Seashell hunters have flocked to this NC island near Myrtle Beach lately. What makes it special
Visit the Carolina Seashellers Facebook group and you will find a sea biscuit bonanza.
Seashell hunters post photos of piles of these golf ball-size objects that they found on the sands of Holden Beach, N.C. Shellers talk about taking trips to this island, just over an hour drive from downtown Myrtle Beach, S.C. Members even mail prime sea biscuit specimens to their group mates or sell them online.
Read on to learn why seashell hunters prize these sea biscuits and why they are especially abundant at Holden Beach.
What are sea biscuits?
The sea biscuits found in the Carolinas are fossils of extinct echinoderms, said Coastal Carolina University marine biology professor Rob Young by email. They look like a puffy version of their relative, the sand dollar.
Sea biscuits today grow in seagrass beds in the Caribbean and around the world, but no longer live in the Carolinas. The ones on Holden Beach are 34 to 55 million years old, from the Eocene epoch.
Why are people finding sea biscuits on Holden Beach?
The island’s recent beach renourishment is part of the reason, Young said. In 2022, crews dredged up sand from the sea floor and moved it to the beach. This process took fossils that were previously underwater and deposited them on the shore, to be found by shellers.
Young said that in addition to the dredging, fossils exposed by underwater erosion are also swept ashore.
Virginia resident Chuck Farthing was staying on Oak Island but drove to Holden Beach specifically to go shelling. He looked for both sea biscuits and olive shells.
How can I find them myself?
Members of Carolina Seashellers have many tips for finding sea biscuits on Holden Beach.
- Look between the Holden Beach Pier and the 800 addresses to the west.
- Walk the waterline at low tide or first thing in the morning.
- Look for the star design rolling in the surf or partially buried in the sand.
