As a teenager I'd go out up to my shoulders with my cousin, bobbing up and down and riding waves. As an adult I don't want to go deeper than my knees after seeing aerial footage of how close sharks are to the shore.
Bonus question: What is your favorite movie with a beach scene? (Mine is Top Secret!)
That's one of the big advantages of the Mediterranean.
Ever more beaches are building a stone wall a few 100 meters into the water and even though there are long holes in the walls to let the water through, there just aren't any sharks nor any jellyfish between those walls and the beach.
https://media.gettyimages.com/id/577554001/it/foto/beach-in-pesaro-italy.jpg?s=2048x2048&w=gi&k=20&c=tQYtLcVr4lfJdnk51NRHlKPbN_r29x-tUyQ48GzsTFo=
The water can easily reach a depth of 2-3 meters, those walls also break the bigger waves, so it's a really nice swim there.
I usually swim over to the wall and climb up for a sunbath.
That's really nice! I doubt that will ever happen around here. Enjoy that luxury!!
shareJust wait until corporations realize the additional profit these walls generate.
The photo above is pretty old and those walls are like magnets for beach loving people on vacation, today the actual beaches look like this:
https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1341229242/it/foto/directly-above-view-of-large-group-of-tidy-beach-umbrellas-in-the-south-of-italy.jpg?s=2048x2048&w=gi&k=20&c=zEuLEAPpWO8rrNjdvQhT_vRbA1TdK2-BcW7eYJmUklY=
where every single set of umbrella with 2 deckchairs costs (depending on the season) between $10 and $50 per day to rent and those rows of umbrellas will extend for at least 200 meters into the land.
You could be right in terms of someone seeing dollar signs in the US and trying it, and I think the walls are a great idea. That beach is too crowded for me, though. I don't like a bunch of people between where I'm sitting and the ocean because then I can hardly see it. Most of the enjoyment these days for me is sitting under an umbrella and watching the waves.
shareI don't like the crowds either, which is why I go to the beach only before and after the season, like in may and september, where prices are far lower and beaches are 80% empty.
With a bit of searching you can find a hotel that offers outside the season an umbrella at the beach included where the whole thing costs less than the umbrella alone in july or august.
But of course, that's something you can do only if you don't have kids who have to go to school in may.
π
shareWhy won't you tell us what your favourite movie with a beach scene is? Why all the secrecy?
shareSince I am not able to reach through the screen and tickle you silly for that, will you please ask someone in your house to?
shareI'm staying at my friend Debo's house - and I'd rather not ask him to tickle me.
https://i.imgflip.com/d7xdu.jpg
You have weird friends.
Oh wait.
When the water level reaches my neck I do not usually go any further.
shareAs a kid I used to swim quite far into the ocean with my dad where even he couldn't touch the ground with his feet. I can't do that anymore. Up to my shoulders is far enough. I want to be able to stand. I don't really enjoy swimming that much anymore anyway.
Jaws is a great movie, though.π¬
Jaws is probably my second favorite movie with a beach scene, though it hasn't helped my desire to go into the ocean beyond my knees.
shareHere in βSunnyβ Bournemouth we have a beach hut: -
https://youtu.be/63pywzx13tY?si=5u0v4_aTYE7GJZoE
Although we donβt have sharks, I leave the swimming to the tourists.
Those beach huts are lovely, and I'm like you- I leave the swimming to the other people and enjoy watching the calming beauty of the ocean.
shareIβm very fortunate that the one we have is slightly away from the madding crowds, but has a car park, a pub, restaurants and posh toilets with a two minute walk.
Youβll often find me there on a Friday in the summer armed with a cool bag filled with bottles of wine & snacks, along with my portable Marshall amp playing my Spotify playlists. My idea of heaven.
That does sound heavenly. We only go to the beach once a year because it's a long drive, but when I'm there, so are snacks, drinks and music.
shareI am blessed - itβs a 5-10 minute car drive for me.
