You won’t find me splashing in the Galveston surf this spring break

Spring break is here and for many that means a trip to the beach, but you won’t find me soaking up the sun on the beaches of Galveston.

I recently watched the film “The Shallows,” where Blake Lively plays a surfer from Galveston. While most of the film’s setting takes place in Mexico, there is a scene at the end where she is supposed to be in Galveston. As someone who grew up just a short drive from the Gulf Coast, it is so easy to spot they did not actually film this scene in Galveston (and probably have never visited) because the water is beautiful and blue; a sight you would not see at a Galveston beach.

First off, the water of Galveston is a lovely shade of brown. Now I know this is mainly due to the small sediment particles fed from the Mississippi River being churned up by the tide, but it can be a tad unsettling when you can’t see your toes in ankle deep water.

As if the murky brown water wasn’t enough to deter me away from the beach; the water quality in Galveston is often poor. In recent years, Galveston’s water has been compared to toilet water. There are also cases of people becoming infected with flesh-eating bacteria after taking a dip in Galveston waters. Let’s not forget oil spills; Galveston Bay has averaged 285 spills a year since 1998.

Who could forget the tourists? Holidays bring tourists. I don’t want to spend my spring break sitting in traffic on the way to Galveston just to have to hunt for a parking spot I will probably pay for. Then, when I finally find a parking spot, I will have to fight the crowds to find a spot on the beach. Now I’m not against tourists visiting Galveston, but I’m not about to go brave the hordes of screaming kids just to get my beach fix.

A big crowd typically means a lot of trash. While there are trash cans on the beach, during high-traffic times like spring break, they seem to fill up fast and overflow causing many people to just pile up their trash next to the bin; which ends up blowing around everywhere. Who hasn’t seen a dirty diaper on the beach at least once?

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Galveston all together; you just won’t find me on their lackluster beaches. Galveston does have fun things to do like exploring museums, gazing at historic architecture, and eating at delicious restaurants. You might even find me enjoying a caramel apple from The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on The Strand, but I’ll wait until after spring break.