Sand Dollars

Sand Dollars (the true name for these is "Keyhole Urchin") are fairly plentiful on the Isle of Palms, but are basically clustered in 2 places: around 52nd Ave in front of a hot pink house and further up towards the end of the island.. The ones at 52nd are typically already whitish and can usually only be found at low tide. If you're willing to walk in the water, you can often find 10-15 in one walk. The ones found further north, almost at the end of the island, tend to be alive. It is against the law to take a live sand dollar in SC, so when one is found, you need to turn it over and check to see if spines are moving. If not, it is dead and can be taken from the beach.

Sand Dollars are wedged/buried beneath the sand in beds which are parallel to the beach. The green-brown spines on the underneath are used for digging and are very short and the 5 petals on the top are hollow and used for breathing. The enemies of the Sand Dollar are starfish and flounder and so they burrow face first to escape these enemies and storms.

To get the white Sand Dollars that are found in stores, soak in 50% Clorox and 50% water and then set in the sun to finish the process.