Clam Digging

A few weeks ago we went to Seaside to celebrate birthdays and father's day. Little did we know we picked the weekend of free clam digging. Normally you have to buy a license, but this weekend it was free. So, on Sunday morning Mark, Bryce, Gramps, and I woke up early, put on layers, grabbed our gear, and headed to the beach. We got there a little later than we were hoping, and the beach was already packed with clam diggers. Odds weren't looking good that we would get any, but we thought it would be fun to try.

For those of you unfamiliar with the art of clam digging, I'll explain the process. First, wait for a wave to recede back into the ocean. Next, look for bubbles to pop up in the wet sand. When you see a bubble, stomp the ground near it. If there is a clam, it will feel the vibrations and start digging down, causing the bubble to suck back into the sand. At this point, you have to hurry before the clam digs too deep. You can use a shovel, but a clam gun makes the process way easier. A clam gun is a big hollow tube with a small hole in the handle. You push the tube into the sand where the bubble was, cover the hole in the handle with your thumb creating a suction and then pull it out. Release the suction and the sand that was in the tube, and hopefully a clam, will fall out.

Well, I was walking along the shore and looked over just in time to see a bubble sink into the ground right next to me. I shoved my gun in as far as it would go and when I emptied the sand out of it, behold!, a huge clam was right in front of me. I was in shock. I went to pick it up but right then a wave hit and washed the clam out from under my finger tips. Simultaneously, Gramps noticed a seagull in the water right next to me. The seagull was looking very intently at a certain spot in the water. Gramps followed his gaze, spotted my calm, and got it before the seagull did. He was thinking on his feet. It was so funny.

In the picture bellow you can see it all unfold. I just released the sand from my clam gun and am reaching to pick up the clam. The wave is just inches behind me. Gramps and the seagull are both nearby.

We were cracking up as he handed me the clam. I was amazed that he found it.

A few moments later, Bryce was also successful in his clam digging efforts. Look at the massive clam he found! (We let this one go).

After awhile, Piper and Melanie walked down to the beach to meet us. We were all getting pretty cold so we decided to head home. We changed into dry clothes and drank warm coffee. It reminded me of being a little kid and coming back inside to drink hot chocolate after playing in the snow. Clam digging was a blast and I totally recommend it. It was such a fun thing to do with our family and created special memories for our beach trip 2010.

P.S. HTML errors caused some of the text to be blue and I couldn't figure out how to fix it.