On even a short beach walk, you can expect to discover interesting items among the sea wrack. You will find seaweed cycles and floats and bottles from distant places if you walk enough. You’ll find lost gear and pelagic oddities rarely seen on the shore. Everything that washes up has a story to tell, and the more you listen, the more rewarding beach walks become. I’m sharing a few images from the 2021 wrack line that might stimulate your interest in sea wrack and its stories.
Sea palm, Postelsia, is lovely, even in the drift. (In life, they perch on exposed rocks where they bow and bob in the powerful surf and surge.)
Signs of life.
Bleached and beautiful, long-dead thatched barnacles (left) and flat-tip piddocks (right) arrive on beaches in the drift.
The summer Dungeness molt is a big occasion on Pacific Northwest beaches.
Anticipation.
Cycle of life.
Sea wrack has a story to tell.
Surf zone scenes.
Styrofoam floats still wash up on the beaches.
If you’d like to see more washed up scenes from 2021, go to Wrack Line 2021. For more, you can find sea wrack galleries going back to 2012 on my Wrack Line page.
Here’s to great beachcombing in the year ahead!
theoutershores 
What is the blue object?
Your guess is as good as mine. I’m going with penguin. Let me know if you’ve got a better idea.
Marvellous images, well worth waiting for. Here’s to more in 2022!
Thank you, Margaret. And yes, here’s to more in the year ahead!
There is so much I miss about living on the coast. Thank you for bring back some of that joy in your collection of photos!
You are welcome. Makes me happy I can do that. I love your poetry, so it’s something of fair trade in my eyes.
Fair trade indeed, thank you.
I love your photos! And I also love walking along the beach to see what washes up. I do hate seeing plastics and garbage. That makes me so sad. Happy New Year to you!
And a wonderful 2022 to you, Lisa!