The Atlantic vs. the Pacific...

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So I went to the beach this past weekend and have been thinking about the various distinctions between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. As far as I can tell, they are both blue (lol, go figure) and both cold in January. Although the Atlantic has beaches that appear to be much flatter. Most of the beaches I've seen at the Pacific Ocean have large cliffs and large rocks that the waves hit and splash all about. So not ALL of the beaches look like this, but the nice ones up North do. So, since the Atlantic appears to be so flat all around where I am, I realized that while I'm down here in sunny North Carolina, I may not be able to indulge in one of my favorite pasttimes -- tidepooling. I find that sad. Nevertheless, a visit to the Atlantic was definately a photo opportunity. Hope you like my photos!!

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Photos

Wrightsville Beach 1
Ah, beautiful shot of the ocean as I first saw it!

Wrightsville Beach 2
Me standing next to this giant body of water. It was a bit windy that day!

Wrightsville Beach 3
A picture of my two friends much further ahead of me. I kept getting distracted by all of the beautiful shells on the beach. One of which I was able to make a beautiful necklace out of.

Wrightsville Beach 4
This was a beautiful shot of underneath one of the piers.

Wrightsville Beach 5
Surfers enjoy the waves but they must've been freezing!

Wrightsville Beach art
Look, a sand seahorse!

Wrightsville Beach sunset
I love how the beach has little fences lining the top of it. This was taken near sundown.

Comments

[deleted_30365]

Little fences
Hi Sharklady, I am glad to see you are still posting photos for us to enjoy. (I sent the comment about your Alaska photos some weeks back). The little fences are there for conservation purposes as I understand. No cliffs, but we do have sand dunes on the east coast. Apparently, these small fences break just enough of the surface winds to help preserve the sand dunes, which of course, make up an important part of the wildlife habitat. I was a lifeguard on the Virginia Beach oceanfront in 1974.I saw first hand the effects of development on the beach conditions, and how it contributed to erosion and dune destruction. I don't know what tidal pooling is. I guess I have seen pictures of people relaxing in what looks a comfortable little pool in a beach rock formation. Is it something like that? Anyway, glad your studies are such that you can get away for these photo ops. My daughter is at VCU in Richmond, VA. and she has just left on a spring break to New York City with a girlfriend and their mothers! I hope to see some photos of their trip to Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty. All the best toyou Sharklady - and keep up the good work! -secureitdalby

[BB]

Cool, sand dunes?
I am in BC Canada on the Pacific. Yeah, we have more big rocks and not as many sandy beaches (all pebbles). White Rock is great. So cool, there are sand dunes on the Atlantic side? I guess the Atlantic ocean has been around longer so it's ground up all it's rocks already. But really, tidal pooling? I am not sure if this is what Sharklady was talking about. But tidal pooling (or tidepooling) to me is NOTHING like whatever morTIMer described. It is looking for marine creatures along the shoreline trapped in little pools the tide leaves when it goes out. They are often hiding under medium sized rocks. I love looking for mini crabs and hermit crabs. Starfish are rare though. It is very fun. Sharklady said the Carolina coast was flat ( : with no rocks), so she couldn't do tidepooling. See now?