Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 74F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..
Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 74F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
A young beachgoer digs out some sand to create a subterranean throne on Isle of Palms on June 19, 2022. Henry Taylor/Staff
Vitaliy Napriyenko of Spartanburg spins his daughter Olivia through the air while on vacation at Isle of Palms on June 19, 2022. Henry Taylor/Staff
Beachgoers crowd the strand on Isle of Palms on June 19, 2022. Henry Taylor/Staff
Beachgoers break through the waves while wading out into the water to surf on Isle of Palms on June 19, 2022. Henry Taylor/Staff
On June 10, 2022, the trail of a nesting loggerhead reveals how narrowly it missed a large hole that someone left on the beach near 25th Avenue on Isle of Palms. The turtle managed to crawl up to lay 95 eggs during the night. Mary Pringle/Provided
A young beachgoer digs out some sand to create a subterranean throne on Isle of Palms on June 19, 2022. Henry Taylor/Staff
On June 10, 2022, the trail of a nesting loggerhead reveals how narrowly it missed a large hole that someone left on the beach near 25th Avenue on Isle of Palms. The turtle managed to crawl up to lay 95 eggs during the night. Mary Pringle/Provided
ISLE OF PALMS — Large holes left in the sand by beachgoers have become a hazard here for humans and sea turtles. City officials are now brainstorming ways to solve the problem.
And it's part of a trend along the coast where reactions by those who administer tourism towns include barring metal shovels, limiting the size of holes and requiring those responsible to refill them before leaving the beach.
Isle of Palms considered regulations before, in 2008, but the council decided against it.
"People were spreading rumors that we were outlawing children building sand castles and ridiculous things like that," said Mary Pringle, who leads the island's turtle team.
The turtle team doesn't mind the sand castles. But people and wildlife can fall and injure themselves in large holes left on the beach, especially at night, said Pringle, who is also chair of the city's Environmental Advisory Committee.
Vitaliy Napriyenko of Spartanburg spins his daughter Olivia through the air while on vacation at Isle of Palms on June 19, 2022. Henry Taylor/Staff
A man died last month in New Jersey when a large hole he was digging on the beach collapsed. His sister was rescued after being trapped in the same hole.
Turtles can get trapped, too.
Endangered loggerhead sea turtles lay about 30 to 50 nests per year on the Isle of Palms beach. Nesting season runs from May to mid-August in South Carolina.
"And then later on in the season, we have hatchlings which are only 2 inches long, and they could get trapped in a hole and not be able to get out, which could cause them to die," Pringle said.
A nesting turtle came ashore about a week ago and barely missed a hole. Pringle has photos of her track going right next to the pit left on the beach.
The problem with holes has worsened on IOP as more people visit the area. People have reported pits 3 or 4 feet deep and 6 to 10 feet across.
Beach services officers bulldoze the very large ones, Pringle said. But they aren't always available to do that. So the Environmental Advisory Committee is trying to advise City Council on a better solution.
The IOP committee has considered using a Hilton Head Island ordinance as an example. There, anyone who digs a hole or creates a sand structure on the beach must restore the sand to its natural condition before leaving and no later than 30 minutes before sunset.
Only wooden and plastic shovels less than 20 inches long and 6 inches wide are allowed on the beach in Hilton Head. And only authorized personnel can dig a hole deeper than 12 inches on the beach.
Hilton Head's Town Council passed this ordinance in 2019.
"The holes that we were experiencing were more like gravesites," according to Amber Kuehn, a leader of the Hilton Head sea turtle patrol group. "We still have holes, but have seen a great improvement."
Kuehn said the depth of the hole is almost impossible to enforce, "but the shovels seem to be doable."
Violators of the beach ordinance could be fined or required to serve jail time.
Fines can range from $20 to $500 on the South Carolina coast. Responsibility for violations is based on whether an enforcement officer sees someone digging a large hole or using a prohibited tool.
Beachgoers crowd the strand on Isle of Palms on June 19, 2022. Henry Taylor/Staff
Digging holes deeper than 1 foot is illegal on Folly Beach. Metal shovels aren't allowed, and people must fill all pits before leaving the beach.
Chief Andrew Gilreath, Folly Beach's director of public safety, said education is most important in areas where a lot of the population is transient. The main tool of enforcement there is simply telling people to fill in their holes or remove a shovel.
"But if someone told the beach patrol person or the officer to 'go pounce,' then obviously we can issue a citation," Gilreath said. "But it's never got to that point."
Most citations in the city are $500, plus court costs. None have been issued for violation of the sand holes and shovel rules.
On weekends, officers typically only have to tell one or two people per day to fill in holes. And they aren't as massive as they use to be, Gilreath said.
Horry County — People are barred from digging holes deeper than 2 feet on 14 miles of public beaches there. Individual cities and towns in Horry County, like Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach, have passed similar rules, too.
Georgetown County — People are limited on how deep they can dig in the sand and the tools they can use to do so. Only "children's toys" and garden tools no longer than 12 inches can be used there. Violators would face a $20 fine.
Edisto Beach — Pits deeper than 12 inches are prohibited on the beach without an adult attending the area to prevent accidental injuries and allow space for public safety vehicles to respond to emergencies. All holes must be refilled.
Kiawah Island — It's illegal to change the contour of the beach by digging holes, unless at authorized special events or by authorized personnel. Metal shovels aren't allowed. Plastic shovels can't be longer than 14 inches.
Sullivan's Island — No restrictions are placed on digging holes or using shovels.
What's next for Isle of Palms?
Pringle said she hopes now is a better time for IOP to try regulating holes, especially since other places have had success with it.
The Environmental Advisory Committee recommended a copy of Hilton Head's law to the city's Public Works Committee as a proposed ordinance. But members had issues with some of the language, like 12-inch maximum depth for holes.
"They felt like that may be too shallow," said Douglas Kerr, the city's building, planning and zoning director. "They also had issue singling out a metal shovel because it wasn't really getting into the exact issues."
Beachgoers break through the waves while wading out into the water to surf on Isle of Palms on June 19, 2022. Henry Taylor/Staff
The thought is that a person using a metal shovel is intent on digging much larger hole than a child with a plastic shovel.
"It's not really the material itself," Kerr said. "It's just the understanding that that's a more capable earth-moving piece of equipment."
Kerr said he believes the Environmental Advisory Committee's recommendation will be changed. Any proposal will have to be approved by City Council.
But until a law is in place, Pringle said she hopes people will only dig deep holes below the high tide line so the area will ultimately be filled again and make the sand less steep.
Follow Shamira McCray on Twitter @ShamiraTweets.
Shamira McCray covers climate change and the environment for the Post and Courier. Follow her on Twitter at @ShamiraTweets.
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