What did the ocean say to the beach?

How to think about it

1. The ocean cannot speak, so the answer has to be about a gesture rather than words.
2. What does the ocean do at the beach all day long? It makes waves.
3. Waving is also what people do instead of speaking when they greet someone.
4. The ocean said nothing; it just waved.

Why “Nothing, it just waved” is the answer

The ocean makes waves, and to “wave” is also a silent greeting, so the ocean greeted the beach without saying a word. The joke sets up a conversation and then answers with a pun on the one thing the ocean is famous for. It belongs with the other personification jokes in this category.

Common wrong answers

• “Hello”. The ocean does not talk, and the riddle wants the wave pun.
• “Sea you later”. A decent pun in its own right, but not the classic answer to this riddle.