You are thinking of sandflies or as, I will say northern folks, call no-see-ums they bite sandfleas are a type of mole crab, they do not bite but are very good bait.

The man in the chair, I am clueless as to how he got there and how he was leaving. As soon as the words, Do you need a ride somewhere came out of my mouth, I remembered these were not the old days when you could give strangers a ride and he was strange. As I was leaving and driving by him, he did not even look at me, he was just staring off into space, I was glad he said he had a ride coming. There is not even a house within walking distance of that beach maybe a UFO did drop him off he was dry so he did not swim from a boat.