Comparing and Contrasting Southern Coasts Rough draft

Vacations to the beach are one of the more popular trips to spend time with family and friends. At the beach, people sit out in the sun, go swimming in the ocean and take relaxing walks. People who live in the Southeastern states, particularly in Florida and Georgia, have the choice of going to beaches on two different coasts. These two coasts are the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf Coast. When choosing which coast to go to for a vacation, there are similarities and differences of each coast that a person should consider before deciding which coast to visit.

When visiting the Atlantic Coast, it is common to see more people on the beach. One factor that contributes to this is that at low tide the beach can be as wide as almost 100 yards wide giving people a lot of open beach area. However, with more people, the amount of trash found on the beaches is greater. This trash mostly includes red Dixie cups, napkins, beer bottles, and children’s toys that get swept away by the waves. While these beaches may have lifeguards and other people who volunteer to keep them clean, there are far too many people who create trash for the volunteers to keep the beaches clean. Along the Atlantic Coast beaches, surfers can usually find waves large enough to ride year round. This coast has nothing blocking the waves that travel across the ocean.

On the Atlantic Coast, the water is always colder than the water in the Gulf. But, because of this the beaches on the Atlantic Coast tend to see less hurricanes than the beaches of the Gulf Coast. Since there are fewer storms to hit the beaches on the Atlantic Coast, many beaches have stayed the same for a long time.

The sands of the Atlantic Coast beaches vary in different shades of gray. The color of the sand depends on the color of coral and the kinds of shells common to that area of the coast. On the Atlantic beaches, the shells tend to be broken because of the force produced by crashing waves. This contributes to the color of the sand on the beaches. Overall, this gray, grainy, and sometimes shelly sand does not help in building sand castles.

The other coast that is available to choose from is the Gulf Coast. This coast contrasts to the Atlantic Coast in many ways. Most of the differentiations are noticeable and can be felt by touch or seen by the eyes. In my opinion, the beaches of the Gulf Coast are better for vacation than those on the Atlantic Coast.

The pan-handle part of the coast of Florida goes by the name of the Forgotten Coast. Here the beaches tend to be less crowded during most parts of the year. One of the most famous beaches on the Forgotten Coastline can be found at Panama City, Fl. Although this beach tends to be crowded during the Spring Breaks and the summer seasons, the rest of the coastline is far less crowded. Since these beaches are less crowded, the organizations that take care of the beaches are able to keep the beaches clean. Although, after storms come through, the beaches can have some trash on them. But, it is easy to clean up.

The width of the beach is generally shorter than that of the Atlantic Coast, but rarely changes due to the tides. Since the beaches stay the same size, people are able to spend more time on the beach. Also, the sizes of the waves at Gulf Coast beaches are typically very small. While this is good for children wanting to play in the water, you will not find any waves suitable for surfing.

As stated above, the Gulf Coast water is usually warmer than the Atlantic Ocean year round. Since the water is warmer, the Gulf Coast has more hurricanes and tropical storms every year than the Atlantic Coast. The storms that come to these beaches can be very destructive and have been known to kill. Although this coastline is damaged every year by storms, the people who live there are accustomed to it and bounce back right after the storm has passed. This excludes New Orleans, since the city is below sea level. A drawback to the warm water is that it brings predators closer to the beach. The most common sharks found here are Bull and Tiger sharks. Every year there are shark attacks in these waters. However, these warm waters also bring dolphins close to shore which are enjoyable to see.

The sands on the Gulf Coast beaches are mostly a pure white color. This lighter color makes for a much clearer water color. The pan-handle area of the Gulf Coast is also known as the Emerald Coast because of its clear and aqua blue waters. The white sands attract a lot of photographers and couples who want to get married at the beach. Since the sand isn’t full of shells, it is easier to walk on and play sports on. Shells can be found up and down these beaches that are intact. The sand is also excellent for building sand castles. If there is a sand sculpting contest on the Atlantic Coast, the sand comes in a box, and most likely came from the Gulf Coast.

Since people tend to go to both of these coasts for vacations, they both offer some of the same qualities which are usually left out in decision making process about which coast to visit. Both of these beaches are the homes of many types of turtles. The loggerhead and leatherback turtles are found on both coasts. The loggerhead turtle is the most common turtle found on these coasts and the leatherback turtle is the least common found. I, myself have seen both of these turtles on the coasts. Both of these coasts have sharks, but they rarely attack humans. Avoidance of sharks is usually not a reason people consider when deciding to go to one coast or the other. Both coasts are home to jellyfish. However, these stinging creatures are unpredictable as to when they will be present, but are usually more common when storms out in the ocean create strong tides. The fishing is great on both coasts. Most beaches at the larger cites on both coasts have piers that allow fisherman to fish. Both coasts have sand dunes to protect the homes and communities from tidal surges. They both have waves, though of different sizes. Some are able to be surfed and others are not. And of course, both of the coasts have people at their beaches year-round.

My family has spent summer vacations on both coasts and we have enjoyed each visit. As described above, there are definite benefits to each coast and drawbacks as well. When deciding which beach to choose for your next vacation, I hope that you will take some of these comparisons into consideration.