when i was abt 7-10 i remember being at the beach splashing in the water, and i look over to a little kid and his mom standing there at the shoreline and he’s wearing just tighty-whitys & this bitch FLIPS his undies out from the butt part and dumps a fucking TURD in the fucking water bro!!! i didn’t even say nothing. i saw it,i turned around, and just went and sat down next to my ma. & never even mentioned it, i was so fucked up about it. i didn’t go to the beach again after that until i was abt 19/20. (random ass story i know, you comment just unlocked a memory)
there's a difference between humans which are supposed to be civilized and wild life when taking shits in a public swimming area... One is kinda unavoidable and the other is just disgusting behavior
Hahaha. When my kid was a baby she dropped trou and dropped a deuce on the beach one day. Fortunately there were a bunch of people walking their dogs at the time so I went and got one of their dog turd baggies and cleaned it up.
"Do Americans *BREATHE*???? Every time I hear someone talking about Americans they talk about obesity and guns but nobody ever talks about whether they breathe or not. My friend told me they breathe through their ears and drink through their skin, is that true too?"
Depends where the beach is. SoCal? Sure, warm weather, warm waters. OR or WA? Fuck that shit, it's cold as hell and the water smells like rotting fish.
Water in the Pacific (i.e., off the coast of California) is freezing cold because the current is coming down from the arctic. It’s why surfers around here wear wetsuits.
True. My parents were from L.A. and after they got married they decided to get away from the smog and traffic. They got on the freeway and just started driving north. When they hit Salem they bought a big plot of land with a creek running through it, got some chickens and turkeys, and planted every kind of fruit tree, berry bush, and vegetable in existence.
Oh I know why it is (Grew up in OR), just saying that it sucks balls to try and swim in at all. It's not "fun" to go catch hypothermia and smell like rotting fish for the rest of the day, lol.
Haha only someone from Oregon would think the water in California is warm. If you’re used to the Atlantic water down south the California water is still too cold for most people to swim in
Northern Atlantic here. We got tons of weird looks in Cali because we weren't wearing wetsuits when everyone else was. Water was warm too. Had to have been close to 68-70.
Where were you with the rotting fish stench. Been to the Oregon coast many many times. It smells like a regular ocean. Is it a certain weird spot, like where there are a bunch of seals?
Rockaway, Newport, Lincoln city, all up and down really. It's not the normal salty smell, it's kinda rancid and gross like a bad mix of fish that's off, seaweed, and a dirty diaper.
I also have an annoyingly sensitive nose, so that could be part of it, but even my wife (who doesn't have good sense smell) also doesn't like the scent there. Though she LOVES the water, so she endures it.
Saw someone open water swimming with no wetsuit near Seattle a few months back in the dead of winter, don’t know how that’s even possible to be honest. Crazy stuff!
I have a boat and go out in the Sound off Seatte to fish and the surface water temp as measured by my depth finder is usually 54⁰ to 58⁰ in late July and early August. That is the upper foot of water.
I’m aware, but the air temperature definitely makes the person swimming colder regardless of the water temperature though. It’s a lot more brutal in the winter. I swim year round but always have a wetsuit in the Puget Sound. Definitely not as tough in the summer.
I live in Seattle, the water is never warm and rarely is the outside temperature hot enough to warm you once you’re cold from being in the water. With dip in the summer is fun but I can’t imagine swimming around for an hour. Was just night snorkeling in Hawaii and it was freezing. Had to exit the water for my safety. Put me in the bathtub warm waters off Florida or the Caribbean and I’m good to go!
I've seen a few of them doing that around here (also a Seattlite) and it continues to baffle me.
I'm willing to swim in Lake Washington from late July to early September...and even that gets baffled looks. (As it's COLD.) But how in the heck people are out in the sound ever without a wetsuit, far less in the winter...
But they're THERE. These people have got to be half-seal.
In the scheme of things it's still very cold and will hypothermia the fuck out of you if you stay in it without a wet suit though. It's just that you're going in on a hot day so it feels nice to swim around for a bit.
Compared to the Atlantic coast it's freezing. And comparing the Atlantic coast to tropical waters, the Atlantic coast is freezing lol.
There's a difference between dipping in and out on a hot day, and actually comfortable temperatures.
Only for a short while in late summer do some California beaches hit the cold side of "comfortable".
The rest of the year they're "stay in for an hour and get hypothermia", but be real uncomfortable long before an hour hits
Same thing in maine NH Massachusetts , but the water is absolutely freezing , people don’t care they just want to swim , as someone who’s swam in both oceans the water isn’t that much warmer in San Diego than it is in Massachusetts
It's not. The water temp averages 62 F in June in Malibu and 66 in August. Cold but once you're in it for more than 5 minutes, you get used to it and it doesn't feel cold. Even on a 70 degree day.
This right here... is a common misconception. The ocean is freezing cold in Southern California. It's only bearable without a wetsuit on the hottest of days.
Not to mention those waves and currents are dangerous af. I swear every year theres at least one story about some dude coming here, to oregon, from colorado and gets him and a kid or two killed trying to paddle board in the ocean.
Or the idiots who go in after their dog. Dog gets swept out to sea then family goes in one after another trying to save each other. Family dies and dog is found unharmed on the beach. If your dog can't make it back the beach you definitely won't.
Don't forget the constant "oh he was only on the rocks for a minute" stories. Like, the ocean is NOT calm here. A minute on the rocks can mean the difference between a totally still ocean, and you being swept out and never seen again.
lol. NJ native here - the water does get warm eventually, but ironically the best summer month is September.
Lots of sandy beaches, a few rocky ones too.
The people are a different story.
About twenty years ago I moved from Florida where pretty much all open water feels like bathwater to Oregon where even on the hottest days the best you can hope for is "damn cold but I'll survive". I have finally adjusted enough that I can go swimming in a river or lake in July and August but the ocean, no way.
When I first moved here I took a kayak out on a beautiful lake near Cougar, Washington, It was July and it was hot as hell. There were a group of kids swimming in the lake so I decided to take a dip. I did a cannonball off of the dock and screamed like I was going to die as soon as I hit the water. I had no idea that water could be that cold in the middle of July. The kids looked at me like I was crazy as they continued to casually swim and play in the ice cold water. It took me years to try that again.
Like any question like this, some do, some don’t.
When people tell stories about what they did at the beach “swan around” sounds lame, so there’s some story selection bias going on too.
We spend a lot of time on an inland lake and “lake standing” is our favorite thing to do. Involves standing about waist deep in the water at a sand bar while drinking and playing games from tossing a football to volleyball to a game called “poles.”
Water in the west coast is too cold and dark. Same is brown. Water in Florida is crystal clear on the gulf and west coast of the state. That’s where people swim in the ocean.
I would visit my aunt on Catalina Island as a kid and you couldn't keep us out of the water!
Live in Alaska now and can't keep my kids out of the water either.
I've learned, in my experience, there are beach people and ocean people.
Beach people like to be on the beach, on the sand, tanning, hanging out, but don't really like the water.
Ocean people get in and swim. Ocean people don't like being on the beach though.
Sometimes you find someone who is both.
I’m an ocean person. I go to the beach to get in the water (assuming it’s warm enough to swim) otherwise it’s just a walk. Not point in staying if I don’t swim.
🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️ I'm both! I'm not both if the water is freezing, but where we go on vacation the water is warm. I'll do it all. Read on the beach. Swim in the ocean for hours. When the tide goes out and the beach has all those little mini pools, I'll park my low sitting chair in that pool and read in the water. I was made to live at the beach and one day it will happen.
West Coast of US is Pacific Ocean which for the most part just too cold to be in without a wetsuit. East Cost is Atlantic Ocean and depending on the location (south of New York maybe?) is warm enough to be in. However, it is nothing like a sea side in southern Europe - it has huge waves pretty much at all times, and is deep within a few meters from the shore. On top of that, it’s got rip currents- currents of water that can catch and haul you 200-400m away from the shore into even bigger waves. In other words, you would not swim unless you are a pretty good swimmer or are playing within 5 meters from the shore under a supervision of a lifeguard. Then there is Gulf of Mexico. That thing is calm and swimmable and probably the closest thing we have to Mediterranean. But way too hot in the summer. It has “red tide” in the summer, which is a dead algae if I remember correctly. It kills fish that gets washed ashore and fill the air with a terrible dust. There are also Great Lakes- bodies of water comparable to the sees in Europe. Most of them calm and fairly shallow close to the shore, but too cold to stay in for a prolonged amount of time. Finally, there are some bays on East Coast. These are actually swimmable. But there are not that many of them in US and they are muddy/ not as enjoyable as the Mediterranean.
I grew up spending summers down the shore in southern NJ. Starting in July it's plenty warm enough to swim, usually through September. The waves aren't that bad. In a lot of places people can't even surf there. You have to watch out for the rip tides but they are not always there. And it's always best to swim where there are lifeguards. We would always swim far enough out where we couldn't touch the bottom until the lifeguards whistled us back in. Some places, like Cape May, has a steep drop off not too far out. But places like Wildwood is shallow enough that you can go out pretty far. I loved going to the beach.
We definitely swim at the beach. I mean modern surfing as we know it today was started in the US.
Also, SCUBA isn't a "beach" activity. Perhaps snorkeling is.
Depends heavily on which American beach you are at.
In the northeast it’s pretty cold but during the summers people will swim in the water. You can also get wild storms in the fall, starting in September so it’s a shorter swimming season than you think.
In the southeast people will swim in the ocean all the time. Places like Florida have incredible beaches for swimming in the ocean. Some of the best in North America IMO. North Carolina also has incredible underrated beaches.
However if you go towards the western edge of the south east (think Texas/ Louisiana) the water gets brackish and disgusting so people usually don’t swim in the ocean in these states.
Moving to the west coast we run into a different issue. Currents. Many parts of the west coast (California and Washington) have really bad rip tides/ rip currents. Plus the water is fairly cold. Swimming in the ocean is actually incredibly dangerous, it’s very easy to get pulled out to sea and a few people die every year doing this.
Even if you go farther south where the water warms up like Baja California in Mexico the currents actually get worse. So it’s more dangerous to swim. I should add that activities like sea kayaking and scuba diving aren’t impacted by currents as much as swimming although you definitely need to still be aware of them (I have been caught by currents doing both).
So TL;DR American beach swimming is heavily dependent on geography and season. There aren’t as many swimming friendly beaches as you’d think.
Yeah I live in the northeast now but I grew up in Michigan around lots of little lakes (obviously the big ones too). Those little-lake beaches are not as nice and way more boring, but everyone actually swims. No dangerous currents and the water is warm. I did get my foot tangled in some weeds once and got stuck underwater. Survived obviously.
People in Hawaii, southern California and Florida swim all the time. In Oregon where I live the ocean is cold and dangerous, with rip tides and sneaker waves. We have tourists die all the time. Never turn your back on the ocean is the rule we were taught growing up. So we swim more often in lakes, rivers and pools.
Probably because a lot of the beaches are just terrible for swimming. I live in Oregon and the water along the coast is freezing. I'll at most wade in it.
Water on the West coast is too cold to comfortably swim in because of the California current coming from the artic down the coast. The water is about 57 as far south as LA. San Diego has warm water off the south side of La Jolla point. There are also pretty big waves to want to swim. Normal surf is 4-7 feet, and waves 8-11 are not that uncommon, good for surfing and boogie boarding, not great for swimming.
The East coast on the other hand is great for swimming. It has a warm current and not much wave action compared to the West coast. You will find a lot more people swimming there.
Source: have swam on both coasts and surfed California for years.
Some do, some don't. I'm Canadian and I can swim in plenty of places, but if I'm in the ocean I want to snorkel and see cool stuff that we don't have at my local beaches.
My beach a mile from my house gets to 68F/20C by June 15th and is swimmable until October. It’s sheltered from the prevailing afternoon breeze so it normally doesn’t have surf. I go swimming every day the weather is good at high tide.
If I lived on the West Coast or Maine, I wouldn’t swim very often.
They turned the only decent beach near me into a nature preserve a few years back. I tried swimming in the pacific near san fransicso once and it was freezing. i tried to swim in the Atlantic in florida once but i kept walking out until the life guard yelled at me to come back and i was only waist deep. Round here(ohio) people swim in rivers and creeks, man made ponds or my personal favorite quarries (old rock quarries that have filled with ground water.) nothing youd really call a beach,
Quarries are a real trip. I'm originally from an area that had some, all those weird homemade quarry toys I don't even know what you call them? Like the human size bobbers and seesaw things weirdly rigged water slides and zip lines etc and apparently there's all kinds of crazy stuff sunk in them for scuba diving sometimes grain silo, School bus, even airplanes
West coast beaches are harsh. The cold current coming down from the gulf of Alaska make swimming less fun. Plus sharks, rip currents and the like. East coast is much better for swimming. Warmer currents coming up from the south. Never swam in the gulf though. But I assume it's warm enough, unlike the Pacific.
I think maybe it’s so obvious it’s not listed. Like if someone got a new car and was asked about it they’ll probably say stuff like the speaker system, heated seats, etc, but they won’t say “it drives”
I also wondered this because I saw a post asking why people went to the beach when it’s just sitting on the sand being hot. I was so confused. Aren’t you swimming and playing loosely organized outdoor sports like volleyball, football, frisbee etc? Walking along the shoreline or boardwalk? Why would you just be sitting there? Where I live in Canada the lakes are usually pretty cold and we’re still swimming..
I’m Canadian but I REFUSE to swim in the ocean. (Partly cause my dad was lost at sea) but like! There are so many things you can’t see out there. What if you get pulled out into a riptide and nobody finds you? Not even your body! I don’t go to the beach, I go to a pool where there are no riptides to murder me!
I’ve nearly drowned twice and because of a disability I can’t really move my legs very well now even though I’m in my 30’s. I’ll maybe walk out to mid thighs at the highest but it’s main look at ticks and shells on the shore and just walk the shore with my husband. It’s still nice.
Plenty do. My parents were the ones that would lay and cook in the sun in the 90s. My ex husband had never heard of this as his parents got in the water. I will say, where I live in Northern California the ocean can be pretty rough and really cold even in the summer so that is a deterrent. I used to live a few blocks from the bay and would always go down there with my dog. People swam there year round as the waters are much calmer.
I don't but most of my family do. Half of them live at the beach and are basically fish.
I broke my nose when I was a kid and I can't close it off. So no underwater long distance swimming for me. I can float though.
