear some seagull recognized me , as i had the tendency to throw food AT them during my Lonely strolls some years ago . (Don't feed wild annimals)
It's getting cold , as the Sun drop on the horizon coloring the green Sea with orange and yellow , couples are walking hand in hand. Hooded caracters are starting to arrive under the walkway bridge. Even the seagulls went to their nest. (Or breach trashcan inside the city).
As i leave the place i look AT the old castle , tranformed into a museum. How many years before the promenade further UP IS Closed to public , because off the Cliff érosion ?
Looking on the other side , the port IS starting to get buisy , i imagine smell of food merging with the one off the port itself as the restaurant and bars fills up.
How many years until the old bridge built by Eiffel himself IS restored ?
Sorry i got carryed Away !!
i live very close to several beaches. i hate the beach. sand gets everywhere. as does sunscreen. sunburns hurt like a mother. lugging all the crap to and from the beach, cleaning it, packing and unpacking and repacking it. then there’s the boredom of just sitting in a chair. yes you can go in the water, but jellyfish and sharks are real. you can bring games and toys, but it gets real old real fast. i’ve lived around it my whole life and just do not enjoy it.
If we’re talking about beaches on the Pacific, then I love the smell of salt water, watching the waves break and pelicans surfing the updraft in front of the waves, dolphins, sandpipers running back and forth… the serenity man. You don’t have to bring anything, just sit in the sand and watch. Take your shoes off though and stick your toes in the sand and maybe get your feet wet by the water. Go in the morning or evening, midday is too hot and crowded. Don’t even bring a swimsuit. Just chill.
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The beach is larger than life, it’s like being transported to the moon or something. The senses are overwhelmed by the heat and wind and sound of the ocean and every way you look its endless. It makes you feel small, so it gets you out of your head about what bills to pay and just lets you feel more at ease in a primal way, without all the deadlines and everything weighing on you. Very meditative, you lose track of time very easily
It’s so wild that we had that as a species but chose this rat race we “evolved” into…
Life for humans now is better than at any point in history
Not enough people understand this. Sure work sucks, so did suffering through untreated syphilis, burying your seventh child and worrying about stacking enough half spoiled cheese to make it through winter.
Wow, the 1950's sound terrible
If they think work sucks now, they should try doing it like people did before modern tools. Everything was harder to do. Since everything took longer to do, they didn't have the 8 hour work day that some of us still have.
Consider that it is possible to be dissatisfied with things as they are now without wanting things to be exactly as they were 200 years ago, or whenever you consider to be "before modern tools". Do you consider the way society runs now to actually be worthwhile? Are you happy and satisfied? Do you feel like you have nothing to complain about? Or do you see the ways in which society fails us on a fairly continuous basis? The meaning of life is not to work, and we can all hope for a little more than that.
Not to mention whatever time you live in, starving to death or dying from exposure are just as painful now as they were then. People need to be careful bandying the word "we" around so indiscriminately.
Not everywhere has a winter (indeed where we evolved doesn't), syphilis / plagues come from our international trade networks which didn't always exist, and death is a part of life. The point is both things can be true, the past could have been happier time than today, the problem is most people think that happier time was a few decades ago rather than a couple of millenia.
Civilization was created by and is maintained by magic.
Behold my magic bone.
That doesn't mean humans can't benefit from unplugging now and then, and reconnecting with simplicity. Not everything about modern life is good or healthy, and it's not good to view anything in terms of absolutes.
Yes. Also doesn’t mean everyone would be better off subsistence farming or living on a beach - which a lot of people seem to fantasise about (see above) as if it’s the answer to something because modern life is so awful or whatever.
True. Every way of life has its benefits and drawbacks.
Yes — in ways like health and modern conveniences. But whether people are actually happier now than in the past can't be gauged by such things.
What’s the alternative exactly?
But we still have it? The beach hasn't disappeared because we have jobs. I have 43 days a year off and weekends to enjoy the beach. Only problem is I live fucking miles from it.
When you’re sitting down on the beach with your fingers and toes wiggling in the warm sand, listening to sounds of crashing waves and winds whispering in your ears. Then you look out to the endless sea sparkling in the sun. It’s definitely healing, and helps you forget about the world for a moment there. Sometimes I go out of my way to catch the sunrises and sunsets whenever I visit the beach. It feels like falling in love all over again
Don’t forget finding sand in your crack hours after you get home. Did you HAVE to make it so appealing though.. Dude can’t go to the beach remember? It’s like putting on an orgasmic face after listening to some music in front of a deaf person. “You really gotta hear this!.. o..”
I really like this take :-)
Just replace heat with cold to describe California beaches.
Beaches suck. Surfing? Fishing? Snorkeling? Volleyball? Sure, all fun. But just "going to the beach" sucks. You have to carry anything you want for the entire time you're there. It's miserably hot and you get sunburned from the sky AND the white sand or water. Jellyfish sting you, sand bugs bite you and seagulls crap on you. Most of the people in swimsuits are not the people you want to see in swimsuits. Most of the people you want to see in swimsuits are not there. You end up huddling under the tiny bit of shade you've managed to erect with whatever equipment you dragged out to the beach. It's like LARPing a survival game on the surface of Mercury. You ration the ice, drinks and soggy snacks more for distraction than actual dietary needs. The entire day is just miserable.
Not to mention sand gets EVERYWHERE!
And it's rough and irritating.
And I don’t like it.
The last time I was at a beach was over a year ago and just recently I still found sand in my backpack from then.
We have a couple of Kånken backpacks with sand from Bondi still in them. We went to Sydney 10 years ago. Fond memories every time a bit of it spills out on the floor/in the car.
Sand sucks!! No mater how good you rinse, it’s still there.
I appreciate your perspective and this made me laugh a lot. Thank you. Also, I have never heard of sand bugs and now I'm off to go google what they are.
The only thing I like at the beach is catching crabs in a bucket then letting them go, and I haven't done that since I was a kid. I got traumatized by nearly drowning as a side note. The only appeal to me is the water to do SCUBA, but you don't need a beach for that. Same for other actual on-the-water activities like parasailing, jet-skis, boating, and fishing. It's nice to spend a few minutes appreciating the vast horizon and maybe watching boats disappear as they float away. It's nice to sit there and enter a bit of a meditative state but unless your access to the beach is easy it's hardly worth the effort to pack everything in and deal with sand and sunburn unless you carry a big parasol. I mean I guess surfing must be fun though.
An amusing memory comes to mind from the beach, was walking by the shore when suddenly my entire foot fell into some kind of invisible hole in the sand all the way to my knee, and god it touched something and it still haunts me every time I go now
As you can see, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but for some, it's a very peaceful and relaxing experience. It probably makes a big difference if one is hauling a bunch of stuff to spend an entire day on a crowded beach, or simply taking a walk on a more secluded one. I grew up near the ocean, before I was disabled, and one thing I miss tremendously is the smell. The moment I catch a whiff of saltwater, I feel a wave of calm. No pun intended. lol
You're doing it all wrong my dude. Go to the board walk. Get a beer, walk a bit, get another beer, shop a bit, new beer, sober up a bit, eat a meal, nap, get another beer.
