S.C. Sea Grant Consortium
A young woman medium skin and glasses and a young man with light skin and sunglasses stand on a pier in front of beachfront development. A sign attached to the pier is between them.

CoastSnap has arrived in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

CoastSnap is a community beach monitoring program that uses cell phone photos taken by beach visitors from a specific location to track how the location’s shoreline is changing over time.

Where is the CoastSnap Station?

The CoastSnap station is mounted on the Cherry Grove Fishing Pier in North Myrtle Beach (3500 N Ocean Blvd, North Myrtle Beach, S.C. 29582). There is a small fee to gain access to the pier.

The Cherry Grove Fishing Pier did sustain damage during Hurricane Ian in September 2022, but you are still able to safely access the CoastSnap station to take and submit your photo.

How Do I Take and Submit My Photo to CoastSnap?

  1. Scan the QR code found on the sign.
  2. Place your phone up against the metal mount on the pier’s railing.
  3. Take your photo.
  4. Submit the photo using the form scanned from the QR code.
  5. Project researchers will receive your photo in their database and begin to analyze shoreline changes.

CoastSnap Submit Screen

An image of the submit screen for the app.
An image of the submit screen for the app.
An image of the submit screen for the app.

What Happens to My Photo?

Once your photo is uploaded, it will be reviewed by researchers to determine erosion and/or accretion trends, as well as beach width.

Why is CoastSnap Important?

The sands are constantly shifting on our beaches. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for nourishing North Myrtle Beach with more sand when it is needed. These photos will help the USACE make decisions on nourishing North Myrtle Beach.

Scientists also want to have a better understand of the processes and factors contributing to shoreline changes, such as sea-level rise, king tides, hurricanes, and nor’easters. These CoastSnap photos from beach visitors are a reliable source of data for scientists to use.

Who is Involved?

The US Army Corps of Engineers Engineer and Research Development Center (ERDC), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Coastal and Hydraulics Field Research Facility (in Duck, N.C.), S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, Coastal Carolina University (CCU), Cherry Grove Fishing Pier, and The City of North Myrtle Beach have all come together to bring this project to South Carolina.

Will There Be More CoastSnap Stations?

We hope to expand the program to other areas of South Carolina in the future!

If you are interested please contact Katie Finegan.

Is There Social Media for CoastSnap?

Share on social media #CoastSnapNMB

Facebook: CoastSnap USA-SE