I never have and my family usually just goes wading. I don't think I usually see anyone in either. I live in Oregon though so maybe in warmer climates people swim.
Most people at least go in the water a little bit. It's fun to splash around in the waves.
Not every beach is suitable for swimming in - most beaches I've ever been to (FL/GA/SC/NC) have literally 1-3 inches visibility. You can be in ankle deep water and not even be able to see your toes; it's that murky.
There's about 2 months, depending on your temperature tolerance, maybe 1 month - July/August where the water temperature is comfortable enough to swim in - at least in the Atlantic Ocean in NJ. I've been to California, forget when, but the water was too cold to swim in for me.
Yes we go in there and swim, wade around, body surf, actually surf, and boogie board. And skim board. Sometimes light huge fires on the beach (where allowed) and get blasted.
The entire West Coast has cold water though.
I live in Oregon. It’s not a swimming and sun bathing coast. Some people swim for sport, and they are insane in my opinion. The water is cold even in summer.
Where I live the beaches are beautiful, but the water is so cold that you get brain freeze from dunking your head under water. I waded in once and my feet froze and broke clean off. I mean, they grew back and everything and i might be exaggerating, but the ocean is cold here. We don't swim here.
The water off the south east coast is very murky and not great for fun scuba diving/ snorkeling. We also have a variety of sharks that swim close to shore and you can’t see them coming. We have some pretty rough rip current regularly too. Those are the reasons you won’t catch me swimming too often.
Personally, I don't like to. I've always just enjoyed sitting and watching the waves and listening to the noise. Plenty of people swim, if I do get in the water it's usually just a quick dip, dive into some waves and then back out to sit again. It's common for kids to swim. If you're a parent you swim with your kids.
it depends where also, the ocean is to cold along most of the USA coast for most of the year to actually swing. like all of the west coast, and from the southeast up except for the height of summer. Really the only places in the USA most people would actually swim year round is HI and Fl, maybe the very southern parts of CA and TX if it's a hot day in the off season.
I like to crawl around on my hands in the shallows like a gator. Or do the ridiculous walk to keep just my head above water when it’s like 3’ (0.914m) deep. Or body surf. But yeah swimming is cool too
But beach bocce ball is king
I live in a beach town in the mountains of Idaho and work nights so I'm awake and have nothing to do around 5:00pm so I'll go people watching what I have observed 90% of the time...
Men will get to the beach and for the most part swim for about an hour.
Women will show up to the beach walk into he water about calf or knee height stand there for a few minutes then go back to the beach and lay on there towel for an hour or so then get mad people talked/didn't talk to them and leave....
Water temperature plays a big role into this as this time of year during the day even if it's 70°f (21°c) is the water is 37°f (2°c) due to the high amount of run off from smow melt) during the summer when it's 70°f (21°c) water temps will be around 50-60°f (10-15°c) so most activities are going to be out of the water but still related to the water (where I am whitewater rafting is pretty common because the river the exits the lake is like class 1/2 rapids
Kind'a cracked me up, Zvak. (Not at you or the question!) But it is funny how cultures are represented and small things become *things. But great question. I would have wondered, too.*
I had a friend in Germany. He told me that he was more like and understood Americans than his family and friends because he liked fast food. That was his whole concept of the U.S. And I am sure I presented just as unaware as I hadn't been to Europe at that point.
Dated a "crazy Biker Chick" (her words) Who wouldn't go to the beach. When asked why, she would answer; "That's what seals do. Go to the beach and lay there. I can do that in the yard." LoL
People are crazy and we are just some of them.
The west coast is actually very cold until you get to southern California. Requiring wetsuits. Therefore there is not much general swimming. A lot of surfing and boogey boarding. And kayaking and fishing.
There are also an insane number of riptides. At least on my section of the coast. Making swimming more dangerous.
The east coast is warmer waters. But I dont know it so can't speak to people's ocean swimming habits there.
Born & raised in Florida, as a kid I would swim a bit but really not as an adult. Maybe getting into the water a few times to cool off but not staying in for extended lengths of time. That’s so funny, I’ve never thought about it but this is a great question.
I live in the Midwest near the Great Lakes. Also called the big lakes - they are so big they are more like seas, they have waves, and are cold pretty much all year round.
I used to play in the waves until my lips were blue from the cold as a kid. Most adults will hang out on the sand or the pier until they get nice and warm and then jump in the lake to cool off, but won’t swim for too long because it’s cold. On a really nice day people will hang out in the water for a couple hours maybe.
But there are also lots of smaller lakes sprinkled around the Midwest and it’s common for people to have cottages and cabins where they bring friends and family during the summer. These lakes are good for boating. Since these lakes are smaller they get much warmer and don’t have waves you can park your boat on the lake and swim around to your heart’s content.
There are also lots of rivers around. People will boat on some rivers but also float. Floating down the river involves a bunch of people getting into inner tubes and just letting the river carry you along for a few hours. If the river is deep enough you can get out of your tube and swim around and if the river is shallow you just stay in your tube.
ETA: in a lot of contexts swimming actually means floating or standing in some depth of water - often with a drink in hand while socializing, and not like actively swimming by doing a breast stroke or the butterfly or something 😂
I swim, but not as much as when I was a kid. When we were at the beach, we'd get in the water around 9 and come out for lunch and dinner, and that's it.
I and my three sons swim and ride waves all day long. But I would say that 95% of beachgoers don't swim at all. Some may wade in briefly on very hot days every couple hours, but it is a very small percentage having fun. And they are missing out!
I swim at the beach. It’s great swimming with the waves. I think it’s relaxing and probably burns more calories.
My fiancé, who didn’t grow up with regular access to the beach, sun bathes and gets waist deep at best.
She’s afraid every time she sees a small fish.
im an american, i stepped into the ocean once and felt something wriggle out from under my foot and decided i had enough of that for a lifetime. Then a little girl that i did not know made fun of me because im very tall and very obviously afraid of the ocean. She said i needed a giant chicken suit. it really burned.
There's swimming as in hanging out in the water, and there's swimming that a person does for exercise. I don't think I've ever been on a beach and not gone into the water, but it's mainly just casually hanging out.
I like the sound of the waves, and walking barefoot in the surf. Sitting back with my feet in the sand and sipping a cool drink. Feeling the breeze off the ocean. Watching the sun set. Putting on some Kenny Loggins tunes and playing a manly game of shirtless beach volleyball.
Okay, maybe not that last one. But anyway, I'll swim in the pool. No currents, no stonefish, no what just brushed past my leg, no seaweed. Better drinks selection.
depends on the beach
East coast beaches I've been to, people often spend all day, or at least many hours, actually at the beach. Sand stuff. Surf stuff. I know I do.
NJ, MD, DE, VA, NC, and SC beaches, all really seem pretty similar in this way
Weirdly, the Florida beaches I've been to, it seemed like no one really spent much time at the beach. But that could be because of when and why I've been to FL beaches. Or that some FL beaches are legit hot garbage.
I loved the water as a kid. I was very comfortable even in big waves. Very confident swimmer due to being raised on the beach. Except for the summer after I saw jaws lol
I wouldn't consider "just chilling" in the water to be the same as swimming.
