by Justin Fricke, aka JustinTheWeekendWarrior
Over the past couple weeks, we’ve compared rivers to lakes and lakes to oceans. Now we’re down to rivers and oceans. Two weeks ago, we saw why lakes beat out oceans; but when it comes to oceans and rivers, I think that oceans win.
Here’s why:
- More buoyancy: If you’re like me and float like a rock, you’d choose oceans every time. With the higher salinity , you float a lot easier compared to being in freshwater. If you just want to take some time to relax in the water, you’ll pick oceans on this one.
- Water sports: In a river, it’s real easy to kick back and relax, but you typically don’t want to do a lot. Oceans allow you to have some fun doing different water sports like surfing, kite surfing, wind surfing, etc. If you want to go and be a little more active, I’d pick oceans.
- Local businesses: When you’re near an ocean that typically means you’re near a beach. Beach towns are notorious for having a lot of history and a couple local hotspots. Hop on the internet and see what kind of local restaurants and shops people recommend.
- Wildlife: Oceans can offer some unique wildlife. Typically when you’re around the ocean you’re for sure to see different species of birds, fish, and mammals. There’s been days before where I’ve seen bottle nose dolphin swimming around, followed by manatees migrating to warmer waters.
- Variety: In a river, you’re typically held to only doing a couple things like floating, swimming, and maybe rope swinging. In the ocean you can do a multitude of things like fishing and water sports. You can also look into renting a boat, jet ski, kayak, and paddle board as well to explore a little further.
Ultimately oceans, river, and lakes all have their positives and negatives. It really comes down to what you want to do and where you’re located. For instance, I pick oceans 90% of the time since I live an hour from the beach in Florida and surf. Someone from Colorado probably would have oceans last on their list. Find your favorite and get out there and have fun!
