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As a native of SoCal, I'm going with Cali beaches. Florida might've been first, but we do it better. They obviously both have great beaches and, like all of these subjective polls, comes down to preference and regional bias. Outside of Miami, Florida has to compete with three, coastal metropolitan areas (SD, LA, SF-OAK) with beautiful scenery and beaches. I'll admit, the beaches close to LA can be a bit dirty but we have over 800 miles of beautiful coast in between all three areas. LIke California, Florida has some nasty spots along their 500 miles of coast, but they have beautiful places too and quick access to the Caribbean (the only advantage over California).
^^ Dont forget the Florida Keys they are Caribean beaches (basically at least) and some of the Gulf beaches are really nice as well. Though agree on subjectivity and I fond aspects of both I love and some not as much, like the diversity actually
Coronado Beach, Trestles, Laguna, Venice (best urban beach), Santa Monica (good all-purpose beach) Zuma Beach in Malibu is breathtaking, Carmel and Big Sur are the twin titans of west coast beaches.
To me its Cali, no contest. You get the best of a pacific mexican shoreline combined with the Mediterranean feel of the beaches along the Adriatic in Italy. Florida's beaches are too "resort-y" for me.
If we're counting the keys though...I guess that would put Florida neck & neck with Cali. Its just to me Cali embodies the American beach.
Also I surf, so Florida doesn't accommodate my needs.
as much as I love the Keys, nobody would ever travel that far and expect to have the typical beach experience unless you enjoy laying on sharp rocks.
as much as I love the Keys, nobody would ever travel that far and expect to have the typical beach experience unless you enjoy laying on sharp rocks.
I agree the Keys are probably the worse place to go in Florida for a beach experience. Florida win this in my opinion. The California coast is great to look at, but outside of Socal you can't get in the water even in the summer time without a wetsuit.
Are the rocks really that sharp and numerous in the Keys? Are the beaches in the keys too small and skinny?
Yeah, they are. The Florida Keys are literal "key islands," in other words, coral reefs that breached the surface, got exposed to the elements, and stuff began to grow on them. Basically, if there is any sand at all, directly under the thin layer is solid coral. If you go in the water, the bottom is solid, sharp "rock." Trust me, I thought it would be a good idea to go swimming off of Marathon Key -- It wasn't.
The vast majority of Florida's NICE beaches are barrier islands, which are basically all sand. That includes Siesta Key, which isn't a key island at all.
CA: bigger surf, colder water (from 'a bit brisk' in San Diego to 'not safe for humans without wetsuit' north of SF), more beautiful surroundings with mountains/headlands visible and occasionally steep cliffs
FL: calmer, clearer, warmer water, generally softer sand
I don't really have an opinion as they are both nice, in different ways. If I wanted to purely lay on the sand, it's a wash. If I want to go in the water to surf, CA. If I want to go in the water to comfortably splash around (or bring the kids), FL
No right or wrong answer. Though I would say, I knew CA was cold but I was surprised at actually how cold. I grew up in New England and the water off of Cape Cod, considered cold by most on the east coast, was warmer than San Diego by July. The farthest north I've swam in CA is Santa Monica, imagine there's a big gradient somewhere below SF where it gets too cold for most people (68 is my personal cutoff for comfortable, I know some people are >70).
Ocean currents on the west coast bring cold water from Alaska down to California (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Current), which makes for cold water temps and a thick marine layer. Additionally, this current along with the shape of the coast causes up welling that brings cold water from the depths to the surface. These currents have much less effect south of Point Conception (near Santa Barbara).
I lived in Santa Cruz for a long time, never really enjoyed the beach there. The ocean was fine for looking at, fishing, surfing... but we almost never went to the beach. The water and air temps are too cold, and the marine layer makes for some very gloomy stretches in summer. Though great for hiking and mountain biking! SoCal beaches are somewhat better. Still, we decided that if we want a beach experience out west it's better to visit Hawaii or Mexico.
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For me its California beaches and I am from the Caribbean
