There is something special about growing up in a coastal town. Most of my fondest memories involve me being covered in sand, sticky salt water coating my skin, and the beginning of a sunburn beginning to turn my cheeks pink. I spent countless summer days building sandcastles and kayaking, and I cannot imagine moving permanently to a place where the ocean is not five minutes away from my house.

One of my favorite activities in the entire world is kayaking. It’s a therapeutic past time as well as a workout; once I move away from the crowds on the beach, the world around me is completely serene. It’s the best way to spot wildlife such as sea turtles, egrets, crabs, and even sharks, because kayaking is non-threatening to the environment by nature. I once kayaked amid an entire herd of sand sharks, which was truly fascinating and almost surreal. They are graceful and calm, and after looking at them in their natural habitat for a few moments, it is difficult to understand why people are afraid of them.

It’s nearly impossible not to be a strong swimmer in a coastal region. My family threw me into a pool almost as soon as I could walk, and I have been swimming ever since. Although I’ve swam in pools competitively for years, the ocean is my favorite place to be. I wade out into the water until I can’t touch, where the waves have not broken yet, and I float on my back and close my eyes. I love the feeling that I get when I sit down after I have been in the water all day; it almost feels as though the waves are still pulling and pushing at me.

Now that I’m at a school in the Midwest, I miss the ocean. I miss being able to go for a run on the beach in the morning or sunbathe in the afternoon. I miss kayaking, sailing, paddle boarding, and everything else that comes with living on the coast.

I have often thought about moving away from the coastal region after graduation. I sometimes think that the mountains or the desert would be a nice change of scenery for me, but I cannot give up the feeling I get whenever I see the sun setting over the water or an egret walking through the marsh. I’d miss the ocean far too much to leave it behind entirely. Even now, every time I come home to the east coast, the ocean is the first place I want to go. I think it always will be.