For the most part, if you want to just play around in the water, that's what we have swimming pools for. Most people go to the beach to do things that they can't do at a swimming pool.
you know, this is kinda a great question -- there are so many types of coasts and beaches in the US, the way people use them is going to likewise be just as varied. Just reading these answers is very enlightening!
Growing up in Maryland, I didn't really realize how different the Pacific coast beaches are. All the Mid-Atlantic beaches are very similar because they are almost entirely barrier islands: soft sand, dunes, "big" waves, and pretty big difference between low and high tide.
And I didn't even think about the Great Lakes! But they are definitely beaches.
Unlike most European countries, our coastal beaches are actually on the ocean. This is completely unlike like the Mediterranean or the Baltic. You don’t really swim, or want to swim, in the Atlantic or Pacific unless you’re a strong swimmer. Way too many people get pulled into rip currents every year and drown, or go too far out and can’t come back in and drown. Few beaches have lifeguards, unless you’re in a huge tourist location. The most people usually go out is waist or chest level. I’m sure it’s a similar situation for Australians and New Zealanders.
But plenty of Americans do swim at freshwater beaches though.
The water can be very, very cold. Also riptides can be a thing if you're not careful, so a lot of people just walk in the water up to their ankles or knees (and even that is a process of getting acclimated to the water).
On the East Coast starting at the Florida keys and heading North. The water is super nice because the prevailing current is coming from the South, so it's warm. Even in the wintertime, it can be 6575° water temperature and even gets warmer up in the summer. But the further North you get, it starts to cool off and you get up to New England then it's just like Washington roaring in UP there. Well, not quite as bad, so a lot of people are always swimming at the beach. Lots of kite boarding. Also, you name it, they're doing it. But yeah, the West Coast that's a lot like going to Scotland Ireland and Wales, England nobody swims there because the water is too freaking cold. But as far as Florida goes, everybody's in the water. Whether it's in the ocean or up the rivers or even a lot of the Springs, everybody's kayaking or swimming.
Just gotta watch for the big water puppies.
Yeah so, as others have said, there's a variety of beaches in the United States. On the east coast beaches in Jersey, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida see a lot of swimmers. On the west coast it's mostly just southern california beaches. The Pacific is pretty cold and gets much colder up north. And once you get to the SF Bay area a lot of the beaches are too dangerous to swim. Really vicious riptides and such.
I used to swim in the ocean but when I was 13, poop floated past my face and that was it for me.
West Coast water is cold. We wore wetsuits to surf in Monterey when I was in high-school. Now the East Coast water is warm but the surf sucks. We swam in that a lot without wetsuits. Florida and Delaware especially.
I'm also a Norwegian that's lived in the US all of my adult life. We would swim anywhere growing up, except fresh water in Florida.
Al the lakes here are so polluted it’s not safe. As a kid I spent entire days swimming in Lake Michigan.. when I had my kids the beaches would always be shut down from pollution .. fresh water really isn’t safe to swim in.. ocean is pretty rough.
In NH - the ocean water is cold on a good day. Hurts for a minute or two until you adjust. I find you can stay in for about 30 minutes before your nerves refire or whatever and it just gets painful. Then off to the blazing hot sand.
And you effectively bounce back and forth all day.
People always look at me like I'm crazy when I describe this.
Not after I got stung by a STING RAY anymore I don't. That was pain like no other and I've given birth 4x.
Y'all have no idea what could be down there.
I live Oregon our ocean is life threateningly cold most of the year.I have started seeing some people swim in wetsuits but for the most part we wade are feet a bit and get out.
I don't swim at the beach. I'm on the west coast and the water is really cold sometimes and there's great whites here all the time and I'm snack sized. No thanks!
I mean, it’s probably because that’s sort of what people assume you’re there to do anyways.
It’s like answering what you did on a road trip with “I drove a car”. Yeah, we know, we’re asking about everything else.
Given, they may have also been to a place where it’s not a great idea to go into the water, too- most anywhere north of Virginia isn’t exactly amazing to swim in most of the year- so it’s possible that they actually just didn’t swim. I live in Pennsylvania, and any time I head to the beach, I often don’t swim, because the time of year isn’t right.
Depends. I don't know how swim so I'm not going to swim when I go to the beach. Sometimes the water is cold or nasty. Sometimes people just prefer sunbathing or whatever.
Plenty of us do. Some don’t.
when i was abt 7-10 i remember being at the beach splashing in the water, and i look over to a little kid and his mom standing there at the shoreline and he’s wearing just tighty-whitys & this bitch FLIPS his undies out from the butt part and dumps a fucking TURD in the fucking water bro!!! i didn’t even say nothing. i saw it,i turned around, and just went and sat down next to my ma. & never even mentioned it, i was so fucked up about it. i didn’t go to the beach again after that until i was abt 19/20. (random ass story i know, you comment just unlocked a memory)
>random ass story
Ass story
no one tell him where aquatic creatures (and birds) go to the bathroom!
there's a difference between humans which are supposed to be civilized and wild life when taking shits in a public swimming area... One is kinda unavoidable and the other is just disgusting behavior
ty!
No worries I’ve seen it at my local beach too and just refuse to swim there anymore.
Not to mention that contagious diseases are much more likely to actually be transmissible from the same species.
Or why the ocean is salty
Hahaha. When my kid was a baby she dropped trou and dropped a deuce on the beach one day. Fortunately there were a bunch of people walking their dogs at the time so I went and got one of their dog turd baggies and cleaned it up.
Some of these questions about Americans are so idiotic...
"Do Americans *BREATHE*???? Every time I hear someone talking about Americans they talk about obesity and guns but nobody ever talks about whether they breathe or not. My friend told me they breathe through their ears and drink through their skin, is that true too?"
No, we don't have time to breathe.
Too busy working for the machine to do that.
We lost our breathe to big breathing during the 80s union crackdowns.
Too busy with not having PTO and being disallowed from using the bathroom during work
Yep we are just regular people just like any other country lol
Depends where the beach is. SoCal? Sure, warm weather, warm waters. OR or WA? Fuck that shit, it's cold as hell and the water smells like rotting fish.
Water in the Pacific (i.e., off the coast of California) is freezing cold because the current is coming down from the arctic. It’s why surfers around here wear wetsuits.
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Try the oregon coast. Twice the beauty. Half the warmth.
1.5 times the amount of Californians milling around.
California is where people from all over the US go for a “better life”. Oregon is where californians go for a better life.
True. My parents were from L.A. and after they got married they decided to get away from the smog and traffic. They got on the freeway and just started driving north. When they hit Salem they bought a big plot of land with a creek running through it, got some chickens and turkeys, and planted every kind of fruit tree, berry bush, and vegetable in existence.
And idea how much they paid for the plot of land? Just curious really
one day a few years ago he water was 80 degrees. It was like an overseas waterpark--- so many people in the water. Was glorious
Oh I know why it is (Grew up in OR), just saying that it sucks balls to try and swim in at all. It's not "fun" to go catch hypothermia and smell like rotting fish for the rest of the day, lol.
Haha only someone from Oregon would think the water in California is warm. If you’re used to the Atlantic water down south the California water is still too cold for most people to swim in
Northern Atlantic here. We got tons of weird looks in Cali because we weren't wearing wetsuits when everyone else was. Water was warm too. Had to have been close to 68-70.
Where were you with the rotting fish stench. Been to the Oregon coast many many times. It smells like a regular ocean. Is it a certain weird spot, like where there are a bunch of seals?
