Life is a beach… and so is the office! Santa Rosa based Sand Odyssey specializes in sand sculpting

Mark Flynn encourages people to channel their inner child and play in the sand.

Flynn, the owner of Santa Rosa Beach based Sand Odyssey, has turned a hobby into a way of life.

"I am a full-service sand sculpting business," he said. "I want to encourage people to go out and have fun while learning something new."

Sand Odyssey provides lessons on building sandcastles, customized sand sculptures for weddings and special events, and team building exercises for corporate and government groups.

Flynn has always loved playing in the sand.

"I would enter every sandcastle contest there was in the area," he said.

With a love for building sandcastles Flynn learned about a contest in St. Petersburg from his sister and decided to enter.

"They told me I couldn’t enter," Flynn remembered. "I wasn’t a professional and they had never heard of me."

Well luck was on Flynn's side as one of the competitors had to drop out.

He even went as far as telling event organizers they wouldn't have to pay his travel expenses, which was common in the bigger contests.

"I just wanted to compete," he said.

Flynn said that experience in 1999 gave him new ideas and perspectives on what he wanted to do.

Sand Odyssey was born eight years ago, after Flynn retired from a civil service job at Eglin.

"I was already doing some lessons at Gulf Place before Sand Odyssey," Flynn said. "So I just expanded on what I was already doing."

People from Sandestin, Seaside and Rosemary Beach took notice of Flynn's talents and started booking him to do lessons at their resorts.

In the early going, Flynn was teaching about five to six lessons a week.

That number quickly expanded to 13 in recent years.

"I am only going to do around 10 now," he said. "I had to slow down a bit. I was wearing myself out."

The first thing Flynn teaches his students is how much water to mix with the sand.

Making sure the sand is wet enough is the key to building a sandcastle.

Flynn starts his students out with very basic lines, like the walls and roofs; then he moves on to windows and doors.

"Teaching just comes natural to me," Flynn said. "It is a fun way to meet people. Most of the people who are doing this want to have a good time, and that is what I provide. People assume when they start they can't do this, but I am able to show them how to do it."

Flynn's favorite part of what he does is sculpting and building showpieces.

He has competed locally in competitions at Schooners in Panama City and in Pensacola Beach.

Flynn has won the Pensacola Beach competition the past couple of years.

"The best parts of these competitions are the people you meet," he said. "You get to learn all of the new tricks and techniques that are out there."

Some of the pieces that Flynn creates can use an entire dump truck full of sand and take more than 36 hours to complete.

Flynn will put his talents to use as he competes at the Texas Sandfest April 8 to 12.

"It's really fun and rewarding to create things that people can enjoy," he said. "That is what keeps me going."

If you would like to take a lesson with Flynn, Alys Beach and Rosemary Beach will be hosting weekly sandcastle lessons this month and into April.

To set up a lesson with Sand Odyssey, call Mark at 850-622-2741.