Beachcombing

Wikipedia defines beachcombing as “...an activity that consists of an individual ‘combing’ (or searching) the beach and the intertidal zone, looking for things of value, interest or utility.” Rande and I have combed the intertidal from the black beaches of Costa Rica to the green beaches of Hawaii looking for "things of interest." Now, with more free time and many miles of beaches nearby, we're working on proficiency. Our favorite beach is an uninhabited stretch of white sand south of Punta Arena on the Sea of Cortez. It’s great for seashells and glass.

Rande beachcombing near Punta Arena

Rande collects sea glass, but she’s also attracted to shells, rocks, wood and bones. Beachcombing to her is walking meditation; listening to the waves and the sound of her footsteps in the sand is a way to focus on the present (known as mindfulness). She may be onto something. Dr. Deacon Ritterbush (aka Dr. Beachcomb) describes beachcombing as “…an inexpensive way to achieve better mental, emotional and physical health; and a spiritual means to weather life’s challenges.”

Below are things of interest that Rande collected. The bones belong to sea turtles, probably from the olive ridley, a small sea turtle that nests on local beaches. The flat, rectangular ones are pleural bones from the carapace and the short, stocky ones are humerus from the front flippers (Wyneken 2001). The twisted wood with a reddish hue looks and feels like the roots of mesquite trees that grow in the arroyos.

Things of interest from beachcombing in Baja

I rarely come back from a beach with objects. Rather, I look for the remains of animals stranded by waves, especially fish, and collect their images. Here are examples.

Dorado

Yellow-bellied sea snake

Finescale triggerfish

Blue (Cortez) spiny lobster

I haven't thought much about the practice of beachcombing; it comes naturally with an interest in all things ocean. City-dwellers might need some pointers and there are websites that teach one how to beachcomb (link). Glynda Easterbrook of The Open University says that “everything on a beach tells a story…” and teaches a class to help people understand those stories (link). And, if you want to take beachcombing to the next level, there’s an International Beachcombing Conference that “…offers consummate and novice beachcombers alike the opportunity to come together to learn more about the beachcomb experience and the science that makes beachcombing possible” (link).

A note for my NPS colleagues: In 2009, Travel + Leisure magazine identified the 10 Best U.S. Shelling Beaches, three of which were National Seashores in the National Park System – Cumberland Island (CUIS), Gulf Islands (GUIS) and Point Reyes (PORE). CUIS allows beachcombing: “Visitors are allowed to collect sharks teeth and unoccupied sea shells…” GUIS mentions beachcombing among “Things to Do” and in a FAQ: “Sea shells can be picked up if there are no living creatures in them.” PORE does not allow beachcombing: “All objects (plants and animals (or parts of them such as flowers, seashells, or antlers), historic artifacts, minerals, etc.) within the National Seashore are protected and may not be collected.” Is this a topic for OCRB?

Wyneken, J. 2001. The anatomy of sea turtles. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SEFSC-470, 172p.