Dan In The Sand

10/01/2026

Hi! We often see people asking about things to do in the area, so we wanted to share a little about what we offer to help with your planning!

I’m Dan, also known as Dan In The Sand, a professional sand sculptor based near Destin.

From hands-on family sandcastle classes to custom sculptures for resorts, weddings, festivals and corporate events, I help turn sand into something memorable. Sculptures can be created on the beach or at suitable indoor and off-the-beach locations, and I travel for projects, too!

Whether you’re planning a beach vacation, a family activity, proposal, wedding or a special celebration, we’d love to help make it extra memorable.

Explore our experiences and contact us at DanCastles.com!

09/27/2026

We generally only share our commissioned work here on Dan Castles, but on our Sunday rest and Holy day, this felt like the perfect throwback.

This creation came from one of our annual sand sculpture drawings and had a pretty special spin on it.

The winning family chose their design to be for their son, named Will and his blessed family… making the message all the more meaningful to them:

GOD’S WILL.

A play on his name, but also a beautiful reminder of faith, trust and the plans God has for each of us.

Today, while we rest, recharge and give thanks, we thought this one deserved another moment in the sand.

God’s Will. 🙏🏼

Happy Sunday from Dan In The Sand!

09/11/2026

We will never forget.

I created this sand sculpture and it lasted on the beach - over a month!

Today we remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001, the families whose lives were forever change, and the first responders, service members and everyday Americans who showed extraordinary courage in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

25 years later, we remember not only what happened that day, but the way our country came together in the days that followed.

May we never forget those we lost, those who ran toward danger to help others, and the sacrifices that continued long after September 11.

God bless America.
Dan & Sharon

08/11/2026

07/15/2026

05/10/2026

Happy Mother's day!

This is a throwback post! This Mother's Day sculpture was made in 2023! Then I also included a sculpture I made with my mom in November of last year! She made the castle next to my big mom heart! She's getting better and better with her castles every time! Beyond grateful she is still able to come down to visit and enjoy the beach with us! We have so many amazing Beach memories together!!

The rain this weekend was not cooperating for us! We wanted to get out and build a new Mother's Day sculpture this year! We had a day on our schedule to do just that! Unfortunately it decided to rain that entire day 😭 Deeply blessed we finally got all the rain we so desperately needed!!

As with all my posts, please feel free to share, save, use however you wish! Thank you so much for loving all of this as much as we do!

05/01/2026

Sand effect's with more amazing sea turtle awareness information!!

Hey Guys!
Turtles Nesting!

Did you know❓
Sea turtle nesting season for our area has begun. Nesting season is from May 1st through October 31st.
During this time we will have turtles coming to shore during the night to lay their eggs.
We have a dedicated turtle watch group that will begin patrolling early in the morning for any signs of turtle tracks and indicators of a new nest. Once a nest is identified, it will be roped off and signage to inform the public to stay away.
We have 4 different endangered species that come to shore. The Loggerhead, the Leatherback, the Green and the Kemp Ridley.

It is important to leave the beach how you found it. Dark and flat. Fill in any holes, knock down sculptures and castles. Take your trash and any unwanted items off the beach when you go.
Please use turtle safe flashlights at night when hunting for ghost crabs.
White light will disorientate hatchlings. They follow the white light thinking it's the moon. They end up in the dunes or on the roads. Holes and deep tracks become final resting places for hatchlings. They can and will get stuck.

We all play a part and I love to play mine. For the protection of our nesting turtles, I will not teach a class near an active nest. I always advise clients to record their families knocking their castles down to save the memory and I will continue to encourage that.

My personal sculptures will be knocked flat at night!

I'm always actively filling in holes and picking up trash/toys.

This is a public service announcement!

Be a good Steward and play your part!
Knock down your castles, fill in your holes. Leave the beach clean, flat and dark!

Sand Effects

Your Sand Adventure Starts Here!

05/01/2026

Dig Life, Not Holes!

This is our 2026 sea turtle awareness sculpture! With today being May 1st it officially begins our sea turtle nesting season! No better time to make the sculpture, and/or make a post giving a little education!!

