An all time beach favorite! Sit back and watch the world go by - at the beach you are guaranteed to see just about every body size and shape. Watch the cars drive by, beach bikes cruise along, joggers and walkers.

Write messages in the sand. You can write them big or small, say anything that you want and then take a picture that will last forever. These pictures can be made into unique postcards to send to the folks back home.

Many beaches throughout the world offer the chance to see dolphins right from the shore if you know what you're looking for and when to look.

On average a dolphin can be up to 8 to 9 feet in length. Also it can weigh up to 419 to 575 pounds. If it is bigger than average it can be up to 12 feet and over 1,000 pounds. The belly of the dolphins is mostly pinkish-white, but it can be all white also. The skin is of the dolphins that are seen is mostly a brown, gray, blue and white mix. Most dolphins have 76 to 98 teeth. That is 3 times as many as humans.

Beach volleyball is fundamentally similar to indoor volleyball: a team scores points by grounding the ball on the opponents' court, or when the opposing team commits a fault (error or illegal action); teams can contact the ball no more than three times before the ball crosses the net; and consecutive contacts must be made by different players.

The major differences between beach and indoor volleyball are:

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• Playing surface: sand, rather than a hard floor
• Team size: two players per team, rather than six

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Other differences include:

• The beach court measures 26.25 feet by 52.5 feet (8.00 m × 16.00 m), while the indoor court measures 29.52 feet by 59.05 feet (9.00 m × 18.00 m).
• A match consists of three sets, or games. A set is won by the first team to reach 21 points. The first team to win two sets wins the match, and a third tiebreaker set, if necessary, is won by the first team to reach 15 points. Teams must win by two points.
• Teams change sides of the court at every combined multiple of 7 points. For example, if Team A has 10 points and Team B also has 10, then the next point will cause both teams to switch sides, the total score of 21 being a multiple of 7. On the third set, teams change sides of the court at every combined multiple of 5 points.
• It is legal to cross under the net as long as doing so does not interfere with the opponents' attempt to play the ball.
• Players alternate service, but are not required to rotate positions;

• There are no 'rotation errors'.
• There are no ten-foot line (3-meter line) hitting restrictions.

• There are no substitutions.
• Most players, either by choice or by requirement of the rules, play the game barefoot.

A beach volleyball.

• The ball is softer, has a lower internal pressure, and is slightly bigger than an indoor volleyball.
• Overhand finger passes are refereed more strictly:

• When receiving or attacking, an overhand pass must be redirected squarely to the shoulders and put little or no spin on the ball (a "clean" pass). In practice, this means that serves are never received open-handed. The exception to this rule is when receiving an opponent's hard-driven attack.
• When employing an overhand pass, the standard for a double contact fault is lower than when receiving or attacking, though still much stricter than in indoor volleyball. The standard for a lift fault is less strict than in the indoor game, ie. it is legal to allow the ball to come to rest for a small period of time.

• Although you are allowed to "tip" the ball as you would in indoor volleyball, you must contact it with a closed hand or with the top of your hand. An open hand tip, in beach volleyball, is considered a carry ball. Therefore, you may contact it with a cobra(your index and middle finger curled as you contact it with those two fingers only), a camel toe( all five fingers extend as you poke at the ball with them), or a regular closed fist. The cobra is the preferred method of tipping in beach volleyball today.

Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is  an Olympic team sport played on sand. Like other variations of volleyball, two teams, separated by a high net, try to score points against the other by grounding a ball on the other team's court. Competitive beach volleyball teams usually consist of two players, though recreational variations can contain up to six players. Through the years I've seen and joined in may games of beach volleyball and do have to share that to this day I still need practice. LOL.

Originating in Southern California, beach volleyball now enjoys worldwide popularity.,

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Some HISTORY:

Though popularized in Southern California, the first recorded beach volleyball games took place on the beaches of Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawai'i at the Outrigger Canoe Club.Originally designed to give bored surfers something to do when the surf was down, the game quickly developed into more organized six-man matches. The most famous early player was legendary waterman, Duke Kahanamoku.

In 1920, construction of new jetties in Santa Monica, California created a large sandy area for public enjoyment, planting the seed for beach volleyball development in that region. The first permanent nets began to appear, and recreational games were soon being played on public parts of the beach, as well as in private beach clubs. 11 such beach clubs appeared in the Santa Monica area, beginning in late 1922. The first inter-club competitions were staged in 1924, marking the first beach volleyball tournaments to be played in California.

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Most of these early beach volleyball matches were played with teams of at least six players per side, much like indoor volleyball. The concept of the modern two-man beach volleyball game, however, is credited to Paul "Pablo" Johnson, an indoor player. In the summer of 1930, while waiting for players to show up for a six-man game, Johnson decided to try playing with only the four people present. The game was forever changed.

Beach volleyball began to appear in Europe in the 1930s. By the 1940s, doubles tournaments were being played on the beaches of Santa Monica for trophies. In the 1960s, an attempt to start a professional volleyball league was made in Santa Monica. It failed, but a professional tournament was held in France for 30,000 French frans. The first Manhattan Beach Open was held in 1960. The tournament is now considered the "Wimbledon of Beach Volleyball".

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In the 1970s, a few professional tournaments in Santa Monica were sponsored by beer and cigarette companies.

There are so many ways to enjoy the beach. If you can think of one you would like to share please add it here. Much thanks and enjoy!