Florida or Hawaii: Which state has the best beaches?? (climates, expensive, living)
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Also, not to beat a dead horse, but since others have brought up atmosphere, I have to say that one of the best things about being at the beach in Hawaii is that there are usually beautiful mountains everywhere. One of my fave things to do when I go back to Hawaii is to get in the water, turn back towards the shore and just stare at the mountains and clouds...it's almost a religious experience...the pic below absolutely does not do justice to the scale of the mountains right there...but see how tiny the people are and re-scale it in your mind
Agreed, Hawaii has some very dramatic mountains. Even though the Big Island doesn't have the steep, dramatic mountains like the other islands it's pretty amazing to be swimming in ocean and staring up at a snow capped volcano on a clear day.
Some my pics from Oahu:
(This pics looks like it was taken from the same place as the pic you posted)
Wow, these pics of Hawaiian beaches are beautiful. C'mon Florida people post some pics of your great beaches. The Panhandle has sugar white beaches that go on for miles and miles. It seems in Hawaii beaches are quite small in length (parallel to shore). When you zoom in on google earth beaches in Hawaii seem far and few between. Most of the coast seems to be rock going right to the sea. Florida is just one sandy beach after another for miles and miles, only separated by sandy inlets.
Tho Florida has some really amazing beaches...It really does.
Hawaii wins. Their beaches are more exotic and more tropical. With dramatic backdrops of mountains and palm tree lined beaches that are authentic feeling. .
A lot of beaches in florida are so disingenius feeling.... you'll see the palm trees have been planted and re-planted over and over... often propped up by these wood beams holding the tree in place.. Really not meant to naturally grow there. The beaches during the summer can often be oppressively hot.. In hawaii there are aleways the trade winds blowing and it's much more comfortable. .
to be quite honest, anyone that is voting for florida as having better beaches than hawaii either hasn't been to hawaii or is blind.
One thing that Florida has on Hawaii is accessibility. Hawaii has a tremendous variety of beaches that offer great surfing, diving, or even swimming but these beaches are spread across the various islands. Even on one island, sometimes to get to the other side you have to drive all the way around because of the mountains/natural parks. It's easier to get around Florida as a whole.
Does anyone know any great diving spots in Florida? I heard they exist but everytime I've driven down to the keys the water has been murky and barren. Maybe I have to get a boat or something. Hawaii, it's possible to find clear water good for swimming and diving not to mention a great beach for surfing just a couple miles removed.
Well they Keys. But the time of year is what you have to be aware of. Also the South Eastern Tip of Miami Dade before you hit Monroe County.
Florida For Me. Not a fan of rough waves, cold waters, and volcanoes and ****.
Cold Waters? The water is warmer in winter than all of Florida and in the 80's in summer. Right now the water is warmer in Hawaii than it is anywhere in FL. Do you really need 88 degree water over 81 degree water?
Cold Waters? The water is warmer in winter than all of Florida and in the 80's in summer. Right now the water is warmer in Hawaii than it is anywhere in FL. Do you really need 88 degree water over 81 degree water?
It makes a big difference. Even 2-3 F makes a big difference though anything over 80 is plenty warm enough for me to enjoy.
I think the water temp around the keys stays at hawaii temps during the winter.
Daytona is already at 75.6 and that ain't even soflori. They don't got MIA but it's somewhere in the 78s-79s. The gulf too is warm. Here's the rub hawaii will warm up by about a couple degrees but florida will by 10.
Yeah I know how 2-3 degrees in the water can make a big difference but I just can't imagine many people finding anything around 80 "too cold". Hawaii is warmer in winter and milder in summer, just like on the land compared to FL.
The NODC site shows Miami Beach averaging 71 in Jan and Key West with 69, Honolulu in Jan is 76.
Daytona seems to be a bit high compared to the rest of FL, most sites in the keys are below 76 right now.
Yeah I know how 2-3 degrees in the water can make a big difference but I just can't imagine many people finding anything around 80 "too cold". Hawaii is warmer in winter and milder in summer, just like on the land compared to FL.
The NODC site shows Miami Beach averaging 71 in Jan and Key West with 69, Honolulu in Jan is 76.
Daytona seems to be a bit high compared to the rest of FL, most sites in the keys are below 76 right now.
That NODC guide is inaccurate imo. I'm not sure the record used or where the temps were measured, what depth, what time, etc.
The water temps along the SE coast of FL in the coldest months of Jan and Feb average around 73F-74F. That is their lowest temp all year.
NOAA coastal buoy data is much more accurate and in line with what people on the beach encounter. It is real data measured every hour of every day for years. The one location below is Lake Worth Pier right on the coast near Palm Beach, and the other is Fowey Rocks right offshore near Miami Beach. Check them out and see for yourself what the average or mean water temp is in each month. Std deviation is included as well.
What you'll see from the above links is that the surf temp in Miami Beach hovers around 74F in the coldest months, and the water further up the coast at Palm Beach (Lake Worth) is 73F at its coldest. You can def feel the diff between 71 and 73/74. I've always heard the waters around Hawaii bottom out around 75F on Oahu, but on the big island drop into the lower 70's. So really, S. Florida is right in that mix.
Also, as you can see from this website, which uses satellite data, the water temps in S. Florida in winter average 73F in the coldest months, which verifies the buoy data.
I've been to S. Florida in winter quite a few times and the surf temp in places like Ft. Lauderdale is usually around 74F.
I doubt Hawaii is really much warmer than that, but S. Florida is warmer in summer than Hawaii. To me the issue with Hawaii is that they don't have nearly the miles of sandy beaches Florida has. Go look on google earth and fly around every island. Beaches are few and far between compared to mile after mile of unbroken sandy beach in Florida. In fact, the whole east coast here is like this. We don't have rocky headlands like the west coast or Hawaii, except in New England.
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The water is warmer in winter than all of Florida and in the 80's in summer. Right now the water is warmer in Hawaii than it is anywhere in FL. Do you really need 88 degree water over 81 degree water?
