Ok - I see some Pacific Northwesters using the word "beach" in messages with people who are not from the area. So some elucidation is in order.
A Pacific Northwest beach is a location that fronts the ocean and the shoreline is relatively flat. Anything that meets that criterion is a "beach". Often that means rocks, pebbles, even boulders; in the Northwest "beach" does not connote sand. And no matter what type of beach, you do not want to go in the water unless you're a surfer with a good wet suit - it's cold!!!
There's an old and classic Henry Weinhard's beer commercial that shows some young guys sitting on such a beach wearing parkas, stocking hats, gloves, etc. In the background about 50 yards away a couple of young ladies are walking, with long coats, scarves, hats, mittens. The only thing showing is their faces.
One of the guys says, "Hey, there's a couple of hotties." Another guy grabs a beach ball and says, "Hey ladies, how about a bit of help??" as he gently tosses the ball towards the water.
The wind catches the ball and the ball takes off like a rocket, bounding across the gravel. In less than one second it whips past the ladies, hurtles down the entire length of the beach, and skips away across the tops of the waves.