There is no taste of chlorine in the ocean.

Usually, I am a pool person. I can leisurely do laps, swim on my back (à la Esther Williams), dog paddle and occasionally do the strenuous butterfly stroke. Rarely, if ever, do I venture into the ocean. I'm chicken!

The ocean gives no quarter and has high spots and sudden dips and a sandy bottom that is sometimes sprinkled with shells. Then we have the waves. They come in one behind the other in a never-ending succession. Frolicking in the waves can be fun, or it can be dangerous. You can really get tossed around.

Last Saturday, I entered the ocean at Westhampton Beach. I was expecting a sudden shock to my body of cold water against my thorax, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The ocean water was quite temperate; I guessed that the Gulf Stream, in conjunction with the recent 100º Long Island temperatures, had warmed the waters to about 74º Fahrenheit. The waters were calmer than usual and the waves were manageable.

That feeling of pleasure in the water did not dismiss the undertow. The undertow was present and swimmers must be aware of the force that sucks them out to sea. It is very dangerous.

The beautiful lush sandy beaches of the Hamptons are among the best in the world. The beaches of Nice and southern France are rocky and impossible to allow a New Yorker to be comfortable.

The beaches of Nassau, Long Beach, The Rockaways and Coney Island are also magnificent and should not be underrated. The crowds at Jones Beach testify to that.

I must return to the pleasure I enjoyed last Saturday bobbing and bouncing in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean at Westhampton Beach. It introduced me to ocean bathing and I can't wait until I get another chance to dip in the sea again.