Ahh, Texas has a long coast line - you see, the ocean around Florida is our ocean, too. :o) Take a look at a map for goodness sakes. There are numerous cities on the coast and jobs available due to well drilling and other services, like oil refining plants.
Waves, no.
I suspect the waves skeeter is referring to make the Gulf of Mexico waves look like
a ripple. Pacific waves are much different.
The Gulf of Mexico is calmer than California’s coastal waves, except for the hurricanes.