The coast is never really still. Water, wind, haze and tide keep changing the geometry of the scene, which makes beaches much more interesting to photograph than their familiarity suggests.
Light, water and a moving horizon
I tend to photograph beaches when the light is doing something useful: early or late in the day, during weather, or when reflections and texture make the water part of the composition rather than simply the background.
This gallery collects coastal photographs from California and other places I’ve carried a camera, with an emphasis on atmosphere rather than postcard perfection.