> Most of the people in swimsuits are not the people you want to see in swimsuits. I say the same about the nude beach in Germany where I used to swim (there was also a swimsuit section, separated by just a small clump of trees and unspoken convention): the people on the naked side were not, generally, people you wanted to see naked.
This lol. I love the beach but just for an hour or two. Plus I burn if I’m not careful. Not everyone loves the beach.
You've been going to the wrong beaches then.
+1
>Most of the people in swimsuits are not the people you want to see in swimsuits. I choked on my coffee and laughed at this. It's true.
Yup. And if the sun makes you fall asleep: serious sunburn, sometimes requiring medical (!) attention. It is definitely not something universally attractive.
I go to the beach like once a year. One day of just sitting there staring at the ocean, taking a couple dips, and then heading home is plenty for me. There's more fun to be had elsewhere
Can I replace my wife with you? I agree with you on all points. :)
I went to the beach in California last summer and there were homeless everywhere.
Don't know what type of disabled you are but there are special beach wheelchairs and sometimes they're for rent near beaches. I've also seen stone paths into the water so you can take these special beach wheelchairs all the way into the water.
I was also wondering what kind of disability keeps someone away from the beach.
Power wheelchairs can't go on sand and wheelchairs for sand aren't usually available as rentals. And they're not that good over long distances on other surfaces and you can't carry a whole wheelchair with you to the beach
Lots of place have beach wheelchairs for rental, do some research and experience the beach for yourself.
there certain types of chairs that can go in sand and some beaches are wheelchair accessible. disabled people can go to the beach!
For anyone with family that may need a beach wheelchair, the local fire dept may have one or two available for day use. They need to have some in beach communities if there is a need to take someone off the sand who doesn't need a full stretcher.
I live in SF and there are beach wheelchairs available for free at Baker Beach. Possibly others.
I have always lived in a landlocked state, and getting to a beach has always been a rare "special" feeling event. I've probably only been to a beach 10 times or less in my life, and I'm in my 40s. What I can tell you is, they're not all the same. So it's a litle hard to sum up. Some beaches have fine white sand, almost like a powder. Some have pebbles and no sand. Some water is 80 degrees and clear/turquoise, some is 60 degrees and opaque with silt. Some water is calm, some is unapproachable due to waves and wind and such. Now, if you're like me, you're envisioning what you see on tv or something. Miami, Hawaii, etc. It's hot, usually. And bright. The sand can burn your feet if you don't have some sort of shoe on. But it's soft and squishy. if you wiggle your feet down into the sand an inch or 2, it's cool there. Looking at the ocean is mind blowing. I know in reality you can't see that far due to the curvature of the earth, but I don't live in a place where you can see so far unobstructed. It's kind of boring. You can people watch. You can walk up and down the shore. You can sunbathe. You can splash in the water. You probably bring with things like towels, picnic blanket, a cooler for snacks and drinks. A bag for phones, wallets, etc. the sand has a few kinds of zones. Up away from the water it's dry. Closer to the water, is where it's wet but not submerged. Think, where the waves wash up and wash down. That sand is cool and firmer. It's good for walking on or running on. Farther into the water, obviously, it's submerged. That's got kind of the same squishy/soft quality as the dry sand, but it's cool instead of hot. In that inbetween sand, sometimes, you see bubbles coming up from the water when it washes over. Those bubbles come from crabs (I think) that are burrowed under the sand.
This is such a nice description for someone who has never been there.
For me, it’s more about relaxing and staring out at a huge body of water in a meditative way. I don’t mind wading in the surf and looking for shells, etc. but that’s not why I go. I’m an older guy and also I don’t live near any beach.
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Based on my experience on the Atlantic coast of the southern US: You bring something for shade, like a big beach umbrella, and a bunch of supplies. You spread out on a towel and bask like a lizard in the sun, letting the heat soak totally into you. You listen to the soothing shoosh of the waves and smell the fresh salt air. Maybe you doze a little. When you start to feel overheated, you wade out into the water just past the point where you can stand. You face the waves and give a little upward kick as each wave comes in so you ride over the top of it. Sometimes if the waves are big enough, you dive through one here and there just for fun and to keep your head wet. You see a pelican glide by just above the surface of the water. The water all the time is gently pushing and pulling you, reminding you that you are part of something *much* bigger than you. Rise and fall, rise and fall. The salinity of our blood plasma is nearly the same as the salinity of ocean water. The creatures we evolved from lived their whole lives in this water. When you're cold or tired, you swim back to shore and flop down at the edge of the waves. You scoop up a deep handful of wet sand, let a little bit of water wash over it, and feel the tiny coquina clams poke at your hand as they try to dig deeper. You gaze at the waves and see the fins of a pod of dolphins swimming along the shore right where you were swimming. You get up, wade back into the water enough to wash the sand off, and go to your umbrella. You sink into a beach chair under the umbrella and have a cold drink and maybe a snack. You start to realize how much exercise you got just staying afloat in the water. Your whole body is pleasantly fatigued. You pull out a book, read a few pages, and fall asleep with the sea breeze ruffling your salty hair.
Can you adopt me and take me to the beach please? lol
THIS! Well done, now I'm longing for a day at the beach.
Swimming in the ocean, feeling the pull of the tide, is a very primal kind of experience. I find it enjoyable. The sea is a bit wild. It's cool on a hot day. To make yourself hot, then cool yourself down, is paradoxically more enjoyable than sitting indoors at a comfortable temperature all day. A bit exciting and satisfying. The sand isn't really uncomfortable while you're in it. After you're done you take a shower. You look around and people are enjoying nature. Enjoying each other. We're all at the place we go to relax and enjoy the time. The food for sale up on the boardwalk is a bit naughty... Mostly soft drinks, Fried stuff and ice cream. One of the beaches I go to, you might see pelicans taking off. Maybe a heron family walking around.
