# What's the difference between Florida and California beaches ?



## Paulagrace (Apr 8, 2013)

I live in Florida. Never been to California. And I am wondering what the beaches are like in SoCal. In the Atlantic side of Florida. We have brown sand. The white sand is on the gulf side. So I was wondering, are California beaches similar to the Atlantic side beaches of Florida? Are the palm trees the same? How about sand? Which is more tropical? Thank you.


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## Don (Apr 8, 2013)

I've been told that the water on the Atlantic side is warmer. That's due to two things, a larger continental shelf and the direction of the ocean streams.  They come from the south in the east coast (the Gulf Stream) and from the north on the west.


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## vacationhopeful (Apr 8, 2013)

All I can say is California has surfers while FL has paddleboarders .... 

Maybe, the surf in CA is rougher. Maybe the drop off from the beach is MORE flat in FL.

PS California surfers seem to always have WETSUITs on - tells me it is a tad MORE colder than the FL waters.


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## IreneLF (Apr 8, 2013)

You can NEVER swim in the waters in Cali - too cold! (even close to Mexico in height of summer water temps was about 62-65)


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## VegasBella (Apr 8, 2013)

FL has hurricanes, CA doesn't.


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## buzglyd (Apr 8, 2013)

FL is more tropical for sure. The water is much warmer. 

In the summer, the Pacific gets up to about 70 degrees. It's our free air conditioning which is why it doesn't get hot and humid here. 

No white sand. The beaches are more rugged looking and some are beneath high bluffs. It is more scenic and makes for great photos. 

The waves are a lot bigger so you need to be careful. 

I often find myself wishing for CA scenery with FL warm water.


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## RX8 (Apr 8, 2013)

It's a bogus post for the purposes of promoting spam.....


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## TUGBrian (Apr 8, 2013)

link deleted...post can stay =)


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## Saintsfanfl (Apr 8, 2013)

VegasBella said:


> FL has hurricanes, CA doesn't.



California has hurricanes, just not nearly as many or severe. Usually they are indirect hits that produce heavy rains rather than severe damage. They can still put a damper on a vacation in an area that usually receives little rainfall.

California has had 61 named storms impact the state to some degree since record keeping began in 1939. Florida has had 490.


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## Saintsfanfl (Apr 8, 2013)

IreneLF said:


> You can NEVER swim in the waters in Cali - too cold! (even close to Mexico in height of summer water temps was about 62-65)



x2

Surfers have to wear wet suits in CA. No need in FL.


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## SmithOp (Apr 8, 2013)

CA beaches are horrible, we encourage everyone east of the Rockies to stay away, now if we could just teach the Zonies how to drive in CA.

PS: ever heard of Baywatch, it weren't filmed in FLA!


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## siesta (Apr 8, 2013)

SmithOp said:


> CA beaches are horrible, we encourage everyone east of the Rockies to stay away, now if we could just teach the Zonies how to drive in CA.
> 
> PS: ever heard of Baywatch, it weren't filmed in FLA!


by Zonies, I'm wondering if you meant people from Arizona? If so thats too funny, first I thought me and my snowbird friends were the only people to call them that, second, they are the worst drivers!  Coming from Chicago, and actually knowing how to drive (bad weather, narrow and old streets, many one ways, aggressive cabs) i get so frusterated driving in AZ. Noone knows what they are doing! And if it sprinkles a little rain? Forget about it, people driving under the speed limit and smashing into each other.

Also, its funny that if you use your horn in Arizona, they actually get mad and offended.  In Chicago, its commonplace.  I love honking at Zonies.


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## buzglyd (Apr 8, 2013)

SmithOp said:


> CA beaches are horrible, we encourage everyone east of the Rockies to stay away, now if we could just teach the Zonies how to drive in CA.
> 
> PS: ever heard of Baywatch, it weren't filmed in FLA!



That's right. Stay away! 

It's awful here.


