Ghost Crab Hunting on Miramar Beach: A Nighttime Guide

Activities · 4 min read · Roger Ridpath

Those bobbing lights on the beach after dark? That's ghost crab hunting: the Emerald Coast's easiest free family tradition. Here's how to do it, how to keep it kind, and how to keep the sea turtles safe while you're at it.

Kids with buckets and red flashlights hunting ghost crabs on the sugar-white sand at Miramar Beach after dark

Walk out onto the sand here after the sun goes down and you'll see it: little bobbing lights scattered down the shoreline, kids darting around with buckets, the occasional shriek and laugh carrying up from the water's edge. If you've ever stood on your balcony at night and wondered what in the world everybody's chasing down there, this one's for you.

They're hunting ghost crabs. And once you've done it, you'll want to do it every night of your trip.

What are all those people on Miramar Beach doing at night with buckets and flashlights?

They're ghost crab hunting: one of the oldest, simplest family traditions on the Emerald Coast. After dark, the beach fills up with pale little crabs skittering sideways across the sand, and folks walk the shoreline spotting them in a flashlight beam, cupping one in a bucket for a quick look, then letting it go. That's the whole game. No license, no gear to buy, no skill required. Just you, a light, a bucket, and a stretch of beach that turns into a completely different place once the sun's down.

What is a ghost crab, and why do they only come out at night?

A ghost crab is a small, sand-colored crab (usually no bigger than a silver dollar) with two eyes up on stalks like little periscopes and a color so close to the sand that it seems to vanish the second it stops moving. That's where the name comes from. They dig deep burrows up in the dry sand and hide down there all day to stay out of the brutal Gulf-coast sun. Come nightfall, they pour out to feed along the wet sand, dip into the surf to wet their gills, and (I'm not kidding) to socialize. They can't breathe if their gills dry out, so the shoreline at night is basically their whole world.

Here's the lucky part for hunters: when your light lands on one, it freezes for a second, like a deer in headlights. That little pause is your window.

How do you hunt ghost crabs, and how do you do it kindly?

You hunt ghost crabs by walking slowly along the shoreline, sweeping your light low across the sand between the high-tide line and the water, and watching for that quick sideways scramble. Look for holes anywhere from the size of a nickel to a half-dollar: where there are holes, there are crabs nearby. When you spot one, most folks just cup it gently under a bucket or their hands for a few seconds so the kids can get a good look, then set it free.

A few things to keep it kind, because these little guys are guests in our care too:

Let them go where you found them. Carrying a crab way down the beach just forces it to dig a brand-new burrow. Have your look, then release it right about where you caught it.
Never toss one into the water. Ghost crabs can't swim, strange as that sounds for a crab. The surf is for wetting their gills, not for swimming.
Go gentle with the little hands. They're fast and they can pinch, but they're harmless. Half the fun is how quick they are.

It's lightning-fast, it's a little bit thrilling, and it wears the kids out beautifully before bed. What more can you ask from a beach?

Why do you need a red light (not a white one) on the beach at night?

Bright white flashlights and glowing phone screens can be deadly for sea turtles, so on Miramar Beach you use a red light. This part matters more than the crabs, so I'm putting it right in the middle where you can't miss it.

From May through October, sea turtles come ashore on these beaches at night to lay their eggs, and their hatchlings dig out and race for the water in the dark. Baby turtles find the Gulf by heading toward the brightest, most open horizon, which is supposed to be the moon and stars over the water. A white flashlight or a lit-up phone throws that off. It can steer a nesting mama, or a whole nest of hatchlings, the wrong way: away from the ocean and toward the road, the dunes, and every hazard in between.

So here's the simple rule that lets you have your crab hunt and protect the turtles at the same time: use a red-filtered flashlight or a red LED, keep it pointed down at the sand, and use it sparingly. Red light barely registers with the turtles but still lights up a ghost crab just fine. Our local volunteers at South Walton Turtle Watch hand out little red pocket flashlights at their summer events, and most beach shops around here sell red filters and red LEDs for a few dollars. Grab one before you head out. And if you come across a roped-off nest marked with stakes and tape, just give it a wide berth. That's a family on the way.

What else are people doing on the beach after dark?

Plenty: the night beach is busier than you'd think. Once you're out there with your red light, keep an eye out for a couple of other local pastimes:

Night shelling and shark-tooth hunting. The tide keeps dropping fresh shells, sand dollars, and even little black shark teeth onto the sand. The teeth like to hide in the darker, coarser patches where the heavier stuff settles. A falling tide is prime.
Scooping sand fleas. Those little gray crustaceans that burrow right where the waves break are sand fleas (mole crabs), and they're completely harmless. They also happen to be the best pompano bait on the coast, which is why you'll see folks scooping them by the handful where the water rushes back out.

It's the same beach you've been lying on all day. It just has a whole second life after dark.

Where's the best place to stay for a ghost crab hunt on Miramar Beach?

The best home base for a night on the sand is a place where the beach is your backyard, so when the kids get that second wind after dinner, the hunt is a two-minute walk instead of a drive. That's exactly what we've got at Majestic Sun, our Gulf-front condo at Seascape Resort, right here on the sugar-white sand of Miramar Beach. Grab your bucket and your red light, ride the elevator down, and you're on the beach.

One more thing if your trip lands in October: the beach is not the only show up the coast. The month-long Destin Fishing Rodeo takes over Destin Harbor, with free daily weigh-ins you can watch boat or no boat.

Come stay with us and go find some ghost crabs. Check dates and book Majestic Sun, and don't forget the red light.