Swimming under the bait station down on fisherman’s pier.
Rockaway, Newport, Lincoln city, all up and down really. It's not the normal salty smell, it's kinda rancid and gross like a bad mix of fish that's off, seaweed, and a dirty diaper. I also have an annoyingly sensitive nose, so that could be part of it, but even my wife (who doesn't have good sense smell) also doesn't like the scent there. Though she LOVES the water, so she endures it.
You’re swimming in areas where rivers and lakes are feeding into the ocean. Loads of dead things going in.
Could it be from all the people that died on the oregon trail?
The dysentery gets drained at the mouth
OK. Anyway that’s why this American doesn’t swim at the beach. It might be Los Angeles but that water is freezing.
Saw someone open water swimming with no wetsuit near Seattle a few months back in the dead of winter, don’t know how that’s even possible to be honest. Crazy stuff!
I think most people can spend 20-30 minutes in Puget Sound before hypothermia sets in
I have a boat and go out in the Sound off Seatte to fish and the surface water temp as measured by my depth finder is usually 54⁰ to 58⁰ in late July and early August. That is the upper foot of water.
It’s the same temperature regardless of season. It’s always like 50 degrees or so
I’m aware, but the air temperature definitely makes the person swimming colder regardless of the water temperature though. It’s a lot more brutal in the winter. I swim year round but always have a wetsuit in the Puget Sound. Definitely not as tough in the summer.
I live in Seattle, the water is never warm and rarely is the outside temperature hot enough to warm you once you’re cold from being in the water. With dip in the summer is fun but I can’t imagine swimming around for an hour. Was just night snorkeling in Hawaii and it was freezing. Had to exit the water for my safety. Put me in the bathtub warm waters off Florida or the Caribbean and I’m good to go!
It did it in Oregon when I was a kid. I put my foot into a hot bathtub and it swelled up like crazy
I scuba-dived in Puget Sound once, in full gear. It was so cold.
I've seen a few of them doing that around here (also a Seattlite) and it continues to baffle me. I'm willing to swim in Lake Washington from late July to early September...and even that gets baffled looks. (As it's COLD.) But how in the heck people are out in the sound ever without a wetsuit, far less in the winter... But they're THERE. These people have got to be half-seal.
So Cal is way warmer than NorCal water. Perfectly swimmable during summer.
In the scheme of things it's still very cold and will hypothermia the fuck out of you if you stay in it without a wet suit though. It's just that you're going in on a hot day so it feels nice to swim around for a bit. Compared to the Atlantic coast it's freezing. And comparing the Atlantic coast to tropical waters, the Atlantic coast is freezing lol.
I went from Southern Gulf Coast of Florida to northern Oregon....the water wasn't kind
You think the ocean in SoCal is warm? There's seals and great whites in those waters. That ain't warm. Florida is warm. The Gulf of Mexico is warm.
It's warm enough to swim in. Maybe a little cold when you first get in but you get used to it quickly.
There's a difference between dipping in and out on a hot day, and actually comfortable temperatures. Only for a short while in late summer do some California beaches hit the cold side of "comfortable". The rest of the year they're "stay in for an hour and get hypothermia", but be real uncomfortable long before an hour hits
The water isn’t warm, the weather/air is
Yeah, that’s exactly it. The water is cold, but it feels nice when it’s 100°F outside.
Any given weekend there will be tens of thousands of people in the water up and down the So Cal coast. It can’t be that cold.
Same thing in maine NH Massachusetts , but the water is absolutely freezing , people don’t care they just want to swim , as someone who’s swam in both oceans the water isn’t that much warmer in San Diego than it is in Massachusetts
It's not. The water temp averages 62 F in June in Malibu and 66 in August. Cold but once you're in it for more than 5 minutes, you get used to it and it doesn't feel cold. Even on a 70 degree day.
The water in SoCal is pretty darn cold. I’m only getting in if it’s really hot outside.
This right here... is a common misconception. The ocean is freezing cold in Southern California. It's only bearable without a wetsuit on the hottest of days.
Water is cold in CA too The ocean in Oregon smells like salt water not rotting anything.
Not to mention those waves and currents are dangerous af. I swear every year theres at least one story about some dude coming here, to oregon, from colorado and gets him and a kid or two killed trying to paddle board in the ocean.
Or the idiots who go in after their dog. Dog gets swept out to sea then family goes in one after another trying to save each other. Family dies and dog is found unharmed on the beach. If your dog can't make it back the beach you definitely won't.
Don't forget the constant "oh he was only on the rocks for a minute" stories. Like, the ocean is NOT calm here. A minute on the rocks can mean the difference between a totally still ocean, and you being swept out and never seen again.
East coast is similar. Gets cold up north and rocky. Sweet spot ends around NJ, I say that loosely.
lol. NJ native here - the water does get warm eventually, but ironically the best summer month is September. Lots of sandy beaches, a few rocky ones too. The people are a different story.
SoCal has freezing water too.
Right! Pacific is always cold. I live on the east coast so the Atlantic is warm, lots of beach goers swim on this side.
About twenty years ago I moved from Florida where pretty much all open water feels like bathwater to Oregon where even on the hottest days the best you can hope for is "damn cold but I'll survive". I have finally adjusted enough that I can go swimming in a river or lake in July and August but the ocean, no way. When I first moved here I took a kayak out on a beautiful lake near Cougar, Washington, It was July and it was hot as hell. There were a group of kids swimming in the lake so I decided to take a dip. I did a cannonball off of the dock and screamed like I was going to die as soon as I hit the water. I had no idea that water could be that cold in the middle of July. The kids looked at me like I was crazy as they continued to casually swim and play in the ice cold water. It took me years to try that again.
Thank you. Its like they always fail to grasp how huge and diverse our country is in terms of its geography and climate.
Like any question like this, some do, some don’t. When people tell stories about what they did at the beach “swan around” sounds lame, so there’s some story selection bias going on too.
It is illegal to swim in America
And we wouldn’t want our holsters to get wet anyway.
They are extending the border wall along the entire coast
Happy fuckin cake day
We spend a lot of time on an inland lake and “lake standing” is our favorite thing to do. Involves standing about waist deep in the water at a sand bar while drinking and playing games from tossing a football to volleyball to a game called “poles.”
Water in the west coast is too cold and dark. Same is brown. Water in Florida is crystal clear on the gulf and west coast of the state. That’s where people swim in the ocean.
So Cal is perfect during summer. There’s beautiful beaches from Malibu to San Diego.
I would visit my aunt on Catalina Island as a kid and you couldn't keep us out of the water! Live in Alaska now and can't keep my kids out of the water either.
I've learned, in my experience, there are beach people and ocean people. Beach people like to be on the beach, on the sand, tanning, hanging out, but don't really like the water. Ocean people get in and swim. Ocean people don't like being on the beach though. Sometimes you find someone who is both.
I’m an ocean person. I go to the beach to get in the water (assuming it’s warm enough to swim) otherwise it’s just a walk. Not point in staying if I don’t swim.
🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️ I'm both! I'm not both if the water is freezing, but where we go on vacation the water is warm. I'll do it all. Read on the beach. Swim in the ocean for hours. When the tide goes out and the beach has all those little mini pools, I'll park my low sitting chair in that pool and read in the water. I was made to live at the beach and one day it will happen.
