Seaweed or Algae
Sea algae and grasses are often referred to as seaweed. Some drift with the currents and others live attached to rocks or other hard surfaces, or have roots in the sandy bottom. At some point, many of them end up on the beach in the sea wrack where they dry up under the scorching sun and return to the earth.
Pick through the wrack and see how many different kinds of algae and grasses you can find. They come in all colors: shades of green, brown, red, pink, purple and even white. Many tiny creatures live and hide in the wrack and are eaten by birds and crabs.
One of the most common types of algae found on the beach is called sargassum weed. It is usually easy to identify because it has hundreds of tiny round air bladders that look like berries. This weed is named after the Sargassum Sea, off the Florida Atlantic coast, where thick mats of sargassum float in its great expanse.
Another type of algae looks almost exactly like lettuce. It's called—you guessed it—sea lettuce. Turtle grass, another seaweed frequently found on the beach, has wide, flat green leaves that sometimes have tiny barnacles growing on them.
Sea Beans and Glass
Sea beans, also called “drift seeds” are seeds or fruits, many from tropical rain forests, that have found their way into the sea and have washed up on the beach, often after drifting at sea for many years and traveling thousands of miles. Beachcombers who search the beaches for sea beans often refer to themselves as “drifters.”
Sea beans are special because they have hard shells that resist the penetration of salt water and they contain air, which allows them to float. Some are able to take root in their new environment.
Because there are so many different kinds of seed, fruits and other plant parts that wash up on the beach, identifying them can be a challenge. One of the most easily recognized sea bean is the coconut. Others have names like hamburger bean, sea purse, starnut palm, monkey pistol and nickernuts. In the hands of an artist, sea beans can be polished using a special process and made into beautiful jewelry.
Sea glass is also highly prized by artisans for making jewelry. Shards of glass from broken bottles that have been abraded by sand and seawater for many years take on a unique appearance and are completely smooth. Next time you are beachcombing in Florida, look for smooth pieces of glass down by the water's edge. They are colorful and easy to see.
Sponges, Whips, Sea Pork and Squirts
One of the more familiar items you may find on the beach is a sponge. Natural, living sponges are frequently seen on the beach or in the wrack. They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes, and have names like sheepswool sponge, redbeard sponge, and golfball sponge.
A sponge is actually composed of the skeletons of many tiny marine animals. Don't expect to take a found sponge back to your hotel room for bathing though. They have to be properly cleaned and dried before they can be used. Your nose will confirm that!
Sea whips and sea feathers are actually soft corals that have thin, somewhat fragile branches. They attach themselves to the sea floor and wave gracefully in the current. When storms or other events dislodge them, they end up on the beach. I love to find the deep purple-colored sea whips.
Sea pork is a kind of tunicate, named because it resembles salted pork, more or less. It comes in all colors and is unmistakable when found on the beach. In their adult form (which is the way we find them), tunicates are simple marine animals that essentially take water in, filter it and discharge it.
Sea squirts are also a common tunicate found on the beach. Most are brown and fist-sized or smaller. When squeezed, they shoot out a thin stream of water, like a squirt-gun. Kids will have fun with that discovery!