Did you know that sea turtles only lay their nests at night? They use the light of the Stars to guide their way to the beach! Often returning to the same spot that they were hatched! Because of that bright lights can scare them away! It's important to only use either red lights, or sea turtles safe lights while on the beach! You'll notice all beachfront properties have orange hued sea turtle safe beach lights!

Holes! Probably the most important point of them all! Holes can be truly deadly for sea turtles, and people alike! A sea turtle does not have reverse, it cannot back itself out of a hole, it can only continue going forward burying itself and possibly suffocating! Same goes for people! I hear news stories all too often about kids getting trapped in Holes! Sand is HEAVY, only one single yard can weigh over 3,000 lb!!! If it's saturated, even more! Be careful on digging a hole too deep, or tunneling through the sand!

There is Joy digging in a hole, just know the dangers and be sure to thoroughly fill it back in when done! If you don't fill it in, it poses a threat to turtles, and runners! I've heard horror stories of people jogging down the beach and having life-altering injuries from a hole. Having nearly a decade of beach experience, you'll hear a lot of stories!!

Let's talk sandcastles! I have personally talked to multiple sea turtle nest patrol employees. Maybe one will even chime in on the comments. They have continued to tell me that they've never seen a turtle be impeded from nesting from a pile of sand. It's no different than a piece of driftwood, which impedes them even more than a sandcastle would.

Hatchlings could definitely get caught behind a sandcastle on the way to the water!! That's why I always educate my families whenever we're close to a sea turtle nest. If there's an active nest close by I will ask that they make sure all structures are flat before sunset.

We made the sculpture in part of a larger beach day! My amazing love Sharon made a "hello sunshine" sculpture! I included some pictures of that at the end, even though she has her own standalone post, because this sculpture absolutely deserves it! Scott and Antoinette also joined us! Antoinette shared that in her Facebook memories 4 years ago that day was our first ever Sandcastle class together! Truly honored to have students continue to spread Sandcastle joy, and want to learn new skills! Scott made the amazing giant sea turtle between the two sculptures! I look forward to many more Beach days Scott and Antoinette! It's always a joy to have them join us!!

Please feel free to share, save, use these pictures however you wish! I love spreading a little sea turtle education! I hope I was able to give some facts that you may not have been aware of! We're looking forward to a successful 2026 sea turtle nesting season! Hope you all love these sculptures as much as we did making them!

05/01/2026

Hello Sunshine!!!

I cannot take credit for this one! This was amazing sculpture was carved by my love Sharon!! She had a vision, I just built it for her! I thought it turned out absolutely spectacular, the birds must have as well, they perched up for a view haha!!

Can you believe how good she is!! I'm so honored that she has picked up the skill and passion of bringing sand castle joy! Although she may not enjoy specifically castles, she loves writing words in the sand!!! I love how I can help inspire and push her to create new amazing sculptures like this! This is the perfect saying for the 1st of May! Our beautiful Summer Sunshine is on the way!!

I'm so honored to have her by my side! She is truly incredible at not only playing in the sand, but helping me fulfill all of the backend services that are running my passion!! If you've ever sent us an email, she's the one responding! I've noticed that's made all of our responses way more personable, you're talking to both of us, quality over quantity!! I absolutely love having her by my side everyday! I'm beyond grateful that she's able to help me fulfill and grow our passion to a level I never thought possible!! I can't wait to help her grow her passion in singing!! If y'all never heard her sing, you're in for a treat!!

This was a part of a larger beach day! I made a sea turtle awareness sculpture! Scott and Antoinette joined us as well, Scott made a giant sea turtle! Another random fact, this was on April 28th, the 4 year anniversary of Scott and Antoinette's first ever Sandcastle class! You all have no idea how proud I am to have students pick up and continue spreading Sandcastle Joy! Grateful they continue to want to spend beach days together learning new skills!

We hope you all love this one as much as we did making them! As with ALL of our sculptures, please feel free to share, save, use however you wish! We hope you welcome a little sunshine today wherever you live!!