How to Collect Shells in Hawaii

Make a note of tide times. You will find the most shells washed up just after the tide recedes. If the tides coincide with early morning, then this is by far the best time to go shell hunting. You will find the best specimens before anybody else has seen them.

Fill half of your bucket with seawater.

Start walking along the tideline from the most populated part of the beach to the most deserted end to maximize your chance of finding good shells first.

Pick up shells as you see them. Look inside to ensure they still do not contain either the original mollusk or a hermit crab. If they are empty, pop them into your bucket.

Sort through your shells before you leave the beach. Any animals that you missed earlier will emerge in the water, and these should be tossed back into the ocean. Also discard any shells that are badly chipped if you have better specimens.

Identify and label your shells. If you are a serious collector, you will want to know the species of each shell. A good guidebook to Hawaiian mollusks will cover almost every shell you find, although there might be a few anomalies that need further investigation online.