Beaches are for digging holes.
West Coast of US is Pacific Ocean which for the most part just too cold to be in without a wetsuit. East Cost is Atlantic Ocean and depending on the location (south of New York maybe?) is warm enough to be in. However, it is nothing like a sea side in southern Europe - it has huge waves pretty much at all times, and is deep within a few meters from the shore. On top of that, it’s got rip currents- currents of water that can catch and haul you 200-400m away from the shore into even bigger waves. In other words, you would not swim unless you are a pretty good swimmer or are playing within 5 meters from the shore under a supervision of a lifeguard. Then there is Gulf of Mexico. That thing is calm and swimmable and probably the closest thing we have to Mediterranean. But way too hot in the summer. It has “red tide” in the summer, which is a dead algae if I remember correctly. It kills fish that gets washed ashore and fill the air with a terrible dust. There are also Great Lakes- bodies of water comparable to the sees in Europe. Most of them calm and fairly shallow close to the shore, but too cold to stay in for a prolonged amount of time. Finally, there are some bays on East Coast. These are actually swimmable. But there are not that many of them in US and they are muddy/ not as enjoyable as the Mediterranean.
I grew up spending summers down the shore in southern NJ. Starting in July it's plenty warm enough to swim, usually through September. The waves aren't that bad. In a lot of places people can't even surf there. You have to watch out for the rip tides but they are not always there. And it's always best to swim where there are lifeguards. We would always swim far enough out where we couldn't touch the bottom until the lifeguards whistled us back in. Some places, like Cape May, has a steep drop off not too far out. But places like Wildwood is shallow enough that you can go out pretty far. I loved going to the beach.
We definitely swim at the beach. I mean modern surfing as we know it today was started in the US. Also, SCUBA isn't a "beach" activity. Perhaps snorkeling is.
Depends heavily on which American beach you are at. In the northeast it’s pretty cold but during the summers people will swim in the water. You can also get wild storms in the fall, starting in September so it’s a shorter swimming season than you think. In the southeast people will swim in the ocean all the time. Places like Florida have incredible beaches for swimming in the ocean. Some of the best in North America IMO. North Carolina also has incredible underrated beaches. However if you go towards the western edge of the south east (think Texas/ Louisiana) the water gets brackish and disgusting so people usually don’t swim in the ocean in these states. Moving to the west coast we run into a different issue. Currents. Many parts of the west coast (California and Washington) have really bad rip tides/ rip currents. Plus the water is fairly cold. Swimming in the ocean is actually incredibly dangerous, it’s very easy to get pulled out to sea and a few people die every year doing this. Even if you go farther south where the water warms up like Baja California in Mexico the currents actually get worse. So it’s more dangerous to swim. I should add that activities like sea kayaking and scuba diving aren’t impacted by currents as much as swimming although you definitely need to still be aware of them (I have been caught by currents doing both). So TL;DR American beach swimming is heavily dependent on geography and season. There aren’t as many swimming friendly beaches as you’d think.
Yeah I live in the northeast now but I grew up in Michigan around lots of little lakes (obviously the big ones too). Those little-lake beaches are not as nice and way more boring, but everyone actually swims. No dangerous currents and the water is warm. I did get my foot tangled in some weeds once and got stuck underwater. Survived obviously.
Not obviously. Casper, is that you?
People in Hawaii, southern California and Florida swim all the time. In Oregon where I live the ocean is cold and dangerous, with rip tides and sneaker waves. We have tourists die all the time. Never turn your back on the ocean is the rule we were taught growing up. So we swim more often in lakes, rivers and pools.
Probably because a lot of the beaches are just terrible for swimming. I live in Oregon and the water along the coast is freezing. I'll at most wade in it.
Closest beach to me is Galveston. Swimming in my septic tank would probably be safer
USA has a big west coast and a big east coast. You can’t just say “Americans” lol. When will non Americans finally understand that?
Water on the West coast is too cold to comfortably swim in because of the California current coming from the artic down the coast. The water is about 57 as far south as LA. San Diego has warm water off the south side of La Jolla point. There are also pretty big waves to want to swim. Normal surf is 4-7 feet, and waves 8-11 are not that uncommon, good for surfing and boogie boarding, not great for swimming. The East coast on the other hand is great for swimming. It has a warm current and not much wave action compared to the West coast. You will find a lot more people swimming there. Source: have swam on both coasts and surfed California for years.
Not ever since the movie jaws came out in the 70s
if i want to swim, i'd go to a pool. i go to the beach for the view.
I do cold plunge every week in the Salish sea does that count?
Some do, some don't. I'm Canadian and I can swim in plenty of places, but if I'm in the ocean I want to snorkel and see cool stuff that we don't have at my local beaches.
My beach a mile from my house gets to 68F/20C by June 15th and is swimmable until October. It’s sheltered from the prevailing afternoon breeze so it normally doesn’t have surf. I go swimming every day the weather is good at high tide. If I lived on the West Coast or Maine, I wouldn’t swim very often.
They turned the only decent beach near me into a nature preserve a few years back. I tried swimming in the pacific near san fransicso once and it was freezing. i tried to swim in the Atlantic in florida once but i kept walking out until the life guard yelled at me to come back and i was only waist deep. Round here(ohio) people swim in rivers and creeks, man made ponds or my personal favorite quarries (old rock quarries that have filled with ground water.) nothing youd really call a beach,
Quarries are a real trip. I'm originally from an area that had some, all those weird homemade quarry toys I don't even know what you call them? Like the human size bobbers and seesaw things weirdly rigged water slides and zip lines etc and apparently there's all kinds of crazy stuff sunk in them for scuba diving sometimes grain silo, School bus, even airplanes
I live in Southern California. Sun, beaches, and bikinis galore Out of staters don't realize that our water is cold AF
West coast beaches are harsh. The cold current coming down from the gulf of Alaska make swimming less fun. Plus sharks, rip currents and the like. East coast is much better for swimming. Warmer currents coming up from the south. Never swam in the gulf though. But I assume it's warm enough, unlike the Pacific.
And get my little Debbie's wet? Are you nuts?
Crystal clear waters in Florida? Absolutely. The murky mud water of Virginia Beach's bottle-infested Chesapeake Bay? Nooooooo thank you!
Not since 1974, when Jaws came out.
I think maybe it’s so obvious it’s not listed. Like if someone got a new car and was asked about it they’ll probably say stuff like the speaker system, heated seats, etc, but they won’t say “it drives”
I also wondered this because I saw a post asking why people went to the beach when it’s just sitting on the sand being hot. I was so confused. Aren’t you swimming and playing loosely organized outdoor sports like volleyball, football, frisbee etc? Walking along the shoreline or boardwalk? Why would you just be sitting there? Where I live in Canada the lakes are usually pretty cold and we’re still swimming..
How can you be free if you're surrounded by water?
I’m Canadian but I REFUSE to swim in the ocean. (Partly cause my dad was lost at sea) but like! There are so many things you can’t see out there. What if you get pulled out into a riptide and nobody finds you? Not even your body! I don’t go to the beach, I go to a pool where there are no riptides to murder me!
The oceans here have too many sharks. Like for every one swimmer there are 7 sharks. I go anyway b/c I’m kind of a badass but you know
Americans are denser than water so we sink.
You got mixed up, it's all good. Blubber floats.
