COME OUTSIDE & PLAY...
COME BEACHCOMBING WITH ME!


Later, as we got older, we’d run to the beach on our own to find new treasures to add to our growing collections. In our busy teens and twenties, there was often less time to beachcomb.  Still, it was always there if we needed space to sort out problems, distract ourselves from sadness, or find an antidote to boredom. 

​​As adults, many of us beachcomb for the thrill of finding special pocket treasures. We beachcomb because it offers us a walking meditation in nature. We comb for adventure and the exhilaration that comes from scaling cliffs, paddling kayaks or flying small planes to explore remote coastal areas. We comb for companionship, befriending other beachcombers swapping stories, favorite beaches, beach treasures, and sometimes even going on combing expeditions together. 

Often, as our combing experience and treasure collections grow, so does our curiosity. We begin to move past just “pretty” to the what, whys and wherefores of treasures found: What is it? How did it get here? How old could it be? Who made it? And this leads us to new combing-related adventures as we begin to delve further and further into the science involved in beachcombing - - from ocean currents and sea level rise, or the effects of acidification on a mollusk's ability to build viable shell casings - to human settlement history such as American Indian tool-making, New World exploration, and pirate hide-outs in the Caribbean. Artifacts such as Civil war bullets, 300 year old bottle lips, shipwreck doubloons, cod marbles, Victorian brass buttons - all wet our curiosity to learn more and we begin scouring the Internet or pouring through reference books seeking clues to unravel the mysteries of our beach finds. We visit museums and science centers, and turn to marine scientists, fossil hunters, bottle specialists, fellow beachcombers looking for answers to our questions.

The answers are there. The beaches with treasures galore are there, too. You just need to learn where to look. And how to look.  

And that’s where I come in. To guide you. Point you in the right direction. Maybe share new insights. I do this through lectures, workshops, publications, my social media pages and a blog as well as the International Beachcombing Conference. 

Let this website serve as your one-stop shop for 'everything beachcombing.' Let the links inform and guide you and you will soon see - especially if you are new to the pastime - that beach combing will gently lead you to an array of interesting worlds, socially, intellectually, physically and spiritually. 

So let’s go out and play. Come beachcombing with me.  I guarantee you'll never see a beach in the same way again!  
PLEASE NOTE: Images are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without the written permission of Dr. Ritterbush or Megan Elyse Lloyd.
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Sea Breeze 
Salt Air
 Gull Cry 
 Wave Break...
Wandering along a shoreline collecting interesting things – driftwood, shells, pottery shards - is something many of us have done since we were small. 

Usually, the pastime begins when a grandparent, parent or sibling leads us along until we find a seashell with the sound of waves thrashing through it, or a shard of sea glass coated with salt wash. Memories from those earliest combing forays rarely fade. Instead, they grow more precious with the years. Sometimes we even have those first beach treasures to remind us of those days.

WELCOME to the WONDERFUL WORLD of BEACHCOMBING,
a pastime that offers you an affordable opportunity to change your life for the better,
 in body, mind and spirit.
English sea glass , photo by Deacon Ritterbush.