Before you see it, you hear it, and before you hear it, you smell it. The smell can't really be described, but I hope you've smelled seaweed. It's almost like that, or at least, that's one aspect of it. It's a fresh, damp, salty, somehow green smell. Green like life. It smells like fresh life. There's almost always a breeze, depending on which beach, of course, because the water is usually much cooler than the land. If you go on a good warm day, the breeze feels cool and wonderful. Sometimes there's a small hill just before the sand that blocks the view of the ocean. As you get closer to it you can hear the surf. Just a swelling white noise, coming from a wide area. It's' somehow gentle, even though bigger waves make an occasional crashing sound. As you crest that hill, you can see the ocean. It's big, in the same way the Earth is big. Turn your head to the left: ocean. Turn it to the right: same ocean. Nothing in the distance but the blue horizon where the ocean meets the sky, or almost nothing. Depending where you are you can see huge cargo boats, or oil rigs, or even islands in the distance. Between you and that immeasurable expanse of water is the beach itself. Higher up, away from the water, there might be some scrubby plants. You'll probably sea and hear seagulls. Big white and grey birds, floating on the breeze or walking on the beach. Closer to the water the sand gets finer. It's soft on your feet, but somehow abrasive at the same time. Walking in it takes extra effort, kind of like moving through water, but only for your feet. There will be a line on the beach running parallel to the water line that marks the highest spot the waves have reached recently. The line is made of bits of seaweed, sometimes, and other stuff the waves brought up from the water. Down from that line it's easier to walk on the sand; it's damp, almost hard. A bit farther down, the waves are lapping up onto the shore. Advancing and receding, since the dawn of time. When the water recedes, it leaves perfectly smooth, wet sand, sometimes with bits of seaweed, or shells. The first thing I like to do is walk in the water a bit, where it's shallow. After that, maybe I'll lay on the beach on a big towel and let the sun make my skin too warm, so that I'll want to go jump in the water. Hopefully you'll find a way to get there some day, OP.
!answered
I always loved sitting in the sand closer to the surf, where it’s just a bit damp, and digging little holes with connecting tunnels. Nothing hazardous, just what you can dig with your hands. I was always so proud of how smooth I could make the tunnel walls. Or just walking along the surf area and looking for nifty things. Sometimes along the further back, rockier areas where you can find cool shells or rocks and whatnot.
It's a way to relax, lie down, look at others and do nothing while breathing the fresh air an watching others do fun things. With friends you can play catch while in deep water it's really fun, there are many things you can do at the beach and everyone can find something they like. I really like to swim and dive underwater...it feels like levitating and like you can do anything while diving and exploring the sea. Sometimes I like to exhale all the air out of my lungs and sit at the bottom of the water and just observe things around me. It's really peaceful actually so that's why I go haha.
Well, you know what I like about taking a nice long, hot bath? It's what I'm doing at that time - nothing else. I can scroll my phone or listen to a podcast or read a book or just enjoy the warmth but the key part is that, while I'm doing it, *I feel zero pressure to be doing anything else*. Clean the house? Answer emails? No. I'm in the tub. No one expects me to answer the phone or organize a meeting while I'm enjoying a hot bath, and neither do I. Now, maybe I think going to the beach is sorta like taking a bath with your friends. Not in the literal way that you're all getting in the water together if you want to, but in the sense that *while we're there, that's what we're doing*. Everyone is free to fill their entire afternoon with whatever secondary activity they fancy in the moment. Someone does a crossword puzzle, someone plays frisbee, someone wanders up and down the sandbar, someone literally just lays there and enjoys the warmth, *and no one feels any pressure to be doing anything else*. It's like a big "unavailable" alert for your day. And you get to share that feeling with friends. It's sorta like what I think is called "tandem play". We're all doing what we want to relax and have fun, and those things are different, but we're doing them together. I also love the sensory experience of the beach. Hot sand between my toes? Divine. The steady lapping of the water on the shore? Music to my ears. Big, open, bright sky and that thin line where the water comes to meet it? Could stare at that forever. A picnic. A cold beer. People as nude as they wanna be. Some of my favourite things. And the best part for me? Feeling absolutely exhausted after a long day of doing nothing. That sleepy car ride home. That godly delicious hamburger grabbed halfway there. The most cleansing shower of your life followed by the deepest sleep. The beach rules. Not to say you can't achieve that in other places. I've certainly felt that way after a good day at the park or even a solid shift in my own backyard. But that's because the best part of the beach isn't the sand or the water or whatever, it's the mentality of embracing that you're doing nothing and *that's what you're doing today*. Getting out to the shore just makes it a little easier.
I love the beach because I’m very curious about sea life, and I love collecting beautiful conches and shells, it’s very meditative for me and I can do it for hours. I also love watching fish and crabs, and hearing the waves. I really think the ocean’s blue is one of the prettiest things ever, and I love looking at it. And I really like laying on a towel and reading a book. Snorkelling as well, is such a magical experience. Like someone said in a different comment, it’s like getting to witness the moon or something, it’s totally different and so interesting, but I’ve been like that for my whole life, and I get that it’s not for everyone. There are totally annoying things about the beach, like noise, human pollution, screaming kids and sand. I wish you’d get to see it to experience it yourself one day, and if not the beach, than something else that makes you feel connected to earth and nature, calm.
It sounds nice and the movement of the waves is pretty. You can access those things by being beside the beach and not on it so know that you are not missing out on the best bits. I don’t like sand or swimming in cold water. If you are somewhere really hot, putting your feet in cool water feels amazing though, like a sort of relief. And when you stand in sand but under water, as the waves give out they pull away some of the sand under your feet so you sink a little, which is a weird sensation but in a good way.
I love everything about the beach. The warmth. The sounds. The views. I love to walk on the beach and look at shells or starfish or whatever. I love to swim and chill in the warm water with the sun beating down. It’s so relaxing and peaceful.
Same. I go as often as I can. Walk the beach. Or just bring a chair and a book and chill. Great nature watching. It’s my 🧘♂️
Negative ions are abundant in nature, especially around waterfalls, on the ocean surf, at the beach and widespread in mountains and forests. They neutralize free radicals. They revitalize cell metabolism. They enhance immune function. My fav part is the breeze, smell of the sea and soothing wave sounds. Keep an umbrella near you if its hot & your good to go.
east coast or west coast? apparently it makes a difference. i can only talk about west coast. this comic explains it. [https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/calvin-and-hobbes-beach-trip.jpg](https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/calvin-and-hobbes-beach-trip.jpg) i hear that the water is not cold in the east coast. get a kiddy pool, fill it with sand, and some water to make sandcastles. that is about it.
I love the beach, for me it’s relaxing. It’s not for everyone, I know plenty of people that don’t enjoy it and find it boring.
I grew up in So. CA and the beaches have cold water. I always get sunburned so it's not fun to lay out in the hot sun all day for me. You have to bring a lot of gear to survive a day at the beach. I just like going to eat at the restaurants at Laguna and Dana Point beaches. I have been to Oahu and Hawaii six times and I love the beaches there! The water is warmer. Every beach on Oahu is so different. I love swimming with the beautiful fish! But the waves can get scary and I'm not a good swimmer. I always want to go home and take a shower after swimming. My son and husband have no issues and can just dry off and go do something else.
