The gravitational pull on the ocean at night causes the water to more or less bulge towards the moon. I wonder if out in the ocean the same thing happens but since the ocean is so vast, it isn't noticeable since it is away from the shoreline, does this occur out in the ocean as well? How does gravitational pull occur?

Earth's rotation and gravitational attraction of the sun and the moon to some extent are responsible for the motion of tides in the oceans. As the oceans are so vast there exist a cyclic flow water.

Explanation:

As the earth has its gravity and so does the other phenomenon like stars and moon have there thought this is not felt directly as the tidal bulges that are seen around the earth occur at two times in a day and two times at evening time due to the course of earth rotation having a cyclic time of 12 hours. The gravitational pull of the moon is not that strong but since it is close to the earth's surface the tidal bulges are felt on a full moon day and a new moon day as the oceanic currents rise by the gravitational attraction of the moon at night. In the day this is noticeable, as the sun has a large attractive force on the planet derives the winds and pressure belts around the globe, When these celestial objects all fall in the same line both ends on earth experience two small and large tidal bulges on east and west sides.