What's the difference between Florida and California beaches ?

[Paulagrace]

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.

 

[Don]

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.

 

[vacationhopeful]

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.

 

[IreneLF]

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)

 

[VegasBella]

FL has hurricanes, CA doesn't.

 

[buzglyd]

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.

 

[RX8]

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

 

[TUGBrian]

link deleted...post can stay =)

 

[Saintsfanfl]

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.

 

[Saintsfanfl]

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.

 

[SmithOp]

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!

 

[siesta]

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.

 

[buzglyd]

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.

 

[buzglyd]

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.

 

[vacationhopeful]

...
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.

 

[SmithOp]

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.”

 

[Luanne]

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.

 

[Lets Get Going]

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.

 

[JudyS]

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!"

 

[Snorkey]

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....

 

[DeniseM]

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.

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

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

 

[TUGBrian]

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

 

[Talent312]

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."

.

 

[vacationhopeful]

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