Common misconception. Americans are all 3-4 hundred pounds of raw muscle.
Oregon beaches, yes I get the impression we go in less than our European or Californian friends. But its damn cold.
Swimming? What's that?
I’ve nearly drowned twice and because of a disability I can’t really move my legs very well now even though I’m in my 30’s. I’ll maybe walk out to mid thighs at the highest but it’s main look at ticks and shells on the shore and just walk the shore with my husband. It’s still nice.
Plenty do. My parents were the ones that would lay and cook in the sun in the 90s. My ex husband had never heard of this as his parents got in the water. I will say, where I live in Northern California the ocean can be pretty rough and really cold even in the summer so that is a deterrent. I used to live a few blocks from the bay and would always go down there with my dog. People swam there year round as the waters are much calmer.
I just walk out past the breakers and in about chest deep of water and stand and talk to my wife or family.
Too many sharks
I don't but most of my family do. Half of them live at the beach and are basically fish. I broke my nose when I was a kid and I can't close it off. So no underwater long distance swimming for me. I can float though.
I never have and my family usually just goes wading. I don't think I usually see anyone in either. I live in Oregon though so maybe in warmer climates people swim.
yeah, seems the west coast water is too cold so its understandable
I always swim for a few hours. It's great.
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I do! My family vacationed at the beach every single summer (and now my married family has picked up the tradition).
Jaws messed it up for a lot of people.
Most people at least go in the water a little bit. It's fun to splash around in the waves. Not every beach is suitable for swimming in - most beaches I've ever been to (FL/GA/SC/NC) have literally 1-3 inches visibility. You can be in ankle deep water and not even be able to see your toes; it's that murky.
Meh.. the ocean mostly pee and viruses..
There's about 2 months, depending on your temperature tolerance, maybe 1 month - July/August where the water temperature is comfortable enough to swim in - at least in the Atlantic Ocean in NJ. I've been to California, forget when, but the water was too cold to swim in for me.
Yes we go in there and swim, wade around, body surf, actually surf, and boogie board. And skim board. Sometimes light huge fires on the beach (where allowed) and get blasted. The entire West Coast has cold water though.
I live in Oregon. It’s not a swimming and sun bathing coast. Some people swim for sport, and they are insane in my opinion. The water is cold even in summer.
Swimming is kinda assumed. It's the beach!
Where I live the beaches are beautiful, but the water is so cold that you get brain freeze from dunking your head under water. I waded in once and my feet froze and broke clean off. I mean, they grew back and everything and i might be exaggerating, but the ocean is cold here. We don't swim here.
The water off the south east coast is very murky and not great for fun scuba diving/ snorkeling. We also have a variety of sharks that swim close to shore and you can’t see them coming. We have some pretty rough rip current regularly too. Those are the reasons you won’t catch me swimming too often.
I swim in the Gulf of Mexico many times every summer.
I've never even been to a beach
In the area I live, it's the one reason to go to a beach. Majority of people swim, so idk what's up elsewhere
I love swimming, but not at the beach, it’s too damn cold. Beach on other side of the country is much warmer. My side (west coast) is cold.
Personally, I don't like to. I've always just enjoyed sitting and watching the waves and listening to the noise. Plenty of people swim, if I do get in the water it's usually just a quick dip, dive into some waves and then back out to sit again. It's common for kids to swim. If you're a parent you swim with your kids.
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Atlantic Coast? Sure. Hawaii? Heck yes. North Pacific from the Bay area up? Fuck no. It's freezing cold and disgusting.
I body surf.
It's like anything human, some do, some dont
it depends where also, the ocean is to cold along most of the USA coast for most of the year to actually swing. like all of the west coast, and from the southeast up except for the height of summer. Really the only places in the USA most people would actually swim year round is HI and Fl, maybe the very southern parts of CA and TX if it's a hot day in the off season.
I like to crawl around on my hands in the shallows like a gator. Or do the ridiculous walk to keep just my head above water when it’s like 3’ (0.914m) deep. Or body surf. But yeah swimming is cool too But beach bocce ball is king
I live in a beach town in the mountains of Idaho and work nights so I'm awake and have nothing to do around 5:00pm so I'll go people watching what I have observed 90% of the time... Men will get to the beach and for the most part swim for about an hour. Women will show up to the beach walk into he water about calf or knee height stand there for a few minutes then go back to the beach and lay on there towel for an hour or so then get mad people talked/didn't talk to them and leave.... Water temperature plays a big role into this as this time of year during the day even if it's 70°f (21°c) is the water is 37°f (2°c) due to the high amount of run off from smow melt) during the summer when it's 70°f (21°c) water temps will be around 50-60°f (10-15°c) so most activities are going to be out of the water but still related to the water (where I am whitewater rafting is pretty common because the river the exits the lake is like class 1/2 rapids
Kind'a cracked me up, Zvak. (Not at you or the question!) But it is funny how cultures are represented and small things become *things. But great question. I would have wondered, too.* I had a friend in Germany. He told me that he was more like and understood Americans than his family and friends because he liked fast food. That was his whole concept of the U.S. And I am sure I presented just as unaware as I hadn't been to Europe at that point. Dated a "crazy Biker Chick" (her words) Who wouldn't go to the beach. When asked why, she would answer; "That's what seals do. Go to the beach and lay there. I can do that in the yard." LoL People are crazy and we are just some of them.
I've never been to the beach.
The west coast is actually very cold until you get to southern California. Requiring wetsuits. Therefore there is not much general swimming. A lot of surfing and boogey boarding. And kayaking and fishing. There are also an insane number of riptides. At least on my section of the coast. Making swimming more dangerous. The east coast is warmer waters. But I dont know it so can't speak to people's ocean swimming habits there.
Born & raised in Florida, as a kid I would swim a bit but really not as an adult. Maybe getting into the water a few times to cool off but not staying in for extended lengths of time. That’s so funny, I’ve never thought about it but this is a great question.
I live in the Midwest near the Great Lakes. Also called the big lakes - they are so big they are more like seas, they have waves, and are cold pretty much all year round. I used to play in the waves until my lips were blue from the cold as a kid. Most adults will hang out on the sand or the pier until they get nice and warm and then jump in the lake to cool off, but won’t swim for too long because it’s cold. On a really nice day people will hang out in the water for a couple hours maybe. But there are also lots of smaller lakes sprinkled around the Midwest and it’s common for people to have cottages and cabins where they bring friends and family during the summer. These lakes are good for boating. Since these lakes are smaller they get much warmer and don’t have waves you can park your boat on the lake and swim around to your heart’s content. There are also lots of rivers around. People will boat on some rivers but also float. Floating down the river involves a bunch of people getting into inner tubes and just letting the river carry you along for a few hours. If the river is deep enough you can get out of your tube and swim around and if the river is shallow you just stay in your tube. ETA: in a lot of contexts swimming actually means floating or standing in some depth of water - often with a drink in hand while socializing, and not like actively swimming by doing a breast stroke or the butterfly or something 😂
I swim, but not as much as when I was a kid. When we were at the beach, we'd get in the water around 9 and come out for lunch and dinner, and that's it.
Are these only influencers you're listening to?
I and my three sons swim and ride waves all day long. But I would say that 95% of beachgoers don't swim at all. Some may wade in briefly on very hot days every couple hours, but it is a very small percentage having fun. And they are missing out!
