Are you looking for a fun activity you can do with your family or small social bubble this holiday season? Well, if the weather isn’t too horrible, you might consider beachcombing. Beachcombing is defined by the MacMillan Dictionary as “the activity of looking or searching for stuff on the beach.” More specifically, beachcombing is a popular activity for people who like to spend time along the oceanfront. The beach is full of amazing treasures that come in off the ocean, and is always being replenished by new waves. Sea glass, shells, and driftwood are always intriguing beachcombing finds, but they are far from the only treasures to be found along the oceanfront. For example, you may find Fishing Floats, which are hollow glass spheres that fishermen historically used to keep their nets afloat while at sea. While glass fishing floats are no longer used in commercial fishing, if you’re lucky, you might still be able to find a few out there. You might also be able to find Petrified Lightning, which are small pieces of quartz that instantly melt when struck by lightning in the sand and form unusual looking, hardened sand formations. In addition, you might also be able to find sand dollars, shark teeth, minerals, precious stones, and other items along the beach.
Beachcombing may be the most fun you will ever have hunting for unique treasures. However, if you plan to take anything you find home with you, you should first check local regulations because restrictions on what kind(s) of items and how much you can take when beachcombing may be in effect. In preparing this post, I searched for the regulations in Ocean Shores, but was unable to find any online. Signs informing of such regulations are most likely posted on bulletin boards at beach entrances, so be sure to check for those when you arrive at the beach.
The absolute best time to beachcomb is to arrive at the beach at low tide right after a storm rolls through the area. You can check the tides for Ocean Shores here: https://www.tideschart.com/United-States/Washington/Grays-Harbor-County/Ocean-Shores/
If you follow the tide as it goes out, you will be rewarded with the first glimpse of what treasures the storm brought with it. The reason for this is that storms often cause “ocean burps,” which is a term for major debris fields that are pushed ashore by the waves. Storms can also dig deep into gravel bars, churning up large chunks of petrified wood and enormous agates. No matter what time of year you beachcomb, if you’re looking for shells and rocks, gravel bars are your best bet.
The greatest chance for beachcombing success in Ocean Shores is to head south, away from the more popular beach access points near the hotels. The further down the peninsula you go, the better your odds of finding unique treasures. However, when an “ocean burp” occurs, you never know when a routine section of beach will become a trove of treasures. Because of this, consider switching up which beaches you explore when you come to Ocean Shores as it will improve your odds at finding something special.
From North to South, the first four beaches in Ocean Shores are easy to access, and, therefore, the most popular. However, because they get picked over so often, your odds of finding unique items while wandering them are lower. The State Route (SR) 115 Beach Access by the Best Western Lighthouse Inn is the first beach access in Ocean Shores. Here, beachcombing finds aren’t very plentiful. You can find some shells and sand dollars, as well as an occasional float or agate, but that’s about it. The Chance A La Mer Beach Access is next, but is similar to the SR 115 access. Both of these are frequently visited, as they are easier to get to and more well known. At this time of year (late fall), you probably won’t have too much difficulty maintaining social distance, even at these busier access points. However, it will be easier the further you travel down the beach.
The next two beach access points are the Pacific Boulevard Beach Access and the Ocean Lake Way Beach Access. These two spots are better for beachcombing as they get fewer visitors. That means they don’t get picked over as often. Your chances of finding washed up floats, agates, and other treasures begin to increase here.
The fifth beach access is the Taurus Boulevard Beach Access. By this point, you are a good distance away from the hotels that make the previous beach access points so popular. Therefore, your chances for more and unique beachcombing finds really start to grow here. The Butterclam Street and Marine View Drive Beach Access points are more remote than the northern options, and are said to mainly be explored by local residents. Therefore, they aren’t likely to be as crowded. As a result, you will be rewarded with more gravel bars that haven’t been touched and additional floats. Your odds of finding a place where the ocean truly “burped” and left a lot of other treasures also increase.
The North Jetty is far south as you can go on the Ocean Shores peninsula. It can offer excellent beachcombing treasures, especially right after storms. It is common to find floats and other large objects washed up at this location. From time to time, gravel bars will poke out from the sand, which could reward you with unique rocks. The jetty is more popular than the access points in the last paragraph, so you may find social distancing a little more difficult. If its crowded, don’t be afraid to head back up Ocean Shores Boulevard to another beach access point as there will likely be more treasures there.
The final place to beachcomb in Ocean Shores may be the best place to do so not just in Ocean Shores, but along the entire Washington State Coast. Damon Point is a peninsula that makes up the last chunk of land between the Pacific Ocean and Grays Harbor. What makes this spot so rewarding for beachcombers is that gravel bars are found along the entire point. Each storm that rolls through shakes up the beach, tossing a new layer of treasures on top of the old layers of rock that have already been picked over. Here, you may be able to find dozens of agates, various sized floats, all kinds of stones, and plenty of driftwood. This area can be quite popular with locals and tourists alike, but there is plenty of beach to explore on the peninsula and west from the Damon Point access on Marine View Drive towards the Oyhut Wildlife Recreation Area, so you should be able to maintain social distance. Happy beachcombing!
References
- https://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/beachcombing#:~:text=Beachcombing%20is%20a%20combination%20of,beachcombing%20first%20appeared%20around%201840
- http://www.graysharbortalk.com/2020/11/14/where-to-beachcomb-in-ocean-shores/
© Ian D. Caldwell, December 2020