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## buzglyd (Apr 8, 2013)

siesta said:


> by Zonies, I'm wondering if you meant people from Arizona? If so thats too funny, first I thought me and my snowbird friends were the only people to call them that, second, they are the worst drivers!  Coming from Chicago, and actually knowing how to drive (bad weather, narrow streets, many one ways, aggressive cabs) i get so frusterated driving in AZ. Noone knows what they are doing! And if it sprinkles a little rain? Forget about it, people driving under the speed limit and smashing into each other



Zonies are the people who take up our parking spaces on the beach in the summer to escape the 120 degree heat in AZ.


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## vacationhopeful (Apr 8, 2013)

SmithOp said:


> ...
> PS: ever heard of Baywatch, it weren't filmed in FLA!



Ever heard of "Where the Boys Are" which defined Spring Break, the youth culture without LSD, a coming of age movie?  Try Ft Lauderdale, FL ...


ADDED:
The Elbo Room is still open for business; many of the motels in that movie are now timeshare resorts; the beach is still one of the prettiest I have seen. And the lifeguards really can swim.


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## SmithOp (Apr 8, 2013)

Apropos of this, RIP Annette Funicello, these were the beach films I grew up watching.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituar...funicello-dies-at-70-20130408,0,5659102.story

Funicello received a big career boost when Disney agreed to loan her out to American International Pictures to make “Beach Party,” the song-filled, low-budget 1963 comedy in which she was first teamed on the big screen with Avalon.

In the wake of the success of “Beach Party,” Funicello and Avalon co-starred in “Muscle Beach Party,” “Bikini Beach,” and “Beach Blanket Bingo.”


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## Luanne (Apr 8, 2013)

IreneLF said:


> You can NEVER swim in the waters in Cali - too cold! (even close to Mexico in height of summer water temps was about 62-65)



Growing up in southern California and spending much time at the beaches there, I beg to differ.   Of course I was much younger, and tougher, then.  I'd swim (no wetsuit) and love it.  No one I knew even owned a wetsuit back then.


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## Lets Get Going (Apr 8, 2013)

I was lucky to live in CA for 15 years.  I'm now in FL.  If FL didn't have humidity and bugs, it'd be a toss up, but since they do my vote is for CA.

Anyone remember Gidget?  I loved the movie and the TV show, it made me want to move to CA and find my surfer boy.


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## JudyS (Apr 8, 2013)

RX8 said:


> It's a bogus post for the purposes of promoting spam.....


When I saw the thread's header, I was expecting a joke! You, know, like:
"What's the difference between ignorance and apathy?" 
"I don't know and I don't care!"


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## Snorkey (Apr 8, 2013)

Florida has warm water so I can snorkel....

California has cold water to keep the nuclear in tact.  If water temperature goes up too high in West coast, watch out for tsunami....


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## DeniseM (Apr 8, 2013)

*Please note that the OP is a spammer who has been banned* - but a whole bunch of people responded before the thread could be deleted, so the spam link was deleted and the thread stays.  

In other words - don't put too much effort into answering the spammer...

When someone's *first post* has a *link* in it to something that doesn't belong on TUG - click on the red triangle and report it - don't answer it.


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## simpsontruckdriver (Apr 8, 2013)

On the other hand, the spammer brought up a lively debate between California and Florida. As long as people don't try to answer the OP, and just stick with Florida vs California, it should be OK

TS


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## TUGBrian (Apr 8, 2013)

I agree, i enjoy the debate...he made a good thread with his spam link removed =)


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## Talent312 (Apr 9, 2013)

VegasBella said:


> FL has hurricanes, CA doesn't.



California has earthquakes and mudslides. Florida... not so much.
California has a coastline of 840 miles.  Florida... 1,350 miles.

Florida consistently has more beaches ranked in the Top 10 by "Dr. Beach."

.


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## vacationhopeful (Apr 9, 2013)

Florida has the Conch Republic - California is just a republic?


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## 1st Class (Apr 9, 2013)

Did anyone else notice the OP says he/she lives in FLORIDA, but profile location lists NEW YORK?


