Collecting Maui Treasures
By Kirsti Scott
Sokha Furumoto has been an avid shell collector ever since she discovered the hobby a few years ago. She started beachcombing right after the pandemic, inspired by the beachcombing community on Instagram and local beachcombers in Maui, Hawaii. “Shelling is like therapy, except I don’t need to pay for it—it’s free!” Sokha says. “I never knew something so small could make such a huge impact on my life.”
Sokha loves spending her weekends looking for seashells on the beach near her home in Haiku and on the beaches of Maui. “A huge record-breaking swell a few years ago washed up so many treasures, and that’s when I started getting my collection going,” Sokha adds. “Ever since then, it’s been one of my favorite things to do.”
She mostly hunts for cone shells, cowrie shells, and sea urchins, but Sokha will collect anything she can get her hands on, including pretty pieces of sea glass. Her favorite finds are a giant horned helmet shell, a textile cone, and a leopard cone shell, which she proudly displays in her home. On her bucket list of shells she’d still love to find are a marble cone, tiger cowrie, and a triton’s trumpet. Since it’s not common to find any of these on land, she says free diving is the best way to find them—but if you’re lucky, a big swell might bring in big treasures to the beach.
She usually beachcombs with her boyfriend, but Sokha also enjoys occasionally having solitude and space to enjoy nature’s beauty. “Going on my own helps me detox from a hard week of work and reset for the next week ahead.” She also invites her parents to come with her when they have the chance, and they all enjoy the quality time together.
“I never knew Mother Nature could provide us with creations as beautiful as seashells,” Sokha says. “Whenever I go beachcombing, I try to do my part and pick up trash when I can—and in return I get blessed with endless treasures!”
Sokha never takes live creatures home, leaving occupied shells on the beach. “Shells are home to creatures, they are used as protection against predators, and some of the mollusks in Hawaii are venomous,” Sokha says. The three most dangerous are the textile, striated, and marbled cones. The snails have a harpoon-like tooth towards the narrow part of the seashell, which contains potent neurotoxic venom that renders prey helpless. “Many people surprisingly do not know this fact about Hawaiian seashells, but it’s important to know, especially for people who are into free diving and seashell hunting.”
When she’s not beachcombing, Sokha works full time in a prevention program run by Maui Youth and Family Services called Project Venture, where she supports middle and high schoolers through experiential learning. This involves outdoor activities where young people can practice being self-sufficient and helpful community members, including fishing, hiking, volunteer work, beach cleanups, and more. “This is a prevention program, so our focus is to help the kids stay away from substance use by taking them out on different excursions each week,” explains Sokha. In the future, Sokha wants to get her master’s degree in social work and become a youth counselor.
Sokha recently started making jewelry with her handpicked shells and pearls. She took a class at the Tahitian pearl showroom at Aloha Pearls in Maui, and after that, she was addicted. She brought her best Hebrew cone shell to turn into a memorable piece of jewelry and had a wonderful experience. “I never thought I could make jewelry until I stepped out of my comfort zone.” Sokha says her mother is a huge motivation for her, as she started her own arts and crafts business from scratch and generously shares her tools and her skills with Sokha.
Right now, Sokha sells her jewelry at the Maui Upcountry Farmers Market on Saturdays at her mom’s booth. She also sells on Facebook marketplace, Instagram, and her newly opened Etsy shop. “I love being able to share my shells and work with others,” says Sokha. “It brings me a lot of joy.”
Although she loves her job, it still comes with stress, and through beachcombing and jewelry making she’s able to relax. “My hope is to be able to share my story with others so that they might find something that gives them passion and drive,” Sokha says.
Find Sokha on Instagram @Sokha.Furumoto and on Etsy @sokhasseacreations.
All photos courtesy of Sokha Furumoto.
Learn more about seashells
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This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 47 March/April 2025.
