Thousands of tiny clams dot the shore in Newport Beach Wednesday morning. (Photo by John Bautista Virata)

Thousands of tiny clams dot the shore in Newport Beach Wednesday morning. (Photo by John Bautista Virata)

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Thousands of tiny clams dot the shore in Newport Beach Wednesday morning. (Photo by John Bautista Virata)

Beachgoers walk past tiny clam shells that washed up onshore around the Newport Pier in Newport Beach on Wednesday, May 17, 2017. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Tiny clam shells cover a part of the beach around the Newport Pier in Newport Beach on Wednesday, May 17, 2017. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Tiny clam shells washed up on shore around the Newport Pier in Newport Beach on Wednesday, May 17, 2017. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Surfer John Bautista Virata was out checking the waves north of the Newport Pier on Wednesday, May 17, when he saw an unusual sight: Newport’s normally sandy beach was covered with thousands of tiny clams.

“It was beautiful to see, but I was like ‘what’s up with those guys, why aren’t they in the water?'” he said, noting they were the size of a thumbnail.

Newport Beach lifeguard Brent Jacobsen said it’s a sight that happens some years when heavy erosion hits the shoreline, sweeping away layers of sand.

Ocean Institute marine biologist Julianne Steers said a combination of extreme low tides exposes the clams, allowing beach-goers to see the massive number of clam shells covering the coast.

“Then there’s the combination of wind and interesting swell we had at the beginning of the week, stirring up the sand under the sea, causing them to be on top of the sand, then the waves pushed them to shore,” she said.

As long as their shells remain closed, they will likely survive until they are again pushed out to sea and can burrow under deeper water, Steers said.

Matthew Bracken, associate professor for the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine, said the clams look like little bean clams, scientific name Donax gouldii, which are sometimes found on Southern California beaches by the thousands.

“Given recent incidences of harmful algal blooms and last week’s sewage spill, eating them would be a pretty bad idea,” he warned.