This vid is about a one minute walk from our hut: -
https://youtube.com/shorts/L1-EDkj8EQU?si=_ggvrZXGEMl6YIIu
And this is about 2 minutes from the other direction: -
https://youtu.be/HHpb4u00edA?feature=shared
Lovely!
shareOnly to about knee deep, sharks scare me as well.
Ponds and lakes are kind of gross what with all of the algae and weeds tickling your legs.
I prefer a nice clean swimming pool tbh.
I agree on all counts. A backyard swimming pool has always been a dream of mine.
shareWe put in a small 18 foot round pool some years ago and with land clearing, tree removal, decking and heater it was about $35 K.
shareThat's very reasonable compared to some of the quotes I've seen. Do you find maintaining it is a chore? I think that's one of my main barriers to going through with it.
shareAs someone who can't swim, just above the waist feels okay. I have seen a shark much closer to the shore than that though and it did scare me, but it didn't give a damn I was there so I don't have any lingering fear of the sea beyond drowning in it if I go out too far.
shareAlthough I can swim, rip currents are another concern I have while in the ocean and then even the best swimmers can get in trouble.
shareYeah, hence why a loser non-swimmer like myself has no chance of survival lol, even more reason to avoid danger.
shareYouβre not a βloserβ for being wise. Itβs best to avoid fatal risks and playing it smart.
shareI'm a loser for not getting swimming lessons, though I fault my parents with that at least in part. Don't worry, I'm a winner in every other way - but that might include the shark bite lottery and I'm not willing to risk that.
shareBest to just dip your toes and spend the rest of your beach time reading a good book on landπ
shareI like to go half-body deep and dunk myself into the sea like a cookie in a hot drink every so often to fight the Aussie heat. I spend enough time reading at home, and I fear my books getting damaged at the beach so I never bring one.
shareThe main reason I go into the ocean these days is to cool off, too.
shareIt's nice, isn't it? Plus, I love going down to dog beaches every now and then to pet some furry buddies.
shareAww, that's a nice thought, enjoying both the beach and sweet furry friends. There's just something about the beach that can bring peace to the soul. If you don't go too deeply into the ocean.
shareItβs never too late - I was a non swimmer until just before my 50th birthday.
shareI'm not opposed to learning, but I feel it's going to be one of those things I get to later rather than sooner.
shareIβm never going to win any competitions, but at least I know enough to potentially get me out of trouble, if need be.
shareHonestly, that's pretty awesome, I hope I'm as cool as you in future, but idk that the lessons would improve anything for me because I just mentally freeze when I'm in danger. I'm working on it, but there's a reason I'm part of the people of stupid.
shareI did it because of my young daughter (ironically she could swim at 18 months and would now be the one saving me, lol).
I remember my first lesson was me standing in the shallow end with a look of abject terror on my face. It took me about 6 months to be able to swim a length.
Yes I was caught in a riptide when I was very young, we used to go camping at state beaches where they would have lifeguard and ranger shows in the evenings. The lifeguard shows always talked about riptides and the importance of swimming parallel to the shore to escape them. I wasn't a very good swimmer, but I survived. Nowadays I don't go out more than waist-deep.
shareThat must have been very frightening and I'm glad you were okay!
shareA favorite beach scene is "Summer Rental" (1985) where John Candy is carrying all the beach gear through a really crowded beach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_rUfBsBf_M
Ha! That looks exhausting. It is somewhat exhausting to lug all the stuff you need to have a relaxing day at the beach. π
shareDepends on where I'm diving. I haven't gone super deep. I think in Blue Hole in Belize we went 145 ft. Usually prefer reefs, so that's maybe 40-60 ft. I like sharks when I'm diving. On the surface....not as much.
If I'm on a beach I don't go too far out, just because you have to get back in.
That's very impressive! Scuba diving intrigues me because undersea life is so beautiful, but I'm not sure I'm courageous enough to try it.
You should tell us more about your scuba diving adventures sometime if you would like to.