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## DeniseM (Apr 9, 2013)

1st Class said:


> Did anyone else notice the OP says he/she lives in FLORIDA, but profile location lists NEW YORK?



See post #22 - the OP is a spammer...


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## simpsontruckdriver (Apr 9, 2013)

Another thing about Florida... people talk about hurricanes in the state. Looking at the number of severe hurricanes (causing major damage), the Carolinas have been hit by more than Florida over the last 30 years. Plus, the area from Cape Canaveral north to Daytona Beach has NEVER had a hurricane hit that caused catastrophic damage. Most that have hit just knocked down trees, broke windows, blew shingles off roofs, caused spotty flooding, eroded the beach. Most catastrophic hurricanes have hit south of Vero Beach (2004 was the exception - hurricanes rarely if ever hit the Gulf Coast south of Tampa).

Not  to mention, Florida tornados are weak. Most tornados are F-1, and like our infamous thunderstorms, last less than 30 minutes, tossing Tornado Toys (aka Mobile Homes) and damaging a few homes.

TS


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## Htoo0 (Apr 9, 2013)

So no one has mentioned Florida is perfect for watching sunrises, Cali, not so much!


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## vacationhopeful (Apr 9, 2013)

And on the Gulf side of Florida, you can watch sunsets, too. In the same day!


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## Carta (Apr 12, 2013)

Been to both coasts...Give me FL any day...Gulf side or Atlantic..

Gulf side:Naples (beautiful white sand and calm water).....Atlantic side: Ft. Lauderdale. (wide beach w/ a party atmosphere).. And just enough waves..


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## NKN (Apr 13, 2013)

I'm a native Mainer but spent a year in Monterey.  I could never get used to the ocean being on that "side" of the land.   Seemed weird.

nkn


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## momeason (Apr 13, 2013)

Scenic cliffs, big waves and COLD water in California. I love my Warm water.


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## VivianLynne (Apr 13, 2013)

Another vote for the Florida beaches.


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## Luanne (Apr 13, 2013)

Don't all of the beaches in Florida look the same?  I like a little variety on the coast line.


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## simpsontruckdriver (Apr 13, 2013)

Not really... in Florida, the east coast sand is different than the west (Gulf) coast sand.

TS


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## Luanne (Apr 13, 2013)

simpsontruckdriver said:


> Not really... in Florida, the east coast sand is different than the west (Gulf) coast sand.
> 
> TS



So, the sand may be different, but the landscape looks the same.....at least to me.  All flat. :ignore:


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## vacationhopeful (Apr 13, 2013)

Luanne said:


> So, the sand may be different, but the landscape looks the same.....at least to me.  All flat. :ignore:



That is NOT all so flat ... Miami's city scape and skyline are very different from Daytona Beach's and Tampa's and Key West;s, etc and etc.

Plus, the Atlantic Ocean has sand dunes and sea grasses -- no oil drilling platforms along the Atlantic coast line.


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## Luanne (Apr 13, 2013)

vacationhopeful said:


> That is NOT all so flat ... Miami's city scape and skyline are very different from Daytona Beach's and Tampa's and Key West;s, etc and etc.
> 
> Plus, the Atlantic Ocean has sand dunes and sea grasses -- no oil drilling platforms along the Atlantic coast line.



I will admit I haven't spent a lot of time in Florida.  But I have been on beaches on both coasts.  And to me, they all looked the same.  Also there are not drilling platforms along the entire western coast.  In fact I really don't remember seeing any all the way from San Diego up into Washington.

I guess it's a good thing everyone doesn't like the same thing.  There are already too many visitors to California.


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## Jim Bryan (Apr 15, 2013)

Cold water!


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## taffy19 (Apr 29, 2013)

Luanne said:


> I will admit I haven't spent a lot of time in Florida. But I have been on beaches on both coasts. And to me, they all looked the same. Also there are not drilling platforms along the entire western coast. In fact I really don't remember seeing any all the way from San Diego up into Washington.
> 
> I guess it's a good thing everyone doesn't like the same thing. There are already too many visitors to California.