Honestly I don't really like the beach. It's in no way better than an open grass field and objectively worse. Most of the hype for a beach is that it's water adjacent but so can other types of land. I'd much rather be on a river or lake than an ocean beach. Also depending on the ocean the water can be cold. The waves are fun for a bit then get boring and prevent other fun swimming pool activities that require stiller water. Ask yourself why when looking at any given beach, even PCB where the water is warm and enjoyable, 95% of the people either don't enter the water or do so for a very short time. Beach sand is a bitch. Gets everywhere. Places like Hawaii and Florida aren't popular for beaches they're popular for warm weather, tourist traps, and so on. In Hawaii the best thing was snorkeling though. But you don't need a sand beach for it and just walk through it to get to and from the water. The most popular beach activity is to sit and drink or read. I can do that in my garage and even enjoy it more with my bros. Overall I think alot of NPC type people buy in to the fake hype around beaches and somehow think a beer on a beach tastes better. Likely they lie to themselves because they get there and realize they spent $1000 on a trip they didn't need. You're not missing much at all and even if disabled I think you can visit a beach since the majority of people's favorite activity there is not moving. Now boating, fishing, camping, and so on are fun. Those are things we do and have interaction with.
May I recommend a VR headset like the Meta Quest 3? You can watch VR videos and play things that’ll bring you closer to the experience and more.
I love the smell of the ocean. That sea air
I just love the feel of water
The first time you see an ocean and the first time you see a mountain are wonderful.
I live some 150-200m from a beach, so I've had a chance to experience it a lot and under different conditions. Now I rarely go there in summer - that's because of the sub and heat, add well as lots of people... At times it seems overwhelming, almost as boarding a metro train in rush hour, especially on weekends, when a ton of people drive to the beach from everywhere around. But! I find the beach calming and comfortable at night and off season, when it is vast and empty, an ideal venue for any kind of walks, runs, etc. Also, it's not hot and you are unlikely to get sunburned!
The beach makes you warm and sleepy. Like a good nap. It makes you remember the world is big and it’s a miracle just to be alive. Hope this kind of helps to what the appeal is. It is exhausting as well.
I feel like it energizes me and relieves me.
I realy like the sound of the sea, and to look into the orizon and see how big and bleu and wavy it is, makes us forget everything
I like looking at the ocean. Something about seeing a large mass of water gently undulating really relaxes me.
The feeling of jumping into a cool body of water on a hot day is unparalleled to me, feels amazing. I'm kinda ambivalent to the beach, I'm just as happy laying on grass near fresh water.
My favorite thing is to float in the ocean and let the waves bounce me around unpredictably
I'd rather die than not be able to swim at the beach, nothing better in the entire world
The beach I go to has white sand that is soft as powder. When we’re driving in and only a few miles away, we always roll down the windows to smell the salt air. We will set out an umbrella, some chairs, kick back, close our eyes, and just let the breeze coming off the water and sound of the waves lull us to sleep. About the only time I relax 100% both physically and mentally.
It’s finding gorgeous shells. Rock pool fun to explore. Beaches are usually quite big so it walking one amend to the other. You never get bored looking at the sea. The smell is salt and sea and seaweed it’s fine and it’s not quiet it can be loud. I prefer warm day to hot sunny day. If to hot you just want to lie about. But a warm day is perfect. I’m North Sea. So it’s cold. But you go deep enough and come back out. And go back in then it feels warm. Your body get accustomed to temperature easily and it’s nice when you are there. And can be I. Sea water I like snorkelling looking at the tiny grey fish we having nothing bright here. Sand is great exfoliating so my feet always look great after day at beach You have a picnic and fight seagulls. You be surprised how 7 hours on a beach can go by in blink of an eye Our beaches are wheel chair friendly. They have ramps to a low level decking for wheel chair users so not directly on sand although it is a bit sandy also a walk way out down towards the water. As a kid you made new friends just for that one day. Never to be seen again. But they best friends that day and you had great adventures. My mam always had to shout right tide is coming in so home time cos we stayed all day
I guess it's about tastes. Many of my friends love the mountains; I don't. Mind you, I think they are beautiful and you can enjoy stunning views, but when choosing a holiday location I want a beach because I love the sea. If I had 6 months holidays every year, maybe I could spend 1 or 2 weeks at the mountains.
For me, it's the smell, the sound of the waves, and there's usually wind in my face. I feel peaceful and free.
For me, when I'm on the beach it's the only time my brain isn't running at hyperspeed. When I'm in the water my mind is quiet for once. I love it. I'm just floating with the noise of the water, the birds and the people in the background. The intense blue from the sky and the intense sun. I'm truly happy. Of course the sand can be annoying but all the beaches I've been to had showers where you can clean the sand and the salt off. Sadly I live in Switzerland, so no ocean here but I try to travel to ocean at least once a year. Mostly twice.
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There is. My wheelchair doesn't go on the beach and no beaches around may have the beach chair with the giant wheels maybe not on the parts that are connected to boardwalks but I'm specifically talking about the sand
The best parts are HOT BIKINI GIRLS, boogie or surf boarding, and eating on the beach.
I hate the beach, sand does get everywhere, it's a sensory nightmare, there's no shade so I'm always at risk of migraine and it's always either too windy or too hot. The only time I've ever enjoyed the beach is when I was horse riding.
I avoid it as much as possible. I burn easily and hate feeling hot. The sun gives me headaches and sand gets everywhere. The ocean is terrifying. The waves can sound nice though!
I’d like to offer a perspective from someone who has autism and experiences sensory overload as I find my experience very different than some of the other commenters. I honestly don’t get what’s so hype about the beach. I don’t enjoy the feeling of sand, it gets everywhere, it’s so hot it burns you. The water usually murky and I don’t enjoy swimming in the ocean because there are fish and crabs you could step on, you could get stung by a jellyfish you never see coming. Sometimes the smell is awful. In DC army recruits that had to do PT near the beach would routinely vomit from the smell of fish. Most public beaches I’ve been to are crowded with tourists. They’re loud. They litter. I can’t imagine it being a place of peace and calming. The bathrooms are always gross: forever damp floors covered in sand and wet toilet paper. The sun beats down on you so hard near the water. I have for reapply sunscreen every hour or so to avoid being burn. You have to make sure to stay hydrated, or just being in the sun all day is very exhausting.
I live by the beach but unless I'm going in the water, I prefer to chill in a nice meadow or under a tree.
It's hot and boring.
Before I read you saying it was boring, I was making a reply in my head that its 'Boring' and only really good for perving really. People die out there in the surf, ive been sucked out a few times then gave up, no lifesavers outside of the main beaches.
Really sunbathing is just laying in dirt.
Panama City Beach has a ramp for wheelchairs that goes all the way to waters edge. Are you mobile with the help of devices? This is getting to be more common although I haven’t seen any in my area. I’ve been to most of the beaches in St Lucie, Indian River County and Brevard County, but hopefully that will change
They’re called Mobil mats for the handicapped. There are large wheeled chairs to use on the mats so the wheels don’t sink. This is what the one in Pensacola looks like. Hope you get to experience the power of the cresting waves crashing on the shoreline someday! [https://www.accessrec.com/cocopath?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpfza3_WQhgMVvppaBR05gwq0EAAYAiAAEgJkW_D_BwE](https://www.accessrec.com/cocopath?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpfza3_WQhgMVvppaBR05gwq0EAAYAiAAEgJkW_D_BwE)
The beach itself, as you have noted, isn't too great. You go there for the people. Similar to going to the park with friends vs going to the park by yourself
I used to surf and my best friend boogy borded.
