Beachcombing tips & tricks BEING PREPARED MAKES A DAY OF LOOKING FOR BEACH TREASURES MORE FUN
By Mary McCarthy Mary McCarthy is the author of the new children’s book I Sea: A Beachcombing Treasure Hunt and the Education Chair of the North American Sea Glass Association.
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or many of us, when we aren’t at the beach, we’re thinking about the next time we will be at the beach. And when we get there, we want to make the most of our time by the shore. What are some ways we can take advantage of any and every moment we spend being next to a coastline? “For me walking along the beach is so peaceful and enjoyable,” says Kim Hannon, president of the North American Sea Glass Association and
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JUNE 2019
founder of the Eastern Shore Sea Glass Festival in St. Michaels, where she owns the Ophiuroidea shop. “So even if I don’t find sea glass or anything particularly special, I usually find some really cool driftwood or pretty beach stones. And I always remember to bring a trash bag to pick up trash on the beach while I hunt. It’s also satisfying to help keep our waterways clean.” Picking up trash before treasure is the best beachcombing tip of all.
There are lots of local beachcombing organizations where you can volunteer your time to take part in the International Coastal Cleanup or other annual or regular efforts to keep shorelines free of debris that can harm marine life. That said, here are ten other tips and tricks to help you and your family enjoy your time at the beach searching for treasures. Whether along the Bay, its rivers and creeks or along the Atlantic, you can find amazing things if you just go out and look.
