Why don’t Americans generally like swimming in the ocean?

[Anonymous]

Americans do swim in the ocean. Go to the west coast, Florida, Hawaii. I love the ocean, it seems to relax the body. I do understand how people may not enjoy larger waves though, I prefer a calmer beach or a calm day.

[Anonymous]

I love swimming in the ocean. I am from New England, and grew up going to Atlantic Ocean beaches. The water is cold and there are usually a lot of waves and currents so not for faint of heart (although plenty of people seem to be in the ocean with me). No idea where you are from, OP, but lots of seas are warmer and calmer than the Atlantic and that does make a difference as to how many people you see swimming. For example, FL beaches on the gulfof mexico have warmer calmer waters and many people have been in the water when we’ve visited - for sure in the Caribbean.

[Anonymous]

I absolutely loved swimming in the ocean from childhood through my 20s. So much, that I went to school for marine biology and spent a lot of time volunteering to help with things like dolphin research.

But now in my 30s, almost 40, I’m a lot more afraid of skin cancer. I’m of Scandinavian descent and very pale. I wear a rash guard, but that still leaves my face, neck, and legs out. Even with sunscreen it worries me. So I try to avoid direct midday Sun as much as possible. I try to do my beach vacations in winter when the sun isn’t as strong, and stay under an umbrella as much as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Immigrant here. I’ve noticed that Americans seem to prefer lounging by the pool or sitting out on chairs at the beach, rather than actually swimming in the ocean. If they do go in, it’s just for a short period or to get their feet wet. In my country, we actually go in deep and spend time swimming or just hanging out in the water. Why don’t most Americans do this too? I know most of you (middle class and above) learn to swim so what’s with the Pool/ Sun bathing preference?

Salt water bad for skin. Sharks. Jellyfish.

[Anonymous]

Long thread, some1 may have said it already, locally jellyfish and sometimes polluted waters keep me staying far from the beach

[Anonymous]

I've swam in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and in California, but the East Coast beaches I've been to just don't feel very clean and inviting to swim in. I currently live by Lake Michigan and enjoy free diving for beautiful rocks in the crystal clear water on a hot summer day. Salt free, and no sharks or jelly fish to worry about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like swimming in the ocean but where I go, Bethany Beach, the conditions change daily and sometimes it’s downright scary. I have been knocked over by waves many times when trying to exit the water

I almost died at Bethany as a 12 year old. I was there with my friend’s family, I was a solid swimmer (had done swim team every year since age 5) and the current was so strong I almost didn’t make it back up. It was terrifying and I also never told anyone

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Immigrant here. I’ve noticed that Americans seem to prefer lounging by the pool or sitting out on chairs at the beach, rather than actually swimming in the ocean. If they do go in, it’s just for a short period or to get their feet wet. In my country, we actually go in deep and spend time swimming or just hanging out in the water. Why don’t most Americans do this too? I know most of you (middle class and above) learn to swim so what’s with the Pool/ Sun bathing preference?

I am European and love to swim, but the water in the Northeast where I am is way too cold for me, even in August. I need it at least 10 degrees warmer to go in. I am also always worried about sharks.

[Anonymous]

I think the type of water makes a difference. I don’t swim much in the Atlantic beaches that we go to because of the waves and currents but when we go to the Gulf of Mexico in Florida we spend a lot of time in the water.

[Anonymous]

Riptides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Immigrant here. I’ve noticed that Americans seem to prefer lounging by the pool or sitting out on chairs at the beach, rather than actually swimming in the ocean. If they do go in, it’s just for a short period or to get their feet wet. In my country, we actually go in deep and spend time swimming or just hanging out in the water. Why don’t most Americans do this too? I know most of you (middle class and above) learn to swim so what’s with the Pool/ Sun bathing preference?

Salt water bad for skin. Sharks. Jellyfish.

Huh? I grew up on the beach and found salt water to be GREAT for skin. It has great healing properties.

[Anonymous]

I spent a long time lifeguarding at the beach and usually people fell in one of three categories. The first are the toe or knee dippers. They enjoy the fun of being on the beach spending time with their friends and families but only step foot in the water to cool off. The second, and most popular category I saw were the wave jumpers. These folks would hang out in about waist to chest deep water jumping over or sometimes diving under the incoming waves but generally had two feet on the bottom. The third group which was very small compared to the others were the ones who looked like they were trying to swim to England. I cannot tell you how many times one or two confident swimmers would do this and their weaker peers would attempt to follow and end up needing to get rescued. Honestly though, it was usually the wave jumpers in wait to chest deep water that got pulled into rip currents and needed rescuing most often.

We typically didn't have the shark worries on the MD/DE beaches. My rescues were almost always related to rip currents or spinal injuries from going over the falls of a wave or diving into extremely shallow water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Immigrant here. I’ve noticed that Americans seem to prefer lounging by the pool or sitting out on chairs at the beach, rather than actually swimming in the ocean. If they do go in, it’s just for a short period or to get their feet wet. In my country, we actually go in deep and spend time swimming or just hanging out in the water. Why don’t most Americans do this too? I know most of you (middle class and above) learn to swim so what’s with the Pool/ Sun bathing preference?

Salt water bad for skin. Sharks. Jellyfish.

Huh? I grew up on the beach and found salt water to be GREAT for skin. It has great healing properties.

It dries your skin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Uhhhh. Maybe because there is better ocean swimming conditions in your country than on the east coast of the US. And what exactly is your beach sample size in making this judgement? Have you been to Hawaii or the west coast? People from the US swim in the ocean a lot in these places. I find your post quite odd.

LOL. West coast person here. I thought it was the opposite. No one swims in the ocean here---the waves are too intense, and the water too cold unless you're in Southern California. The ocean here can eat you alive. Sneaker waves, riptides, etc make for unsafe swimming conditions most of the time.

OP we don't swim in the ocean because we have other options for swimming. The ocean isn't safe in most places in the US. You don't say where you're from, but I am curious so we can see if you're comparing apples to oranges in terms of temperature, waves, sharks/other creatures and overall conditions.

[Anonymous]

Stupid generalization.