ABSTRACT
Orienting ourselves in the coastal environment from the water forces us to reconsider both our place in environment and its very nature. The sense of sight is inadequate for experiencing the coast because numerous factors are involved that a visual approach cannot touch. Among these are our knowledge, beliefs, and practises. Most significant of all for environmental aesthetics are experiences we have when we encounter the coast, and it is revealing to consider perceptual qualities that are not visual. The environment of the coast is permeated with a multitude of values: economic, biological, and, of course, aesthetic. While engagement is central to all aesthetic appreciation, the coastal environment points up features found in every environment and renders them particularly intense and vivid. In the coastal environment, economic goals have social consequences, and historical values are affected by both social and economic interests.