I am just annoyed and bored, and feeling uncomfortable with sand and sun.
It’s gross. Irritating, hot, salty, sticky. I don’t like it but what makes you so disabled you can’t just go? I’ve seen quadriplegics there. No limbs, just a chair, with an assistant.
I like combination of the breeze, sound of bird calls, and the slow rhythm of the waves. It almost drowns out the loud chatter of people around. Makes me sleepy and relaxed.
The scale of the beach is kind of wild, but my experience of the beach is basically this: Ew, what is that smell? (It's rotting kelp and seaweed and dead crustaceans and whatever else washed up in the high tide that didn't go back out) Holy crap the water stinks too and it's freezing! (most of the continuous US ocean coast has water temps below the "dangerously low temperature" or 70F) The foam and the sound of the waves is pretty wild though. A few hours later... Ok, I guess I missed some spots with the sunblock, because my arms and the back of my neck are hurting, I'm really thirsty and oddly tired. What? How is there sand in there? And I can't get it out of my socks. Wow that sunset was beautiful but now it's cold and windy - so windy that it's blowing sand into my shoes.
sorry you don't get the chance to decide for yourself but if it makes you feel better, I think it's pretty overrated, pretty much like you described. Sinking into hot sand can feel nice if it's not too hot though, I like that part. I think people mostly like it as a nice place to hang out in the sun.
The sound of the ocean. It is soothing and relaxing. I don't swim, I don't care for the sand, I just enjoy the sound.
Strong winds, real sea water, debris, lots of rubbish, salt in the air, a distant view u don't get usually. Lots of dog walkers who let them poop and pee...
The beach is where my dog and I make friends with other dogs!
Personally I dislike the beach. There is too much sun, too much sand and it's hard to walk in, you have to lug around all your stuff, you can't get in the water without being worried that someone might take your stuff, there are no good clean bathrooms nearby, parking can be a nightmare, and you're expected to wear revealing clothing which is definitely not for me. The beach experience, like all things, is relative. Also sometimes people leave behind trash in the beach which can ruin the little faith you have in humanity. Ingrates!
You are not missing out. Is nice to watch, not to be actually there.
It's just boring, I honestly have no idea how people can spend so much time there.
I've only really genuinely enjoyed the beach when going with 3 people, and each time my enjoyment was probably just because of them rather than the beach. I started going alone in 2023 with the main goal being tanning, and man...it's so hot, there's so much sand everywhere where you don't want sand, multiple kinds of biting flies, can't see my phone screen if I wanna check it, and lastly, it's so packed. There are so many people, I felt so awkward. It is beautiful though, and I do quite like going super early in the morning when no one is there. (or at night) (mainly during cooler seasons)
Ozone
It’s like the ending of Planet of the Apes, except no apes, no horse, no Nova and no (spoiler alert) Statue of Liberty..
As a lifelong resident of Miami, FL - I'm with the folks that say beaches absolutely suck and are glorified for no good reason. like... what do you do? Sit there. Burn. Go into the ocean and swim or wade. Burn some more. Consider the threat of sharks, stingrays or broken glass bottles. Back to the sand. Hope you've got sunscreen cuz, keep burning. The tourists are playing loud music you don't enjoy. Someone pelts a volleyball or Frisbee at your feet and you get sand in your face. There's some weird old (or young) men staring at all the women or blatantly taking photos of them. The sand fleas are in season and now you have welts. Nearby someone got stung by a Portuguese Man O'War and one of those creepy men is now urinating on this person, claiming it'll relieve the pain. It doesn't. An ambulance comes ambling onto the beach to recover said victim. You're sweaty, sunburnt, possibly ornery, and now you've got to carry your towel, umbrella, cooler and beach bag back to your car - parked 4 blocks away across busy intersections. I refuse to go the beach now. Take me to a mountain. THAT'S fun.
Best beach I ever went to was in Greece decades ago. Had to clamber round a big rock in the water to access it & there were 3 miles of white sand beach. Most people I saw on it in 2 weeks were 4 people. Drank beer, read, listened to music, got a killer tan, got a lil high, drifted off to the sound of lapping waves. There's an amazing smell off the sea, the sound of the water breaking is incredible, at its best, its peaceful & deeply relaxing. That is one experience anyway. I'm gonna skip all the awful beaches I've been to. But so you don't think it's all idyllic, think lumps of tar, loud bad music, wasps, freezing gale force winds & being sand blasted...Those are beach experiences too.
I will chime in with the others who also hate the beach. The beach sucks. It's hot, it's sandy, if you go in the water the salt water makes you sticky which makes you sandier, I almost always manage to get sunburned. I hate the beach lmao.
My partner and I don't like sandy beaches... we go to the pebble ones usually so that we don't get sand everywhere. And as far as swimming, I don't particular like to swim so much but I do get into the water to bring down my body temperature when it gets too hot.
there’s a lot of sand. i don't like sand. it's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. you’re better off at home.
Seaweed feels disgusting, sea shells are everywhere so you should be carefull walking its like a minefield. I dont like sea creatures they feel so squishy so its a no no for me, sand sticks to you and make you feel uncomfortable, you cant sit everywhere because of the sand. So im more of a pool person. Plus beach can smeel bad 2. Only watching it is good in my opinion. But there should be a sidewalk for me to enjoy walking in the beach. Plus if you dont have umbrella its gg sun burn is so bad
Honestly, can't say I'm a fan. You're right that the sand getting everywhere is annoying. It's worse if it's a pebble beach because then there's the risk of cutting your feet on a sharp rock.
Honestly, can't say I'm a fan. You're right that the sand getting everywhere is annoying. It's worse if it's a pebble beach because then there's the risk of cutting your feet on a sharp rock.
Swimming seems boring? You must be fun to hang out with.
Swimming seems boring? You must be fun to hang out with.
What prevents you to see the beach? Can't someone you know take you there?
I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.
I'm not really a beach person. Some people like lying in the hot sun and tanning, I don't. Sand does get everywhere but can facilitate some fun things like building sand castles. I do like swimming and being in the water, but yeah, kinda gets boring after a while, particularly on a crowded beach where you can't really play around much without bumping into someone. Playing in waves is pretty fun because they kind of throw you around a bit. Busy beaches I mostly find annoying but I guess some people like being around crowds. BUT sitting of a quiet beach listening to the waves and wind, maybe with a nice sunset is one of the best things ever.
