Living by the Sea or Ocean

Just because I haven't seen anyone mention it yet... when I was living near the ocean, I was always at least peripherally aware of the tides. Depending on what kind of boat your people use to get back and forth from their island, they might keep close track of the tides, or they might not notice anything more than whether it's high or low tide.

Also, you're going to have tidal rivers.

Avatar_fan said:

How about the St. Kilda archipelago in Scotland? I think it has the qualities I'm looking for.

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No personal experience to give you but a Google video search for "st kilda island|archipelago" turns up lots of useful clips for you to get a feel for the place.

St Kilda is owned by the National Trust of Scotland and is an important bird reserve. There are no permanent residents. The only people you'll find there are a few bird wardens and Ministry of Defence personnel (at the radar station). Some specialist bird-watching trips are run to there in the summer, otherwise it is pretty inaccesible

waylander said:

St Kilda is owned by the National Trust of Scotland and is an important bird reserve. There are no permanent residents. The only people you'll find there are a few bird wardens and Ministry of Defence personnel (at the radar station). Some specialist bird-watching trips are run to there in the summer, otherwise it is pretty inaccesible

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Same with alot of our islands here.

Yes, I've been to SRi Lanka, spent a day on the beach on a stopover!
It's very much like the Caribbean in feeling, but the water is not nearly as clear and soft, the sand not nearly as white and pure. But very relaxed, very melllow feeling. Course, that was over 20 years ago and with all the political upheavals the atmosphere might have changed. Remember that a touristy beach is quite different to a quiet beach where only the locals go. The tourist beaches are usually the most beautiful, but overcrowded and commercial, with deckchairs and umbrelllas etc for rent, vendors selling stuff, etc.

If you want a fantastic description of a Sri Lanka beach, read Brixton Beach by Roma Tearne.
The first part is so evocative of Sri Lanka I almost swooned - delightful, and very realistic. You couldn't find anything better, for a description of a tropical beach! Unfortunately the book imo goes downhill in the later, London, section.

Avatar_fan said:

How about the St. Kilda archipelago in Scotland? I think it has the qualities I'm looking for.

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St Kilda is not so much living by the sea as living in the middle of it. It is very remote and inaccessible. It is also abandoned, rather than uninhabited. The residents were evacuated (by request) in the the first half of the Twentieth Century. There is quite a lot that has been written on the sociological reasons behind the decision. As an example, it would have more to do with living in a remote community rather than living by the sea.

Most mid-latitude islands are rocky, although that dosn't mean they can't have sandy coves.

As mentioned earlier, the tide is very important in Britain. The landscape can be transformed as vast areas of rock pools can be formed and miles of mud flats exposed, at low tide. It makes the whole environment very dynamic. The coast on the mainland covers everything you can imagine (cliffs, sandy beaches, shingle, fjords, mud flats, etc.)

Kenn said:

As mentioned earlier, the tide is very important in Britain. The landscape can be transformed as vast areas of rock pools can be formed and miles of mud flats exposed, at low tide. It makes the whole environment very dynamic. The coast on the mainland covers everything you can imagine (cliffs, sandy beaches, shingle, fjords, mud flats, etc.)

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This.

Here's a picture of what the continental shelf looks like around Europe. Look at how far it extends to the northwest, around the British Isles and Scandinavia. That's what makes for all that tidal flow.



The sound of the ocean will also vary depending on the time of day, time of year, and the weather. A gentle surf, coupled with the sound of seagulls on a hot summer day is very different from the wind and rain of a winter storm, or the clanging of buoys and eerie call of a foghorn in the dead of night.