I'm not going to rate your 2nd photo because even you acknowledged that it's too bright.
The 1st one is much better. If you want to take more photos like this, then just use a faster shutter speed. If you're already using your fastest shutter speed (depends on your camera, but most DSLRs have a shutter speed of 1/4000 seconds), then change to a higher f-number (eg: f/11). Either way, I recommend you use a shutter of approximately f/8, and whatever shutter speed works for you. This advice will work for a DSLR and some advanced smaller cameras, but not all.
If you don't want to "guess" which shutter speed you need to use, then I suggest setting the exposure compensation to -1 1/3 or something (a setting almost all point and shoot cameras will have), and pointing the camera towards the ground. Don't point the camera at your feet.

Just point it at something that's 10 feet away or something, and half-press the shutter button. Most cameras will lock the focus AND the exposure at this object.
Don't worry about the sun being out of focus. It can't be.

Focusing your camera on the object that's furthest away is the biggest, most obvious mistake photographers do when taking landscape shots. They think they need to focus on the mountain in the background, when they really should be trying to get things in the foreground to be sharp. In your case, it's the sand, rocks, and water you need to be sharp.
Your 1st photo is a 3/5 in my book.

I'm using my personal scale, so don't take that as an insult. I always believe that the very middle rating is average (eg: 5/10 means the photo is better than half the photos I see posted here). I'm probably going to give very few photos a 5/5).