TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JAN 2019 23
SHELLING ON TYBEE
I often get asked where the best places are, and when are the best times for finding shells
on Tybee. I’ll usually answer that shelling on Tybee is weird! Based on my experience, you never
know where you’ll find good patches of shells. You might walk along a stretch of beach where
there are few shells, but keep walking and you might get to an area where there are a bunch
washed up. And after the next tide cycle, the location and distribution may well have changed.
In general, the larger shells are going to be up near the high tide line. It takes faster moving
water to transport and carry the bigger, heavier shells. As our local surfers know, we get our
biggest, strongest waves near the time of high tide; so the larger objects are going to be moved
and carried in when the water is moving fastest.
But here’s an exception! Large Whelk shells are often too heavy to move up onto the beach,
so they tend to lay around offshore and get washed further in during rough surf. As they roll
around, they might get trapped between rocks in the jetties at the south and north ends. So
these locations can sometimes be productive during low tide when you can explore around the
rocks, especially if it is during a period when sand is eroding out of the rocks. But remember
and be warned: For your own safety, it is against the law to climb on the rocks. Also, be sure that
there isn’t a Hermit Crab inside any shells. They like to live inside Whelk and Moon Snail shells.
My wife, Jackie, taught me something about hunting for Lettered Olive shells on Tybee. Olives
are her favorite, and she is really good at finding them. She told me, when you find an Olive
shell, slow down and look carefully in that same area, and you are likely to find a few of them. It
makes sense. Because of their shape, dimensions and density, they are going to roll and move
around in the water until the speed is just right for them to settle out. As a result, they will often
get deposited close together.
One other general tip is that you are likely to find better shell deposits along areas of the beach
where the slope is gradual or flatter. The flatter, wider beach provides the best conditions for
shells to settle out as the tide falls. Also, along sections of the beach where the wave energy is
less (near the north end or south end inlets) you will have a better chance of finding some of the
more fragile shells such as Duck Clams, Razor Clams, and Angel Wings.
My recommendation is to go whenever you feel like it. And try different areas of the beach.
It is constantly changing. Some days will be good, and other days it will just be good exercise.
Dr. Joe Richardson (Ph.D. Marine Sciences) is a retired marine science professor with 40 years
of research and teaching experience along GA, the southeastern coast and Bahamas. Besides
research, he conducts Tybee Beach Ecology Trips (www.TybeeBeachEcology.com) and frequently
posts pictures of their findings on his Tybee Beach Ecology Trips Facebook page.
Beach Walks
with Dr. Joe
By Dr. Joe Richardson
/(www.TybeeBeachEcology.com)