A Guide to Beachcombing on the Outer Banks

Where and when should I go out?

Any beach in OBX has the potential to hold treasures, but (between us) we often have the best luck in Corolla or the 4×4. However, we must admit, it’s more about the timing. We start searching a couple of hours before low tide and a couple of hours after the tide begins rising. Luckily, we have a handy tide chart to help you check the tides for today or a date in the future. While beachcombing is a perfect year-round activity, you will find that our winter and spring storms tend to wash more onto our shores.

*Metal detecting is legal on the Northern Outer Banks, including Carova, Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, and Nags Head. Please check with each individual town for restrictions and guidelines. Metal Detecting is not permitted in Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

• Sea Stars: Commonly called starfish, sea stars are not actually fish but are more closely related to sea urchins. Because these are living creatures, be sure never to take a sea star from the ocean. Likewise, if a beached sea star is still soft, give them a hand and place them back into the water. However, if you happen upon a fully dried up sea star, consider it a memento frozen in time. If you find one sea star, you’re more than likely to find more!

• Shells: Knowing what kinds of shells you might find makes shelling all the more rewarding. Check out our Guide to Shelling on the Outer Banks for a quick catalog of common (and not-so-common) shells! Focus your efforts on shell beds, and just be sure to check for any little creatures still living in them.

• Sea Glass: Sea glass is the beautiful intersection of history and nature. Formed over the course of 20+ years, sea glass is the result of discarded jars, bottles, and other glass objects ending up in the water and being tossed and tumbled through sand and whipping waves. A “completed” piece has gentle edges with a frosty, smooth exterior. Certain glass colors are rare and more difficult to find (e.g. orange and red) due to the history of their use and availability. More often, you will find sea glass in shades of blue, green, and brown. Like shells, sea glass tends to collect in shell beds, so look for a “dirty” beach to find these jewels of the sea. For a wonderfully comprehensive look at sea glass, head over to Island Bookstore to pick up a copy of “The Ultimate Guide to Sea Glass” by Mary Beth Beuke.

• Fulgurite: Possibly the most difficult natural treasure to find is fulgurite due to its similar appearance to rock. However, these fantastic pieces of “fossilized lightning” are created when a strong electrical discharge strikes the sand. Keep a close eye on branching tubes in the sand that resembles the path a lightning bolt may take. Because there is no way to date fulgurites, for all us beachcombers know, million years old organic sculptures could be out there waiting for us.