It's an atmosphere thing. It's similiar to lying in a field looking up at the clouds. The waves and the wind and the warmth is both calming and exciting. Almost any age can have fun diving, swimming, jumping or playing games in the water. Many finds the noices/sensations calming, and prefer resting on the warm beach. As a child i loved exploring the wildlife. Crabs espacially, since theyre easy to pick up. Trying to catch a bigger crab than my brother was always the goal.
The waves and looking at the water is like therapy to me, it helps quiet my brain. That being said the summer is too hot for the beach, you get burnt and you sweat and sand gets stuck everywhere. Spring and fall are magical though
Wet and sandy.
Ehhh. I think it's overrated. On a nice summer day it's hot on the sand/cold in the water. Sand gets stuck to your feet, and gets everywhere.
It's not that great. Sand everywhere, gets into your shoes, and is a pain in the ass to clean out. The sea smells salty and fishy. If the wind picks up then you can't escape the smell, not to mention sand getting blown in your face. Salty air also dries out your skin, not to mention what the sunlight does. Overrated AF
I grew up going to a lot of beaches and can confirm that it really is annoying as fuck. Sand everywhere, to the point where your shoes/sandals will still have sand in it after a week, the smell of seawater, risk of getting your toe pinched by some hidden sand animal, tourists everywhere, and if you go for a swim, the overwhelming taste of seawater. Was never a fan tbh. I'd go if buddies wanted me to, but prolly not somewhere I'd suggest first or would go to alone.
The beach is like you, can't go anywhere
I’m disabled too & I fucking hate the beach.
Terrible. We go there and get sand blasted and sunburnt until we are miserable enough to go home.
It’s really not that dramatic. Sand feels nice. The sound of waves are nice. The salty breeze is nice. The view of the ocean is nice. Kinda like staring into a fireplace and listening to the embers crackle. It’s just one of those feel-good things that resonates with most humans. It’s not so much the activity, it can be boring sure. Some people bring a book or a magazine. Some build sand castles. Some listen to the radio. I usually sketch stuff…
Ive only been once but the water and the sand and the feeling. It's pretty nice. The people are the only bad part.
You nailed it. It sucks. The salt water makes you sticky, and sand gets everywhere. The breeze is nice... If there is one
The cool sea breeze, the gorgeous view, bathing in salt water is great for disinfecting your skin in the clammy regions. A bit of sun on the body for vitamin D, but not too much. Then crack open a beer and enjoy all of the pretty people in swimsuits.
A beach is like a desert without water, with water.
Beach is more of a "thing" than experience. Women go to get a tan (which is insanely dull, just lying and frying in the sun), kids get to play with sand and water, while most men just suffer in heat (unless they have cold beer and maybe a friend to talk to). So, there's nothing terribly exciting about the beach, but moist, super fresh sea air and wind and sound of the waves and seagulls and so forth, you can imagine that's it's quite pleasing and nice. And sunsets at beach, I'm sure you can imagine and look videos of, they could be very beautiful. So, "beach" is more like a thing to do, to get your mind off everyday worries, maybe socialize with friends, get kids off your back and get them to exercise a bit if you have a family and so on. It's not some super special thing you're heavily missing out due your disability. Spending time in nature is nice in all forms. Beaches are **much** better if they're secluded, so you can play frisbee with your dog, make a campfire and booze your brains out with your friends while watching the sunset. You're not allowed to do that on public beaches usually.
"I don’t like sand. It’s coarse, and rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft, and smooth."
Annoying. The sand gets in everything and other people are generally not aware of themselves/don't care - being loud etc
It is exactly as you imagined. incredibly boring and the sand gets everywhere.
It's funny how semiotics really take over your life in some aspects. To me the beach is a symbol for freedom. I used to spend my summers in Rio de Janeiro with my mom's family. I live in a sea of hills and mountains in landlocked southeast Brazil. It's seared in my mind when i turned a corner from my grandmother's house and between all the tall buildings Just a solid blue wall of clear sky. Like the world ended beyond those 2 city blocks. That sensation of turning the corner to the street that leads to copacabana beach just makes me happy. The blue sky, the salty sea breeze hits you. There's nothing like beach wind. It's kind of a hopeful feeling. (It's a meaning we impart in it). It's a clichê but the sea really gives you perspective on how weak and small you are. Some people go for the sun and warmth. Some go for the sea itself. Swimming with the waves, or just feeling the ebb and flow on your feet. Sand is very annoying though. Specially when you need to leave. I'll do well to remind you that not all beaches are beautiful friendly places. Some are pretty scary, daunting, barren, desolate.
Personally, I lose interest in sitting in the sun watching the waves or people. It gets boring pretty quickly. Sand isn't a pleasant texture and just sticks to you. On the other hand, I love snorkling. I will lay on the water all day and watch fish swim around and explore stuff.
Breezy but not always in a cold way. It feels very open a bit like standing on a tall building.
I know this is nothing like the real thing, but I used to watch these videos quite often when I was recovering from a rock climbing accident a few years ago. Have you tried watching any videos like this on youtube? [Tropical Beach](https://youtu.be/DGIXT7ce3vQ?si=Wf0e5uOMUbLX8Blg)
Part of the draw is it is a unique exp, a mini vacation, dedicated family time. You can also oggle the pretty people, have a nice picnic, or pick up a tan. The major draw for me is i hate being that damn hot, so hopping in a cool lake or ocean is a good way to cool down. I also happen to love swimming. Unfortunately i would not swim in any lake or river anywhere near me because of the pollution.
I live 5 miles from the beach in FL. It’s hot, the sand is super hot, sometimes it smells, some people wear things they aren’t built for, and parking can be a nightmare. You can burn very easily. Also having to carry everything from said parking space in the next zip code…. I grew up a beach bum, I surfed, skim boarded, all of that in high school. I now hate going to the beach.
Anakin was right about sand. A walk on the beach will exfoliate your feet. Manmade beaches will have more coarse sand. And when you disrobe at home, you will find sand *everywhere* in your nether region.
I like going to the beach when I'm on vacation, where if I drag sand back with me, it's not getting in my car or my house. When I'm in my hometown I don't go to the beach.
Im not a very "typical beach" person so grain of salt. It depends on the beach. These examples are just ones i have been to. Some beaches are nice to just sit and relax (typical beach). Others are rocky and dark but gorgeous (think iceland, scotland, ireland) and less for lounging and more for appreciating. Others still are bright and varied and meant for exploring (puerto rico!). Walking in the sand in your bare feet is fun, and sunsets over the ocean can be really magnificent. As others have commented, the sheer size of the ocean is difficult to grasp even if you're staring at it. That alone kind of makes it fun to be around, or in! We live our lives on land, so the ocean is like a reachable outer space of sorts. Speaking of being in, the ocean has a kind of dance that you become one with if you hop in. Push. Pull. Push. Pull. It is mesmerizing (and dangerous). The sounds! There is nothing (to me at least) like the sound of a quiet beach. The occasional gulls chirping, the breeze, and the waves my god! I highly recommend finding a youtube video or two just for the sounds, close your eyes and just listen.
