Finding Sanddollars at low tide?

Okay....so I know there are lots of sand dollars in the bay when the tide is really low and I've been told you have to know where/how to find them. I have been out once and didn't find any. So is it possible to explain here without using a map or something? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

If you mean Cholla bay then I will say that we only ever get sand dollars when the tide is way out. Like a minus 2.

Yes I meant Cholla Bay....thx

I've got a spot in front of Las Conchas, even with the easternmost midrise condo that's on the north side of Las Conchas Blvd. 100 yards offshore at the lowest tides in clear water, you can dive for hundreds of them 5 - 8 feet down. Fun to send the kids out there with snorkels and a mesh bag. Ok, me too.

Last week there were some guys across from where we stay in Las Conchas on the beach foraging at low tide in the seaweed and tide pools.

I noticed they had gray mesh like bags and were putting things in them. Could that be Sanddollars.?

Nope. Octopus from the tide pools to sell to the restaurants. "Pulpo grim reapers", if they carry steel rods with hooks on the end to get under the little overhangs where octopi hide.

We have been very lucky finding treasures from the sea, especially at Cholla Bay.
We have come to realize there is a sand dollar season and October has been the best for us. Go out when the tide is the absolute lowest, find a rill and stand still. Look around, be patient. It may take some time but once you find one, there will be another one, and then another one, and before you know it you are trying to figure out exactly how to get 100 sand dollars back to your car!
Good Luck.

Remember to take only the Sand Dollars that are white- if they're colored or fuzzy, they're still alive, so please put them back:
http://echinoblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/sand-dollars-are-sea-urchins-please.html

Even 100 dead ones seems excessive. Leave some for others.

mondone said:

Even 100 dead ones seems excessive. Leave some for others.

OK ~ Perhaps 100 was a bit of an exaggeration. However, we did not take them all ~ there are still plenty left.

The estuary at the end of Los Conchas when the tide goes out is a great spot for finding sand dollars. My wife and I would find some almost everyday scattered within the shells.

We really enjoy bay walking and looking for the perfect sand dollar. It pisses me off when people go out and haul off as many as they can carry. The sand dollars disappeared for years and have just come back a few years ago. What are people doing, starting a business selling them. Reminds me of the locals diving for conch and will not let up until they are ALL gone. Let others enjoy the hunt as well for gods sake.

If you haven't seen them you should know that south of El Golfo in the mud cliffs there are petrified sand dollars to be found.

Remember: Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but tracks !!

Jellyfish said:

We really enjoy bay walking and looking for the perfect sand dollar. It pisses me off when people go out and haul off as many as they can carry. The sand dollars disappeared for years and have just come back a few years ago. What are people doing, starting a business selling them. Reminds me of the locals diving for conch and will not let up until they are ALL gone. Let others enjoy the hunt as well for gods sake.

Well, and I have also noticed that so many people (often guests over the years) gather up a truckload of shells, wash them off, and then -- looking a little dumbfounded -- ask, "Now how are we going to get these all home . . . and what will we do with all of them?" The old "shells in a jar" décor appeals to a few, but most end up just returning all or most shells to the beach where they become homes for crabs or sand for the sea.

The story goes the remains of an old pearl operation destroyed by a hurricane in the 20s is 25 miles either side of Lobos......if a guy found it he would have to keep it to himself

in lobos in the late 80's , the people used to come back with 5 gallon buckets. now you are lucky to find one .