Photos: Coney Island’s 2013 Sand Sculpture Contest Brings Out Big Talents

Sea lions and tigers and walruses, oh my! Castles, and ladies and coasters, and even the Predator, too!

The sands of Coney Island had it all – nay, became it all – this weekend at the 23rd annual Coney Island Sand Sculpting Competition on Saturday.

Over the weekend, Sheepshead Bites editor Ned Berke and I took a trip to Coney Island to check it out and found that the beauty of the weather was matched by the talents of the sand carvers.

The sculptures were so good that it drew a crowd of thousands, causing us to fight our way through for a view of all the magnificent designs. The first sculpture that struck me was a large brain sprouting from the sand, reminding me of the 60s pop art featured in the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine movie. I was then wowed by a sculpture of the New York Aquarium which featured an incredibly realistic looking walrus and sea lion.

Continuing the Coney Island theme were two sculptures that both captured the Cyclone roller coaster, both rendered in glorious detail. And, yes, there was a man patiently smoothing a nude woman laying on her stomach with her perfectly rounded derriere on full display. Less attention was paid to her cartoonish face.

On the kid friendly side, we saw Sponge Bob Square Pants roasting in the sun, a dinosaur, some beautifully crafted lions and a Hershey’s Kiss tribute. You could tell the kids were loving the contest as many were running to patches of unused sand to create their own impromptu castles, and some proved very talented. I’m sure we’ll see them in a few years as the future contest winners.

All in all, it was a beautiful day with the contest inspiring tremendous happiness on part of the massive crowd.

The video below, uploaded to Youtube by Jimvid1, captured the dreamy spirit of the perfect summer day. Great job by all the sculptors and the Alliance for Coney Island, which sponsored the event. Check out the photos below the video.