I am glad you love it. Really helps in a new place when the people are friendly. It can take a while to feel at home otherwise.
I live surrounded by mountains. I’m quoting something I read:
“I’m not afraid of heights, I’m afraid of widths”.
That’s me! Went to Florida once and I was scared of the flats.
I am the opposite and love ve water and swimming.
I love the plains. Wide open sky, from horizon to horizon. The ocean on a barrier island scares the heck out of me. I will stand outside and look for the tornado, but not the hurricane on the beach
If you were scared of the flats you were smart. They can be dangerous. You have to know how to run shallow water. Shallow water navigation is an art form in the Keys.It takes years to really know it.Daytime is hard. Night time is the artful part of learning the flats.