Beachcombing, Hilton Head Style

We broke with tradition this year and tried a new beach.

This was mostly due to necessity as our large family requires a house that will sleep a crowd.  Still, it was fun to anticipate what new creatures we might find.

Turns out it was starfish, sand dollars and the occasional hermit crab.

 

 

It was interesting to note the differences between Isle of Palms and Hilton Head.  Although the beaches aren't that far apart as the gull flies, IOP had a lot more shells (which could be really uncomfortable in places); HH had very few.  The creature discoveries were larger in IOP, but we also stayed close to an inlet for the intercoastal waterway which could make a difference.  We saw lots of pelicans and dolphins in both locations, but there weren't any sand crabs spotted at HH.  The sand dollar collecting was amazing; I never got one but the kids were digging them up just at the edge of the water.  And while we didn't personally see any sharks in the water this year, a fisherman 100 yards from us reeled in several at which point I stayed out of the surf.