Shelling is my favorite thing to do on the beach.  I’ll roam along the shore slowly, picking up whatever catches my eye and that I might want to add to my collection of shells that I’ve been working on since I was a girl.  My Oma was a big sheller and my mother after her.  And I’m carrying on the tradition with enthusiasm and I poke around with my toes anytime I’m on a beach.  Isle of Palms is one of the best shelling beaches I’ve been on, but I wanted to share some helpful tips based on my experience.   I’ve been shelling on Isle of Palms twice now, so you can keep that in mind.  You’ll certainly get a lot more insider tips from people who live here, but I can share some lessons learned from shelling here as well as on many other beaches in the Carolinas.

Last year, we stayed at a house that extended family had rented previously for a reunion.  My mom gushed over the shelling and decided they should rent that same house to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2020.  Well, everyone can guess what happened to that trip…it happened in 2021.  Every morning, my mom and I set out to collect shells and it was some of the best shelling I’ve ever experienced.  We found olive shells, whelks, lady’s ears, lots of interesting oyster shells, sand dollars, and more.  It was one of the highlights of the trips and I’ve been eagerly looking forward to doing it again this year.  I even had dreams about shelling after long, stressful days.  It’s like my brain wanted to go on a vacation and just zone in on specific shades and colors on a little patch of beach while enjoying the lulling sounds of the ocean.

Anyway, on our first morning here, my mom, our cousin, and I, set out with our grocery bags.  And, well, it wasn’t at all like last year.  The shells were tiny or in tiny pieces.  We weren’t even finding oyster shells, which are typically plentiful.  There were lots of small pieces of sand dollars and bits of other shells, some clams, but nothing too appealing.  Even the surf at low tide was empty.  There was just a pitiful strand of deposited shells to look through.  We persisted for about an hour and came back disappointed, empty grocery bags flapping in the wind.

We hypothesized about what the problem might be.  We came to Isle of Palms in May last year and March this year.  Could those two months make that much of a difference?  We were a few miles away from our previous beach house.  Could the shells be dramatically different on the same beach on the same island just a few miles apart?  I even put the question out to my Instagram followers to see if we could gain any insights or tips from locals.  The tips we received were the usual…search early, search at low tide, etc.

Since we aren’t coming back in May and can’t test the time/season theory, we decided to drive down to our “old beach” to see if the location really did make that much of a difference.  I actually thought that idea was a pretty stupid long shot.  Wishful thinking at best.  We weren’t going to a different island or a different beach entirely, but just a few miles down the same beach.  Surely this was an exercise in futility.  But we showed our hope by bringing empty grocery bags.

We walked out onto the beach and my mom made a beeline to a little dark lump in the surf.  She held it up in the air over her head, triumphantly.  I yelled over the wind and breaking waves, “What did you find?”

“It’s a whelk!  It’s not the best one, but it’s a whelk!”

My pace sped up and I started searching through the small pools left on the beach during low tide, making my way down to the surf.  I saw a corner of a whelk sticking out of the sand.  Doubtful that it was whole, I poked it with my toe and realized it was intact, just buried.  I unearthed it washed it off.  I felt my heart lift as I rinsed off the beautiful find…this was just what I was hoping for.  We spent two hours milling through shallow pools and digging through large piles of shells.  My feet became tender from walking over all of the deposits, but I didn’t mind it.  I hadn’t eaten breakfast and I didn’t even notice my hunger.  I was in my enjoying the morning immensely.  Sigh, back to shelling on Isle of Palms…

The plastic grocery bag began to cut into my fingers and shells were precariously bridging gaps over holes that kept getting larger.  I was hoping I would find some shells, but I wasn’t hopeful enough to bring a more substantial bag!  With one broken handle and plastic that was ripped and torn, it’s amazing it didn’t completely give way.  I had to carry it to the car like a baby.

Like schoolgirls trading stickers, my mom and I traded shells we knew each other liked.  I gave her the broken whelks that she put in her garden and thin iridescent shells that catch the light for a bowl on her coffee table.  She gave me olive shells, which are my favorite, and interesting oyster shells.

I’m sure there is a scientific reason why the shelling was great on one beach and pathetic just a few miles down, but we did notice a few differences as mere observers.  The beach just a couple of blocks from our current house is shorter and fairly flat.  Our “old beach” is wide and has two or three different tiers (depending on the tide) that get gradually lower as you near the water.  We know that other factors can affect shelling like which direction the beach faces (is it more north/south or east/west) and if there are sandbars or reefs offshore.  Seasons and weather can also impact shelling.  Sometimes after a huge storm, all sorts of things will wash up.

If you’re interested in shelling, and I know some of my readers are, here are some tips for shelling in general and more specifically if you’re ever in Isle of Palms (near Charleston, SC.)

search near low tide

When we’re at the beach, we also check the tide and try to time our shelling trips around low tide.  Obviously, more of the beach is exposed during low tide which means more shells might be exposed.  At Isle of Palms, shallow pools are often left behind, which are a great place to find shells.

search in the morning

I think that the tide makes more of a difference than the time of day, but there is something to be said for getting out in the morning and picking over the shells before day-tripping families fill the beach.  There’s also a feeling that you might beat other shellers to the best shells, but I think that’s just paranoia.  It’s probably true in some cases, but there really are plenty of shells for everyone.  My mom and I will walk over the same pile of shells and each spot different shells.

shelling on Isle of Palms | look in and around pools & channels

This shelling tip might be pretty obvious, but shells seem to settle in pools or get caught in little ripples and channels, especially as the water is going out.  I love walking around in the pools with my pants rolled up just to see what I can find.  I don’t love swimming in the ocean, but I love wading through pools.

pick up what you like (don’t worry about what is considered a “nice shell’)

As I was out picking up shells this morning, a woman walked by, also carrying a bag.  ‘What are you picking?”  “Oh, olive shells, whelks, some oysters that catch my attention…”  She also liked oyster shells and showed me a few favorites she found.  Even though they are plentiful, almost like litter from the ocean, I love the ones that are deep blue/gray, black, and pale white.  They have so much personality.  Some are worn almost flat, smooth from living in the surf for so long.  Others are thick and crusty, looking like they might be crotchety or surly if you had a conversation.  I also love the ones that have channels and holes and the ones that make deep bowls or look like boney feet.

I like to find the showstopping whelks and dainty olive shells, too, but look for whatever catches your eye.  That’s part of the fun of the hunt.

If the shelling isn’t great, drive a few miles to another beach

So, this is the shelling tip we learned this year on Isle of Palms.  We knew that shelling could vary beach to beach, but we didn’t think it would be so dramatically different just a few miles apart.  But it was!  So, my best shelling tip I can give you if you’re on Isle of Palms is to head to the beach access on 42nd Ave.  That’s where we’ve had all of our wonderful shell hauls and it’s kept us busy for hours.  We’re staying down on 9th Ave this year and it’s pretty slim pickings.  There have been piles and piles around 42nd Ave.

After my grocery bag did such a poor job handling the weight of oyster shells, I started carrying cotton mesh produce bags like and they are fantastic for shelling.  I happened to have a small one and it was a fortunate thing!  I took a big one when we went out this morning.

We have been told of other islands and beaches around here that are good for shelling, so we may go check them out.  Shelling on Isle of Palms has kept us pretty busy, though!  If you have any other shelling tips to share, please do!