Luanne, we do have them in Southern California and I assume that they are drilling too. They make noise right off the Long Beach Shoreline Marina.

Here is a blog of a person who visited a lot or all of them. We see 3 platforms even from our little timeshare in Laguna Beach on a clear day and pass them on our way from Los Alamitos Bay to Catalina Island.

There are 7 In Orange County alone. I believe that there are more than 20 in Southern California according to a Google search. 

They are eyesores to me just like the windmills on Maui today but they have their purpose, I guess, without going into politics.


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## RX8 (Apr 29, 2013)

Htoo0 said:


> So no one has mentioned Florida is perfect for watching sunrises, Cali, not so much!



Yeah but you have to get up so darn early!  In California you get to watch the sunset while eating dinner at a nice restaurant (gulf coast doesn't count).  

We also like our beaches shaken (earthquakes) not stirred (tornados).


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## BocaBum99 (Apr 29, 2013)

VegasBella said:


> FL has hurricanes, CA doesn't.



Ca has earthquakes, FL doesn't.


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## kane (Oct 12, 2013)

Saintsfanfl said:


> California has hurricanes, just not nearly as many or severe. Usually they are indirect hits that produce heavy rains rather than severe damage. They can still put a damper on a vacation in an area that usually receives little rainfall.
> 
> California has had 61 named storms impact the state to some degree since record keeping began in 1939. Florida has had 490.



As a resident of Orange County, CA, I can firmly state that hurricanes are not a concern here.  I've lived here since the early 1960's.  I rarely go to the beach here because 1) its overcrowded on weekends and parking is a pain, and 2) the water is too cold for me to enjoy it, usually no more than 68° in the summer.  In our winter, you can expect the surf to be in the mid-50's.  And, yes, most surfers wear wet suits 12 months a year here.

My wife and I just got back from a week on St. Pete Beach, FL (Sept 7-14) and we loved the Gulf water and beach.  The beach is 150 yards wide and the sand was white like sugar. The Gulf water was a very comfortable 85°.  We swam every day for a couple of hours.  We even spent a few evenings in the water until the sun went down.

If you're a surfer, you'll like Calif beaches.  Other than that, Florida beaches are where its at!


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## kane (Oct 12, 2013)

[Post deleted.  Political commentary is inappropriate for these forums.   Please review the Posting Rules (link in blue navigation bar near top of page) before posting again.]


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## talkamotta (Oct 13, 2013)

Luanne said:


> Growing up in southern California and spending much time at the beaches there, I beg to differ.   Of course I was much younger, and tougher, then.  I'd swim (no wetsuit) and love it.  No one I knew even owned a wetsuit back then.



Growing up in Utah.. We  only went to California.  Swam in the ocean all day long without a wet suit. Surfing was wonderful.  In fact in those days, didn't have much of a bathing suit either.  Never got cold.  As I remember,  THAT IS WHERE THE BOYS WERE AT..  But my dad and "the look"  was always near by.  

Now that Im much older.  We go to Florida every year.  Gulf beaches are my favorite.  They are warmer and calmer.  My surfing days are over.   I think either its my fat content or all the titanium in my body....  I can float forever without anything.  

Or we can go to Hawaii.  You can either surf, float forever, hike or be on a beach and never leave the parking lot.   Every place has its advantages.  ISNT IT NICE TO HAVE CHOICES?


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## Bee (Oct 14, 2013)

Several years ago I went snow skiing and to the beach in California on the same day, just because I could.


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## kwindham (Oct 15, 2013)

While I have only been to a few Cali beaches, I have been to many in FL.  I much prefer FL beaches.  That Cali water is cold!!!  Plus, I just like the look of FL beaches better.


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## talkamotta (Oct 17, 2013)

Bee said:


> Several years ago I went snow skiing and to the beach in California on the same day, just because I could.



Those are the days that will make you love where you live.  Ive gone skiing and then for a  bike ride and only wore levis and a short sleeve shirt all day.


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