Anastasia State Park

Shells you'll find at Anastasia State Park

The shells the wrack line reliably delivers here, plus the rarer finds patient collectors chase after storms.

• Common find

  Coquina

  Donax variabilis

• Common find

  Ark Shell

• Common find

  Atlantic Jingle Shell

  Anomia simplex

• Common find

  Moon Snail

• Common find

  Whelk

Notable finds

• Rare / notable

  Knobbed Whelk

  Busycon carica

Reading the beach

The swash zone lights up at low tide with rainbow coquinas; check the tidal pools that form south of the beach pavilion after the water pulls back.

Habitat features · Barrier Island · Wrack Line · Coquina Flats

Shelling tips

• Bring a small sieve — coquina and tiny arks are easiest to sort from wet sand.
• The stretch just south of the pavilion tends to hold cleaner shells than the busy family area near the boardwalk.
• After a nor'easter, walk the high wrack line first — that's where whelks and knobbed whelks land.