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Some of the most beautiful beaches in the world are in Wisconsin and Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior. For those hardy enough to enjoy the white sand and the crystal clear cold waters, they are amazing. They generally don't attract the great number of tourists so there is plenty of room for playing in or near the water. In the late fall season the surf there can reach levels competitive with some of the finest surf competitions in the world. You should all check them out some time.
Yes this post is all true, add to it Lake Michigan. However the beaches up there are more for sight seeing or walking the beach as that water is so cold only a polar bear could call it swimmable. Last year pictures circulated of ice chunks floating by people on the beach in early June. However it is a beautiful and unique place.
Now the beaches on the Gulf, and the Mediterranean are a different story. I've swam in them year-round. The Pacific is just never warm enough.
You are dead wrong about the Mediterranean. You don't swim year round there. I even saw snow on the Riviera one winter. And 12° C and rain like I saw in Malaga some winters ago is no swimming weather.
Yes this post is all true, add to it Lake Michigan. However the beaches up there are more for sight seeing or walking the beach as that water is so cold only a polar bear could call it swimmable. Last year pictures circulated of ice chunks floating by people on the beach in early June. However it is a beautiful and unique place.
Huh, I've almost always lived within blocks of Lake Michigan, and I've never (ever) seen this, not even during the worst winter of my life (the one you're referencing). Are you thinking of Lake Superior? Even then on Lake Superior, I guess I'd be surprised by anything later than May, even during the coldest spring in decades. And Lake Superior is a whole different animal than Lake Michigan.
I've swam May-to-October in Lake Michigan my entire life. Hit up beaches during July and August and you'll see tons of people swimming. Here's Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, for example:
California beaches are for looking at. Arguably the most beautiful on earth. That said, if you like tanning on a hot beach and swimming in the ocean, its not the place for you. The water is brutally cold and the ocean is very rough.
NORTHERN California beaches are for looking at. Arguably the most beautiful on earth. That said, if you like tanning on a hot beach and swimming in the ocean, its not the place for you. The water is brutally cold and the ocean is very rough.
Fixed it for you. Southern CA beaches certainly are warm enough or swimmable for most.
You still need a wetsuit. Wouldn't consider it swimmable compared to a Florida or Gulf Coast.
Sure you can. Water temperatures in later summer are usually around 70 degrees - at most, a top might be nice if you are surfing, but certainly not required if you are swimming. On those days it gets over 80 at the beach, 70 degree water feels great. I could paste a few needlessly large pictures of thousands of people swimming in Santa Monica or La Jolla Cove, but you get the picture.
Not everyone needs humidity and bathwater to swim, and don't confuse Southern California water temps with the rest of the state.
Huh, I've almost always lived within blocks of Lake Michigan, and I've never (ever) seen this, not even during the worst winter of my life (the one you're referencing). Are you thinking of Lake Superior? Even then on Lake Superior, I guess I'd be surprised by anything later than May, even during the coldest spring in decades. And Lake Superior is a whole different animal than Lake Michigan.
I've swam May-to-October in Lake Michigan my entire life. Hit up beaches during July and August and you'll see tons of people swimming. Here's Bradford Beach in Milwaukee, for example:
Yes the picture was Lake Superior. It was a year ago and the lake was declared "ice free" I think on June 6. Not sure when it became ice free this year. I lived in northern Michigan for years, and have also swam in the lakes when I was younger. Even as a young person they were cold, and really its kind of a crap shoot as far as water temp on beach. To get warm nice water on the lakes you need an extended warm period with no storms or wind to churn up the water. Just 6-8 feet below the surface the water is always hypothermic, even in August. If you go swimming in the gulf of Mexico or the Carolina shore you will realize that even on a good day the great lakes water is very cold. They are swimmable yes, but only the more cold tolerant do it. Milwaukee is more southern Lake Michigan and you do a bit better for water temp there then you do further north.
You still need a wetsuit. Wouldn't consider it swimmable compared to a Florida or Gulf Coast.
No you won't. Well it's still swimmable nonetheless to most people, if Florida or Gulf Coast water is your lower limit for what you can tolerate then sure you would need a wet suit but most people can handle upper 60's to low 70's water temps fine without any protection.
Generally you see much fewer people in the water when it's below 66.
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