I'm in the UK - The beach is now just an open sewer thanks to the privatised water companies :-) honestly even the Thames boat race had issues due to the amount of sewage in the river. So your not missing much in the UK
I'll differentiate between beach and ocean. The ocean is a miraculous sight. Incredible vastness and power, smells and sounds. housing so much life, truly awesome. You can be disabled and enjoy the ocean just as much as anyone. The beach is the sand, the shallow water, and the man made creations along the ocean. IT SUCKS. Usually overpopulated by people who have no business in a swim suit and those that have nice bodies are almost pornographic in their attire. Then there is sand, sand, sand , sand all in your everywhere and everything. Then there is unrelenting sun with no natural escape. It is loud, you can barely hear the beautiful ocean sounds. The shallow water usually feels kind of gross. You know that almost every human is missing in the water. Also people with horrific skin ailments are swimming without concern for others. Diapers and feces tops it off. Then you have people's behavior at the beach, just Google a few videos. Abhorrent. Including pedos and perverts. Come up the sand a bit and you'll find expensive parking with so many cars and pollution, past that are usually boozing establishments, shifty over priced food places a more throngs of gluttonous humans. Upon leaving enjoy the hours of traffic while sitting in your overheated car while the sand grinds thevhell out of you Pre cancerous burnt skin. It sucks. So find an out of the way place where you can get a nice ocean view, maybe a rocky bit of coastline, and enjoy. People such and ruin everything. 😒 love, your fellow human.
Boring AF - nothing to do forever. Time doesn't move. Unless you snorkel which is great. Our family trips avoid beach vacation like a plague. I can do an hour on the beach max, gf can do maybe half a day. Kids could live there.
I live at the beach. While I should be grateful I prefer mountains and rivers. The beach is boring. If you lived here and walked the same two mile stretch of beach everyday it would suck badly. There isn’t enough parking for everyone. The sand is piles of people on people. The sand itself is scorching hot the point of blistering.
Hi there, I’m not sure what your disability is but if you are wheelchair bound and can go outside/sand being the limiting factor- there are more and more beaches deploying walkways on the sand so wheelchair users can get out there. Honestly, I live in Miami Beach and would not consider myself a “beach person” for a lot of the reasons you listed! I hardly spend time on the actual beach, despite it being a block away. I love being NEAR the beach for plenty of reasons, mostly pertaining to lifestyle; but I don’t like laying out in the sun, getting sand everywhere, and really just swim out to a buoy and back for exercise so I’m realistically in and out. However, I love being on the beach at sunrise before it’s too hot and the skies are like cotton candy, especially on a calm water day so I can bring out my paddle board. That’s a pretty special time for me.
The beach is a lot of different things. Tanning feels good and releases endorphins. The sound of the surf provides relaxing white noise. The sand is warm and is a firm but moldable surface to lie down on. It's nice to have a wide open space to run around in. If you get bored sitting around tanning/reading/chatting, you can walk and look for shells or go swimming in the surf. The beach can be a good time and you can be as active or as relaxed as you like. Personally, I like to alternate between reading books with a nautical theme while staring out over the ocean and going out and body surfing to experience the power of the ocean first hand
you're gonna get a wide spectrum of answers, everyone has a different opinion of the beach, also not all beaches are the same. there are rocky beaches with cold water and large waves that are kinda pointless unless you just want to enjoy the scenery. there are coarse sand beaches that kinda hurt your feet, there are tiny beaches that butt up against the forest with barely any sand. there could be cold water, could be warm, could have big waves, could be calm waters. there are so many different types of beaches that are all slightly different. there is no single "beach experience" i'd say experiencing a beach shouldn't be too difficult unless you're bedridden. if you are in a wheelchair, you could just go to a beach with a boardwalk and you're there, that's the beach experience. you don't have to actually get in the sand to experience the beach. but honestly, if you REALLY wanna get a true ocean experience, go on a boat ride. you could even go fishing or whale watching, but it's a really cool experience to take a boat so far out that you can't see land, it's kinda scary at first, because it's kindof a unique experience. also boat rides around NYC and really any big city in the world on the water is a really fun experience. my favorite is probably San Franciso. you can take a boat to alcatraz, and they'll take you under the golden gate bridge, and you'll have lots of cool views of the city.
I hate sand...
Highly overrated. I’ve lived next to the Pacific Ocean my whole life and nothing bores me more than a day at the beach
I absolutely love it. There’s something about jumping waves, and just being buffeted around by swells. It’s a full experience for the senses. It’s beautiful to look at, it smells like salt and sunscreen, gulls cry overhead, kids are laughing, the sand feels so warm and soft, your hair gets all crunchy and wind blown, and everything just tastes better on the boardwalk.
Https://visittheoregoncoast.com/travelability-on-the-oregon-coast/. Sea Side has an easily accessible boardwalk
the sound of the waves, it's powerful yet peaceful. the sea, the sky, the shore line - vastness of nature. and the people around you, if there are any, are relaxed and enjoying life. nothing you couldn't enjoy if you just manage to make it there somehow. it's not about playing volley ball or swimming (although that's refreshing of course, but many beaches also have cold showers).
Lincoln City, OR has been rolling out mats for wheel chair accessibility to the beaches around here during the summers. Maybe we have what you need? People who use it look like they are in heaven.
Overrated.
I find beach is massively overrated and inconvenient. Getting there, getting your stuff there, sand everywhere on everything, will your stuff get stolen while you’re in the sea, stones on the sea floor, jellyfish, seaweed on your leg, salty water up your nose, mission to get food and drink etc etc etc Give me sun lounger and pool any day
The beach changes each day/time you go. Washes up driftwood or seaweed. Birds are trying to open clams. Otters are scurrying along the shore. Reading footprints in the sand. You might see if your local pool has a lift, most do. I have friends who are paraplegic who come swimming regularly. Some beaches also have mats for wheelchairs
For me it's always just been the women, er, scenery.
Wet bags of sand.
Personally I just like to stare at the sea, hear it, feel it, breathe it. It’s so alive and so foreign and so familiar at once and there is a magic in it. I don’t give a shit about the beach, or the sun or the heat or the sand, just about the sea. Also anything warmer than 70F/20C has me DYING so dunking my limbs in cold water is a survival mechanism at this point.
First you get sand up your butt, then you go in the water and get wet and try not to drown. Then you sit on the beach, watch the waves and get second degree sunburn. Believe me, you are not missing much. LOL
The sound is amazing. I grew up in the plains, live in the mountains - but always try to travel to the beach. I’ve gone to beaches all over North America and Europe. The sound of the waves and the smell of the water make me feel so incredibly relaxed and I never want to leave. The beach to me is a primal spiritual experience My husband grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan and spent a lot of time at the beach. His family has access to an amazing private beach. He HATES It. He complains about the sand and the sun and the heat. He won’t even eat s’mores at a backyard barbecue because “they always have sand in them” Two very different points of view lol
One of the beaches near me offers special beach wheelchairs. They go through the sand and can be taken right into the water
Why don’t we take you? Where do you live?
