I love the ocean. The salt air, the sound of the pounding surf, can you hear it? (sound will load last) The sight of just watching the tides change, the waves break, the skies meeting the horizon. The beautiful sunsets and sunrises.
If you have never been to the Gulf of Mexico, you are missing a marvelous and miraculous sight. Unlike the oceans, with blue and blue/gray waters, the Gulf is green. The colors of green change with the weather and the seasons. The shades change from olive, to aqua, to mint, to pea green, to hunter green, to lime and all shades in between. I have never seen a sight quite like it. Each time I look at the Gulf, I am amazed at the color(s). I like the Gulf better than the oceans for coloring.
Most of all, the biggest difference is the clearness of the water. In the oceans, the water is clear up to about the middle of the area between your knees and waist. In the gulf, I can walk out to my neck, look down and see the shells on the bottom. In our boat, 16 feet of water looks like you can reach down and touch the bottom. It is truly amazing.I like the Gulf better for clearness of the water.
Another difference, is the waves. At the ocean, the waves crash into the surf, as the tides change, so do the sizes of the waves, along with the force of the crashing in. At the Gulf, the tides have a smoother transition. They don't "crash" in, they sort of roll and sometimes pound in. The currents change with the tide as in the oceans, but it does not necessarily change the size of the waves or the force for which they come in. In this way, I like the ocean surf better.
Of course the difference in the seashells also makes me like the Gulf even better than the oceans. I can't say much for the pacific, as I have not spent much time looking for shells there.... but the atlantic, from Pennsylvania to Daytona Beach, Florida I have searched High and Low for shells. Upon occassion I have found a couple of broken conch and whelk shells on the North Carolina and South Carolina beaches. In Georgia, Tybee Island is great for finding Sand Dollars by the bucketfuls. But basically, the Atlantic is filled with clam, oyster and mussle shells. Some nicely colored, some rather large. But let's face it after a couple dozen, these get to be rather boring to find.
At the Gulf beaches however, I find several types and sizes of conch, whelk, olives, ariels, tops, sharks teeth, and much more. I find new species all the time. To me, THIS is the way to find shells! To see some shells, go to my seashell page.
Overall, I love BOTH the oceans and the Gulf. However, in my opinion, the Gulf is the better of choices for a trip to the beach!
Choose a link to go to another page...Dolphins/Sharkor Manatee and WhalesorBirds orAmphibiansorStorms orPalm/Fruit TreesorSea ShellsorOther Sea Lifeor evenOur "Big Catch" album
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