I (34M) surf almost every week and I need some advice for approaching women at the beach. I regularly get some intense eye contact with women either on the beach or walking past them on the stairs, but I feel awkward starting a conversation with them when they're often wearing only a bikini.

I'm a noob at cold approaching, but I've had success in other contexts by saying I think they're cute or complimenting some aspect of their outfit. This seems inappropriate when they're wearing almost nothing. And other times I can't judge their age well at all, I don't want to approach women college age or younger.

What do you recommend? I prefer a direct approach (making my intentions clear right away) but I just want to keep it respectful.