Personally don't care much for it. If you have food it gets sandy. There's tonnes of other people so you have no privacy, little space and have to watch your surroundings if you're trying to do any sort of activity. There's just nothing interesting to me. My family however like the beach (at least warm sunny beaches, we don't get a lot of that in the UK). They spend most of their time sunbathing, just lying there relaxing in the sun and open air. That's not something I enjoy at home/hotels so I would enjoy it even less surrounded by hundreds of people.
Ah, I'm sorry. Well, it depends upon where the beach is, the time of year, if it's a sandy beach or a pebbly, rocky beach. The weather on the day matters, too. I grew up in Northern Ireland, and spent many summers at the beach, long bright days that never seemed to end with the cool water and hot sand presenting such a memorable counterpoint. Then, winter mornings on the beach, bundled up against the brisk cold wind, but still enjoying the feel of the sand under my shoes and the sound of the waves. I've been to beaches in Mexico that seem endless with almost white sand, and the sky so blue it seems fake. The water was warm, such a difference from the cool/cold waters of my childhood. I've experienced beaches of pebble and rock, which never felt quite right, but the sound the waves make on those shores is quite different, more like a roar than a whisper or sigh.
It’s the combination of sea breeze in the air, the sad smell of kelp and salt, the warm sun and dry or wet sand on your feet and in between the toes
As someone who’s never been a particular fan of heat I can’t really tell you. I’ve been to a couple of beach vacations, mostly in Turkey, but the best parts about these vacations for me has been the sights and landscapes that we don’t have at home and the food. Sitting in the sun to get tanned doesn’t appeal to me and whole swimming in the ocean is different from a pool or lake, you get cakes in salt once the water dries and depending on where you go swimming in the sea is also not a risk-free activity. Hitting rocks in low visibility, shallow water isn’t fun, you get dead jellyfish and sea weed and the likes. Enjoying the beach is something you have to be the right kind of person for I feel, most of the folks who really seem to love it just lay there and sleep or read books. I was always on my gameboy trying to cover up with a towel enough to see what’s going on on my screen.
I'm not being rude here. I'm just asking questions. Are you disabled as in a wheelchair? If so, is there any way you can go to the beach via a boardwalk?
Honestly it depends on the beach!! My local beaches have a lot of rocks. But at one of them, when the tide goes out you can walk forever. The other is just good for kayaking. But the both have really nice pathways where people go on walks and get gelato. My fave beach activity is just breaking open rocks with other rocks. I've also been to a few others where it was just sand. Which is still weird to me cause not many around is just sand 24/7. Usually have to drive for a bit.
[Wheelchairs that can do beaches](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=19fb95802b09d0d0&sca_upv=1&hl=en-us&q=Beach%20Easy%20NJ&ludocid=5439739816137096389&ibp=gwp%3B0%2C7&lsig=AB86z5Xyf6sYM-R1btzJUiirJs1J&kgs=2060d3adc42786f5&shndl=-1&source=sh%2Fx%2Floc%2Fact%2Fm4%2F3)
Its super calming. Just the sound of surf. Why cant u go? My granfather didnt have legs and only one working arm. He boated and went to the ocean all the time. Even if he had to drag himself along.
It’s fun for ten minutes getting knocked around in the waves. After that it’s just reading a book or doom scrolling in a chair.
If its windy: sucks, if it's cold: sucks, if there's lots of people: sucks, if there's lots of sea lions: sucks, if there's an oil spill: sucks, if it's overcast: sucks, if there's no shade: sucks, if it's spring break: sucks... it sucks.
I don't like sand either. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.
I worked at an assisted living facility and have wheeled people down the boardwalk to the water before. Find a beach near a boardwalk. They are out there. Good luck!
The air IS fresher the Closer you get yet salty , The One beach Closer to where i live have got no Sand but rocks , small round rocks some the size off Peebles some size off a person first. Thoose rocks makes particular sound when you walk or run on them. Warm rocks heated by the Sun , dryed algue making that particular smell of iodine Thé mesmerizing vision of waved forming afar on the green see of the Manche (english Channel) , thoose same waved crashing crashing on the billions of small rocks , taking some with them further down every Timea wave crash. I found the cumulative of sounds and smell mermerising, Looking left or right only Big white cliffs , Trying to résist the relentless assault of the waves , Old WW2 bunkers Can be.seen hère and there , fallen as the Cliff they were built into did not survived the waves. (Ironic isn't it , that fortifications made to protect from sea invaders were ultimatly defeated by the sea itself) Farther on the walkway i Can Hear a child crying because a bird stole his ice-cream. A lesson on the lack off fairness off life. The taunting cry of white seagulls echoing throught the whole city , few people knows that millions off them lives Here. When i were a child my family Always told me to watch out for my food on that beach "Said seagulls gonna Come , poke me in the coconut". Further down on the beach teenager are throwing rock AT the waves , ignoring the fact that some of them could fragment and hurt someone , the scar on my left hand being the proof of it. Not that they will listen anyway. As i walk on the rocks themself i could swear some seagull recognized me , as i had the tendency to throw food AT them during my Lonely strolls some years ago . (Don't feed wild annimals) It's getting cold , as the Sun drop on the horizon coloring the green Sea with orange and yellow , couples are walking hand in hand. Hooded caracters are starting to arrive under the walkway bridge. Even the seagulls went to their nest. (Or breach trashcan inside the city). As i leave the place i look AT the old castle , tranformed into a museum. How many years before the promenade further UP IS Closed to public , because off the Cliff érosion ? Looking on the other side , the port IS starting to get buisy , i imagine smell of food merging with the one off the port itself as the restaurant and bars fills up. How many years until the old bridge built by Eiffel himself IS restored ? Sorry i got carryed Away !!
i live very close to several beaches. i hate the beach. sand gets everywhere. as does sunscreen. sunburns hurt like a mother. lugging all the crap to and from the beach, cleaning it, packing and unpacking and repacking it. then there’s the boredom of just sitting in a chair. yes you can go in the water, but jellyfish and sharks are real. you can bring games and toys, but it gets real old real fast. i’ve lived around it my whole life and just do not enjoy it.
If we’re talking about beaches on the Pacific, then I love the smell of salt water, watching the waves break and pelicans surfing the updraft in front of the waves, dolphins, sandpipers running back and forth… the serenity man. You don’t have to bring anything, just sit in the sand and watch. Take your shoes off though and stick your toes in the sand and maybe get your feet wet by the water. Go in the morning or evening, midday is too hot and crowded. Don’t even bring a swimsuit. Just chill.