Beach combing
January 3, 2010 12:17 PM Subscribe
What is the best beach in California for shell collecting?
If you are anywhere near Petrolia, CA, we have had luck along the coast (west of that town) finding large quantities of shells. Fun.
posted by Fortnight Bender at 1:08 PM on January 3, 2010
posted by Fortnight Bender at 1:08 PM on January 3, 2010
I've had little luck at most of the san diego beaches. We're lucky to find a few shells at Swami's beach, although the tidepools are awesome.
posted by mmoncur at 1:55 PM on January 3, 2010
posted by mmoncur at 1:55 PM on January 3, 2010
My son came home with dozens of sand dollars he found at Ocean Beach in SF. Nice find!
posted by SoftSummerBreeze at 2:20 PM on January 3, 2010
posted by SoftSummerBreeze at 2:20 PM on January 3, 2010
Sand Dollar Beach,Plaskett Creek Campground, southern Big Sur coast, you never know what you may find beach combing there.
posted by hortense at 2:40 PM on January 3, 2010
posted by hortense at 2:40 PM on January 3, 2010
What are the least popular beaches for surfing? Big waves = broken shells.
posted by applemeat at 3:29 PM on January 3, 2010
posted by applemeat at 3:29 PM on January 3, 2010
It should be noted that a lot of publicly accessible beaches are also county or state parks / reserves which may or may not forbid collecting (shells may seem useless but they *are* part of various ecological and hydrological cycles) so be sure to check any posted signs. Yeah, it's not likely a park ranger would catch you, but ...
posted by R343L at 4:39 PM on January 3, 2010
posted by R343L at 4:39 PM on January 3, 2010
Response by poster: thanks, everyone. We live in the LA area but we're all over the state so it's nice to know. San Diego was great when I was a child, but it sounds like it's not so great now (?).
posted by krikany at 5:00 PM on January 3, 2010
posted by krikany at 5:00 PM on January 3, 2010
San Diego is a dud for shells, but I can pick up 20 sand dollars in a walk across Coronado. Agate beach up in Humboldt County is great for, well, agate.
posted by 26.2 at 8:53 PM on January 3, 2010
posted by 26.2 at 8:53 PM on January 3, 2010
I've picked up a bunch around Orange County (Huntington Beach, Dana Point).
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:23 PM on January 3, 2010
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:23 PM on January 3, 2010
Mefi mail me and I will share a secret beach where you can find ocean polished abalone shell.
posted by Muirwylde at 9:43 PM on January 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Muirwylde at 9:43 PM on January 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
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posted by elsietheeel at 12:54 PM on January 3, 2010