Sand Odyssey: An Adventure on the Beach

By Michelle Meagher July 26, 2007 Issue

Locals and visitors alike are captivated by the beautiful shoreline along the Emerald Coast. The sugary white sand beckons guests to relax and play. Some even venture to build. If elaborate towers and turrets amaze you, but teetering drip castles are the extent of your sculpting expertise, then you are encouraged to read on.

With his sunny yellow T-shirt, fisherman’s hat, and happy-go-lucky grin, Mark Flynn looks like your average beachgoer. However, armed with a bucket of tools on an opportune beach day this modest individual becomes a master sand sculptor. “I enjoy the social aspect of it,” says Mark. “It’s nice to meet new people on the beach who are curious about what I’m carving.”

Flynn is the creative force behind Sand Odyssey, a unique and noteworthy business specializing in sand sculpting lessons and customized pieces for celebrations of all kind. A neighbor of Mark’s suggested that he market his services at a nearby resort and now, six years later, he is busy instructing guests at four or five resorts a week.

Private lessons are available for family functions, small group classes, or even team building experiences. Flynn once performed a lesson for a corporate group of 100. “We set up a mini-contest among participants and everyone had a lot of fun.”

Sand Odyssey provides everything a beginner sculptor needs. Flynn arrives prepared with bright yellow buckets filled with straight edges, wooden blocks, cookie cutters, small paintbrushes and tubes. “I use stainless steel tools myself,” says Mark, “but the tools provided for lessons are certainly suitable for the novice carver.”

Sand Odyssey also offers customized pieces for weddings, festivals, corporate meetings, or promotional events. Carving options vary in difficulty and, consequently, price. A recent favorite of Flynn’s was a piece involving castles, dolphins, and a special message for a gentleman who was proposing to his girlfriend. Such a display might take 10 to 12 hours to complete. He smiles and says, “It added a special touch to the marriage proposal, and I was happy to do that for them.”

As a longtime resident of Northwest Florida, it’s only natural that Flynn is a beach fanatic. As a 19-year-old lifeguard at a “very quiet beach” he was able to practice building sand castles. He entered the occasional local contest up until 1999. The prize for winning one of these contests sent Flynn and his wife Shannon on a weekend getaway to Seaside. It was there he encountered a visitor from Atlanta who was carving four people in a hot tub. “It was an eye-opening experience for me,” he explained. “I then realized that there’s more to carving than just castles; there are people, sea life, monsters, etc.”

Since the enlightening experience on Seaside’s beach, Flynn has participated in numerous masters’ level contests, the first of which took him to St. Petersburg, Fla. Other competitions have included trips to Texas, South Carolina, Washington, and British Columbia. His proudest accomplishment was the “Judge’s Favorite” award at a 2002 contest in Seal Beach, Calif. It was there that he led a small team of University of Southern California students, including his son Michael. His favorite competition is Sand Fest, an annual festival in Texas drawing thousands of spectators.

Before retiring in April 2003, he worked as a guidance counselor and human resource specialist for the U.S. Air Force. Though he considered sand carving more or less a hobby, he did take several weeks off from work in the summer of 2002 to participate in a large carving project in Belgium. He was one of 40 carvers working to present the history and architecture of ancient Egypt. The project was so successful that he was asked to return to Belgium in 2003 to create a depiction of the history of South America.

In the past few years Flynn has constructed several awe-inspiring pieces for festivals held at The Village of Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin. Though he’s worked under cover for these exhibitions, conditions at the beach are not always as favorable. “I bring a sun umbrella with me and I always have rain gear in my tool bucket,” says Flynn. He adds, “Wind is the most frustrating element. Finished pieces are sprayed with sealant, but still, strong gusts take their toll on carvings. Fine sand, though the wind carries it easily, is best to use, especially for details.”

These days, aside from his business demands, Flynn spends time with family at the beach near his home in south Walton County. He enjoys sharing his passion for sand art with his two sons and three grandsons.

Flynn’s passion for carving is so strong that it hardly subsides once the sun descends over the gulf. “I often wake in the middle of the night with carving ideas,” he admits. “I even keep a bedside tablet to write down those fleeting thoughts.”

Whether you share the same enthusiasm for sculpting or you simply have a love for playing in the sand, Flynn is your go-to guy. Don’t let another crumbling creation frustrate you. Contact Sand Odyssey at 622-2741 and speak with the sand sculpting guru himself. For more information go to www.sandodyssey.com.

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