CRUSTY OLD DIVER - "Washed Up on Myrtle Beach"

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Washed Up on Myrtle Beach

By John Tolmie Photos by Kate and John Tolmie

As winter in Connecticut takes a firm hold upon us, I find myself dreaming of warmer days where I enjoyed our beautiful ocean and eclectic shoreline. Craving some warmer climes I surprised my wife with an impromptu flight to Myrtle Beach. Affectionately known as the Redneck Riviera, Myrtle Beach has a hearty reputation amid the summer with rowdy bike weeks, floods of wild tourists and general beach revalry. However, during the winter months this temperate beach with its long wooden piers and miles of boardwalks transforms into a quaint and quiet place to refresh your spirit. Sixty of miles of white sand beaches begin at Ocean Isle Beach, NC and forms into a distinct crescent shaped shoreline ending in the historic Port city Georgetown, SC. This area is known as the Grand Strand. We spent four days visiting with our parents who migrated

from Wallingford, CT to Myrtle Beach 15 years ago. Since then my wife and I have made it tradition to fly down to warm our hearts with family and our bodies with the mild weather.

At the crack of dawn on the first morning of our micro vacation we poured ourselves coffee and headed to the beach. It was wonderful to feel the sand between my toes in the water splashing on my feet. There are rumors of people finding fossilized shark teeth amongst the brightly colored shells along the shore. After some

research we found a stretch of beach that holds a lot of ancient shark teeth. We were pleasantly surprised with another perk of visiting during the winter months. Foot traffic on the beach is minimal and therefore far less people picking for shells. We had actually hit the perfect storm for shell and shark teeth hunting. Due to a few heavy storms over the hurricane season the shoreline had changed revealing the layer of shells beneath. And on this particular morning we were given the gift of low tide. My wife started to collect shells but I was after the ancient relics

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of predators long gone. After searching just a few minutes I found my first onyx triangularshaped tooth from millions of years ago. There is no mistaking one when you see one. There are many black shards from fossilized shells but the deep carbon of shark teeth draws your eye right to it. I was able to find one great white shark tooth and about forty other smaller shark teeth. However my favorite find was a juvenile Megalodon tooth. This particular creature from our ancient seas has captivated my imagination since childhood. It was a really cool experience to hold a tooth from an extinct predator that was the largest

shark to ever roam the seven seas. The sun started to rise and the beach became a little more active with shell collectors, joggers and beachcombers crossing our paths. On occasion we would compare our finds and share pointers on spotting specific shells and shark teeth. I had the pleasure of speaking

with a young lad and helped him find his first shark tooth. Myrtle Beach really is a friendly, fun and relaxing place to enjoy and explore. Kate salvaged many different species of shells but her favorite finds were the Lettered Olive shells which are the official State Shell of South Carolina. We spent our mornings getting exercise, watching the sun rise, and collecting beautiful gifts and interesting relics from the sea. I wanted to stay all day but Mom was expecting us for breakfast at 9am sharp. As well the sky was brightening making it a little more difficult to distinguish the broken shells from shark teeth. Hungry for breakfast we made our way over the dunes, shook as much of the sand from our feet and motored home.

After breakfast I spread our beach booty on the glass table in my parents backyard. I washed the sand off the shells and separated them into groups. The sun was high in the sky and it became a beautiful balmy 70 degree day. Small lizards started to come out of there little holes. Anoles are incredibly versatile lizards and are cousins to the chameleon with the ability to change color and camouflage themselves with their surroundings. As I watched them skitter along I noticed a tree frog nestled in leaf of a fig tree. These fun little critters remind me that soon enough up north at home in Connecticut the snow will

thaw, the tulips will pop and the schoolie bass will be running up the Mystic River. Until then Myrtle Beach is a perfect place to stymie those winter blues and enjoy a break from the cold.