There's also something about the winter sun, arcing through it's southernmost course of the year. It hangs low on the horizon, casting light at dramatic right angles, deepening shadows and adding depth to the land and seascape. Winter sunsets come early, but they're among the most dramatic. The winter ocean is clean and blue, every breaker creamy with foam whipped up by recent storms. Incidentally, that foam is not the result of pollution, but the breakdown of algae and seaweed hastened by vigorous doses of oxygen.
Beaches change with the seasons.
High tides and winter storms beat right up to the fordunes and over, and some beaches wash away. Others lose much of their sand, becoming steeply slanted from water's edge to foredune. It should go without saying that beaches must be avoided during storms. Every year people are hurt or killed by waves that hurl logs and debris onto the beach. Confine your storm-watching to a safe overlook, such as the observation area at Shore Acres State Park, or even better, a room with a big window and a nice fireplace nearby.