Assateague Island Sea Shell Collecting
Collecting sea shells on Assateague Island is a relaxing activity for people of all ages. The beaches on the ocean side sometimes yield a wide range of shells, artifacts and unique treasures from the ocean. Local shells include knobby whelks, smooth whelks, moon snails, periwinkles, bay scallops, ocean quahogs, hard clams, jingles, limpets, cockles and others.
In addition to mollusks and shellfish, there are other items such as sand dollars, starfish, ray and shark egg cases, horsehoe crab egg cases, crab shells, sharks teeth and occasionally even gold or silver coins!
Time and location are important if success is priority for the shell collector. While the warm days of summer find most beach lovers on the island, the best shell collecting is actually in the cooler months. One good way to find shells on Assateague is to look for low stretches of beach where the water can surge farther up on the sand. In these areas, small patches of beach can be covered with shell fragments and sometimes shells in excellent condition. These often occur during a strong storm from an easterly direction. Once the storm subsides and the waters recede, sea shell enthusiasts can explore in hopes of having a new crop of shells to choose from.
Dedicated shell collectors may have a friend that can take them farther along the beach by four wheel drive vehicle. A special permit and basic safety gear is required for oversand vehicles on Assateague Island. A trip south by trucks takes visitors to areas that are not normally accessible by foot. These areas also have different geography and can yield a wider range of shells and artifacts.
Not to be overlooked is the bayside, especially Tom's Cove. Here, visitors will find hard clams, razor clams, oyster shells mussel shells and other shells. In addition to empty shells, beach lovers will enjoy seeing live sea life including fish, shorebirds, blue crabs, fiddler crabs, hermit crabs, shrimp, starfish, snails, live clams, oysters, mussels and much more.
Submitted by: cin