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I think it totally depends on the person. I am a very active person, I go to the beach to swim, snorkel, fish, bodysurf, kayak and once, windsurf. I can only lay on the sand reading for about an hour, then I have to get moving. I know other people who just read, sleep or drink beer and never get more than their feet wet. We both consider our activities "relaxing". Different strokes for different folks!
We swim, well we wade. I find it especially fun when I run into medical waste. Getting stuck with all those used needles, better then playing spot the oil slick! Sometimes I forget to bring my dish detergent with me, as it is very hard to get all that oil off your skin by just toweling it off.
As a rule, since I do not like crowds, I do not go to the beach in the summer. If I am going to swim, which is seldom, I prefer a pool. If I am working on a tan, I like a tanning salon where the exposure is controlled.
I grew up in NJ - family had a beach house. We hit the bungalow the same day school let out in spring and returned home the night before school started, with weekends both before and after the summer season. Swimming in June is not recommended. The water's freezing. By the beginning of July, it's warming up a little and mid-to late August is when the jellyfish arrive - more in low tide than high, so get a chart. As an adult, I moved to RI and raised my children there. We lived in a beach town, about a mile from the beach and, until my boys were teens, we hit the beach every day. It takes longer for the water to warm up, so just a few minutes in early July would be enough, until you warm up. By August, the water's great and it's even better in Sept.
Now, whenever I have visited Maine, whether late August or early September, the water is too cold to swim for any length of time. BRRR. Maybe I'm just an old softie.
As for Florida beaches, I found it a bit too cold in February on the east coast but fine in March on the west coast.
I hate the salt water. Burns my eyes and taste crappy if you swallow it by accident. I don't care to step on broken seashells either.
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