If this question has already been asked or is super basic, apologies. I'm a physics novice and this is my first question on this side of the site.

In classical physics, waves and particles are mutually exclusive, but in quantum theory subatomic particles are waves. **What if there were simultaneously waves and particles that we were testing, but they were separate and distinct (with our precision at the subatomic level not able to make that distinction)?**

When an ocean wave travels through water molecules, most molecules move up and down while staying in place, but a few are carried by the wave for a relatively short distance compared with the distance the wave travels. What if subatomic particles were so light and the waves so strong that some particles could be carried a tremendous distance. Then, energy would radiate from a star in huge waves carrying some photons for lightyears in distance (but eventually dropping them, which would put a limit on the distance a photon could travel). 

In the `single-particle, double slit experiment`, when firing a solitary photon, if the waves were still present in force it would make sense that individual photons would still demonstrate an interference pattern. As for the effects of observation on these photons (`delayed-choice quantum eraser experiment`), might their behavior not be explained by quantum entanglement sharing the interference of the sensors with the unobserved photon?

As I stated, I'm a total amateur here so I expect I'm just confused about something or ignorant of a law or rule that would nullify this idea...but as of now it makes more sense to me than thinking particles = waves and observations in the future can effect behavior in the past. Please let me know what you think, why I'm probably wrong and any links that would help me continue to educate myself on this would be much appreciated.