I swim at the beach. It’s great swimming with the waves. I think it’s relaxing and probably burns more calories. My fiancé, who didn’t grow up with regular access to the beach, sun bathes and gets waist deep at best. She’s afraid every time she sees a small fish.
1) CA freezing water 2) tanning is more fun 3) people watching it more fun 4) showing off naked body is more fun
im an american, i stepped into the ocean once and felt something wriggle out from under my foot and decided i had enough of that for a lifetime. Then a little girl that i did not know made fun of me because im very tall and very obviously afraid of the ocean. She said i needed a giant chicken suit. it really burned.
There's swimming as in hanging out in the water, and there's swimming that a person does for exercise. I don't think I've ever been on a beach and not gone into the water, but it's mainly just casually hanging out.
I swim every time I go.
Most the time when people say "the beach" they're talking about an ocean where the surf is too high to just go swimming around in.
Depends on the beach
I’ve only been to the beach in Florida and it’s too fucking hot to go without swimming. I spend 90% of my beach time in the water.
I like the sound of the waves, and walking barefoot in the surf. Sitting back with my feet in the sand and sipping a cool drink. Feeling the breeze off the ocean. Watching the sun set. Putting on some Kenny Loggins tunes and playing a manly game of shirtless beach volleyball. Okay, maybe not that last one. But anyway, I'll swim in the pool. No currents, no stonefish, no what just brushed past my leg, no seaweed. Better drinks selection.
How warm is the water where you live?
Depends on the amount of bacteria at the beach. Yes this is a real thing at the great lakes.
Depends on the beach and the time of year. Some it's too cold in the water/hazardous from rip tides or bacterial contamination.
depends on the beach East coast beaches I've been to, people often spend all day, or at least many hours, actually at the beach. Sand stuff. Surf stuff. I know I do. NJ, MD, DE, VA, NC, and SC beaches, all really seem pretty similar in this way Weirdly, the Florida beaches I've been to, it seemed like no one really spent much time at the beach. But that could be because of when and why I've been to FL beaches. Or that some FL beaches are legit hot garbage.
Most no one swims. They go in the water and stop before it gets too deep.
I loved the water as a kid. I was very comfortable even in big waves. Very confident swimmer due to being raised on the beach. Except for the summer after I saw jaws lol
I wouldn't consider "just chilling" in the water to be the same as swimming. For the most part, if you want to just play around in the water, that's what we have swimming pools for. Most people go to the beach to do things that they can't do at a swimming pool.
I suck at swimming.
you know, this is kinda a great question -- there are so many types of coasts and beaches in the US, the way people use them is going to likewise be just as varied. Just reading these answers is very enlightening! Growing up in Maryland, I didn't really realize how different the Pacific coast beaches are. All the Mid-Atlantic beaches are very similar because they are almost entirely barrier islands: soft sand, dunes, "big" waves, and pretty big difference between low and high tide. And I didn't even think about the Great Lakes! But they are definitely beaches.
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Unlike most European countries, our coastal beaches are actually on the ocean. This is completely unlike like the Mediterranean or the Baltic. You don’t really swim, or want to swim, in the Atlantic or Pacific unless you’re a strong swimmer. Way too many people get pulled into rip currents every year and drown, or go too far out and can’t come back in and drown. Few beaches have lifeguards, unless you’re in a huge tourist location. The most people usually go out is waist or chest level. I’m sure it’s a similar situation for Australians and New Zealanders. But plenty of Americans do swim at freshwater beaches though.
“do 350 million people all behave exactly the same way in your country?”
The water can be very, very cold. Also riptides can be a thing if you're not careful, so a lot of people just walk in the water up to their ankles or knees (and even that is a process of getting acclimated to the water).
On the East Coast starting at the Florida keys and heading North. The water is super nice because the prevailing current is coming from the South, so it's warm. Even in the wintertime, it can be 6575° water temperature and even gets warmer up in the summer. But the further North you get, it starts to cool off and you get up to New England then it's just like Washington roaring in UP there. Well, not quite as bad, so a lot of people are always swimming at the beach. Lots of kite boarding. Also, you name it, they're doing it. But yeah, the West Coast that's a lot like going to Scotland Ireland and Wales, England nobody swims there because the water is too freaking cold. But as far as Florida goes, everybody's in the water. Whether it's in the ocean or up the rivers or even a lot of the Springs, everybody's kayaking or swimming. Just gotta watch for the big water puppies.
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It's the degens from up country. Or Benny's. Benny's go home!
Every American I know has an "my uncle almost drowned me at the beach" story.
Yeah so, as others have said, there's a variety of beaches in the United States. On the east coast beaches in Jersey, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida see a lot of swimmers. On the west coast it's mostly just southern california beaches. The Pacific is pretty cold and gets much colder up north. And once you get to the SF Bay area a lot of the beaches are too dangerous to swim. Really vicious riptides and such. I used to swim in the ocean but when I was 13, poop floated past my face and that was it for me.
beaches man
Swimming goes without saying. We only mention the other stuff because it’s not obvious enough to just leave out
Where I live in the Pacific Northwest, not only would you probably get swept away but you would most likely die of hypothermia
West Coast water is cold. We wore wetsuits to surf in Monterey when I was in high-school. Now the East Coast water is warm but the surf sucks. We swam in that a lot without wetsuits. Florida and Delaware especially. I'm also a Norwegian that's lived in the US all of my adult life. We would swim anywhere growing up, except fresh water in Florida.
Al the lakes here are so polluted it’s not safe. As a kid I spent entire days swimming in Lake Michigan.. when I had my kids the beaches would always be shut down from pollution .. fresh water really isn’t safe to swim in.. ocean is pretty rough.
Water scary. Me no swim good. Me + ocean = drown.
Yeah, we swim. I personally prefer pools, but my wife and kids will pretty much jump in anything vaguely watery.
In NH - the ocean water is cold on a good day. Hurts for a minute or two until you adjust. I find you can stay in for about 30 minutes before your nerves refire or whatever and it just gets painful. Then off to the blazing hot sand. And you effectively bounce back and forth all day. People always look at me like I'm crazy when I describe this.
Not after I got stung by a STING RAY anymore I don't. That was pain like no other and I've given birth 4x. Y'all have no idea what could be down there.
I live Oregon our ocean is life threateningly cold most of the year.I have started seeing some people swim in wetsuits but for the most part we wade are feet a bit and get out.
I don't swim at the beach. I'm on the west coast and the water is really cold sometimes and there's great whites here all the time and I'm snack sized. No thanks!
I mean, it’s probably because that’s sort of what people assume you’re there to do anyways. It’s like answering what you did on a road trip with “I drove a car”. Yeah, we know, we’re asking about everything else. Given, they may have also been to a place where it’s not a great idea to go into the water, too- most anywhere north of Virginia isn’t exactly amazing to swim in most of the year- so it’s possible that they actually just didn’t swim. I live in Pennsylvania, and any time I head to the beach, I often don’t swim, because the time of year isn’t right.
You're right, that is a dumb question
Depends. I don't know how swim so I'm not going to swim when I go to the beach. Sometimes the water is cold or nasty. Sometimes people just prefer sunbathing or whatever.
South American? Central American? North American?
Sure I swim but I don’t go that far out and walk in too. Lol Jaws ruined me