2018 was full of drift treasures. Some had human origins. Others were from rocky intertidal, subtidal, pelagic, estuarine, and terrestrial sources. Unravelling the stories of marine drifters, at least trying, is irresistible. Most will forever remain mysteries. That’s what keeps beachcombing compelling. Below, arranged chronologically, from the distant memories of last winter at the top, to recent scenes from last month at the bottom, are samples of drifted discoveries that caught my attention in 2018. All are from northern Oregon unless otherwise noted in the caption.
Anticipation
Three ecosystems represented: forest (Sitka spruce), estuary (eelgrass), open ocean (pyrosome)
Expect marine mammal carcasses to wash ashore
High tide’s all about the cobbles and an early morning glow
Bait jar
Feather boa, Egregia menziesii
Got the hitchhikers to prove it’s been afloat awhile
Ocean drifter runs out of fetch
Carpet of drifted Velella velella
Bull-kelp nori, Pyropia, on a drifted bull-kelp stipe
Lugged float
This trap won’t fish
Blue buoys, Dosima fascicularis, on a spent by-the-wind sailor
California mussel, Mytilus californianus
Drifted Fucus
Good-sized drift wood
Sargassum
Sea palm, Postelsia palmaeformis
Ever lovely Macrocystis
A good-sized beached jelly, over 30 cm across | has fried egg characteristics, so Phacellophora camtschatica?
Signature workings, guess who | Callianax biplicata
Seaside plantain, Plantago maritima, pioneering onto a wrack line rubble of cobbles and sea shells
Gull footprints
Otter tracks, heading off toward the reef at the top of the image | river otters
It’s taken a bit of rolling to round off the edges
Saccharina latissima, I presume | Orcas Island, WA
This scene caught my eye | Orcas Island, WA
Morning sunlight on Chondracanthus | Orcas Island, WA
I’ll share the wrack line with a great blue heron any day | Orcas Island, WA
Helmet crab, Telmessus cheiragonus, met its match | Orcas Island, WA
Purple varnish clams, Nuttallia obscurata dominating the drift line | Orcas Island, Washington
A dab of drifted Sarcodiotheca gaudichaudii | Orcas Island, Washington
Dock or coonstripe shrimp, Pandalus danae | Orcas Island, Washington
The Lion at sunrise | What surprises does the drift line hold?
Trace of a lone mole crab, Emerita analoga
A surf zone sea stack
Sea gooseberry, Pleurobrachia bachei
Trails of Alloniscus perconvexus on the backshore
Sea foam on the backshore
Drift line study
Color among the big wood in a dreary wrack line
A tangle of lost gear, big wood, and drift bull kelp on the backshore
Lost Dungeness trap buoy
That’s a view from the 2018 wrack line though my eyes. It’s just a sample. If you want to see more floats and buoys, drift algae, carcasses, bottles, drift line inhabitants, and other beached drifters, browse through Wrack Line 2018 or any of my Wrack Line pages.
Photographic Review of 2018
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theoutershores 
A treasure gallery! Well captured and described – thank you for joining in and teaching, at least me, some new things about the sea and shore!
You are welcome! It’s my pleasure.
These are terrific and so incredibly varied! I live on the beach here in SC and it’s always interesting to see what the tides will bring! Happy new year to you and thanks for joining our challenge!
Thank you. Your challenge is a good fit for me. Happy New Year!
One can literally spend hours on end looking for treasures along the coast line. You take good foto and learning names what brought the sea to your shots made me look more on them.
Thanks for taking the time to mention my little wrack line little gallery. I enjoyed putting it together. I’m happy to hear it found a use. By the way, I spent part of this morning on you “A Filtered Year” post from December 31. It was so good! I found myself browsing the posts linked to each image. In your words and images I discovered a good start to the day.
Thank you. I would appreciate more when you leave your reflections in my post.
A great post and very beautiful pictures of really interesting tide line finds.
Gratitude to you Jessica, for taking the time to mention it. I wish you a 2019 filled with things you love, and I look forward to seeing posts from you with your wonderful words and images.
Steve, I’m delighted to discover your thought-provoking, informative, and beautifully photographed blog (and Instagram). I’ve loved the Oregon Coast ever since the first time I set foot on it many, many years ago. My ecoregion for condensed focus during my Oregon Master Naturalist training focused on the Northern Oregon Coast.Your thoughts will help to keep some of that learning in my head… and add some more. Thank you for the time you put into both your sites.
Best wishes for the New Year-
Jane
Fantastic post and wonderful blog. 💙💙💙