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April 9, 2005

Dig Dug

Mary and I got up this morning at o'dark hundred to go clam digging with her family. I'd never been before. It's a lot of fun!

(For information about the razor clam, check out the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.)

We drove a few miles from our hotel in Copalis to the beach. Despite it being 6 AM, the place was packed, with rows and rows of cars parked (and more arriving behind us). By 7 AM, there were literally thousands of people (I called it "Clamstock") on the beach, each trying to "get their limit" (WAC 220-56-310: 15 clams).

The first trick with clamdigging is to find the clam. This is easy in concept, but kind of a pain in practice. Clams bury themselves in the sand, and don't like being discovered. Their kryptonite is that they do need to eat, so they leave little holes in the sand where plankton (their food source) can come down to them. So if you can spot the hole, you can get the clam.

Sometimes, in wet ground (such as fresh surf), you tap the ground with a stick in order to get the clam to reveal itself. On drier sand, the hole is more obvious.

Once you spot the clam, you have to get it out. If you're using a shovel, you pick a spot about three inches (toward the water) from the clam's hole, and dig. Fast. After extracting two shovelfuls, you drop to your knees and start rooting around with your hand. The clam knows your'e there, and is quickly burrowing away from you as fast as possible (and those suckers are fast). Often, you get a wet, cold, sandy hand (and forearm) ... and no clam.

The alternative method - and my favorite, 'cause it's cool - is to use a t-shaped tube to dig. Imagine a three-foot length of PVC pipe, 6" in diameter, and sealed at one end. The sealed end has a crossbar on it. You grab the pipe by the crossbar and plunge the un-sealed end straight down on the clam's hole, like you're taking a core sample. After you've plunged all three feet of PVC into the sand, you pressurize the PVC by plugging an air hole, and pull it out. You then extract the sand from the PVC (shaking works great), and grab the clam, which is flopping around on the sand, helpless.

It was a beautiful morning. The weather was cold, but the sun came out and the ocean was just gorgeous.

We're going back tomorrow. Given how early we have to get up for this (and how rare good coffee is out here), I'm glad I packed some triple-shot espresso goodness from TJ's.

UPDATE, May 13, 2006: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined.

Posted by Gavin Shearer at April 9, 2005 1:00 PM. Posted to Travel.

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