Carol_Hill said:To me, the Gulf Coast water is much prettier than the Atlantic Coast, and the water is usually calmer, as well as much prettier sunsets over the water! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />
Hi Carol, the Atlantic Ocean side of the barrier island definitely has wave action since the daytime onshore winds blow across a lot of ocean before landfall.
The Banana River, on the otherhand, is shielded by the barrier island and has relatively little wave action usually, especially the eastern half of the river which is in the lee of the buildings and trees to the east. At Patrick AFB the Bananna River is several miles wide, resulting in spectacular sunsets... Especially with all the thunderheads low on the western horizon as they dump on central and western Florida... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />
The causeways also mitigate the wind effects, alowing water skiing on glassy smooth water on at least one of the four "corners".
And then you have the southern part of Merrit Island, which serves as another wind block, making the Indian River even smoother...
It's a nice area for boating... :
