Fun Beach Day Scavenger Hunt
Want to dial up the fun on your beach day with the family? How about a challenging beach day scavenger hunt? Find and collect the items on the list to complete the scavenger hunt. Bonus: you’ll end up with a bunch of free souvenirs from your beach vacation to take home with you!
Sand Dollar –
A sand dollar is a sea urchin that lives along the shore. You’ll want to make sure any sand dollars you collect are dead as it is illegal to remove live sand dollars from the beach. Dead sand dollars leave behind their round skeleton that will be either gray or white and smooth with no spines or tissue on it. If you find a sand dollar that has spines with hair-like projections, that is a live sand dollar and you’ll want to leave it be.
Shark’s Tooth –
Shark’s teeth are fairly plentiful on the beaches of the Grand Strand but you might have to think small. Shark’s teeth are small shiny black triangles in the sand. They can vary in size but most you’ll find are on the smaller side though you could get lucky and find a large ancient shark’s tooth.
Whelk Shell –
A whelk shell is often confused for a conch shell because they have the same shape and look very similar. Whelk shells tend to be smaller in size and have more plentiful markings on them. Just make sure you check that it doesn’t have a live snail living inside before you collect it.
Starfish –
This is another sea animal that you might find a live one. If it is moving or the hairs underneath are moving, it is alive and you’ll want to put it back into the water. What you want to collect is actually the skeleton of a dead starfish. It will be hard and non-moving. If you flip it over, you can see that it’s hollow inside. That means it is safe to collect.
Lettered Olive Shell –
The lettered olive shell is South Carolina’s state shell. It’s smooth and shiny with brown markings on it. This shell is shaped like a cylinder. Again, when collecting items at the beach, always make sure there isn’t a living creature in there before you add it to your collection.
Sea Glass –
Sea glass is a piece of glass that has been tumbled completely smooth by the waves and tides of the beach. It will have no sharp edges and be smooth all the way around.
Heart Cockle Shell –
The heart cockle shell is a clam shell that when both halves are joined, it resembles a heart. If you find a joined one, it might still be alive so instead look for the halves when collecting this clam shell.
Seaweed –
Seaweed is plentiful on many of our beaches. You can find dried pieces of seaweed along the tide lines that has washed up onto the sand.
Driftwood –
Driftwood are pieces of wood that have been washed up on the shore. They are usually bleached by the sun and feel lightweight when you pick them up.
Can you and your family find all of these items on the beach? Always make sure anything you collect isn’t still alive or doesn’t have a critter living in it. It also shouldn’t have a bad odor. Stay away from beach finds that smell bad as they could have a decomposing animal in them. There are many more types of shells than what are listed here but these are some of the most plentiful and easy to find. Have fun combing the beach for these scavenger hunt items and enjoy your collection of free souvenirs when your hunt is complete!