Brandi Smith never expected to become internet famous. When the lifelong Grays Harbor resident was approached by her then 16-year-old daughter about joining TikTok, a popular online app where creators share short videos, she decided to check it out herself first.

Smith then started creating videos for her small following, mainly close family and friends, but accidentally stumbled upon notoriety in March 2020 when her page took off.

During an off-and-on drizzly, somewhat cold day at Copalis Beach, the kind of winter day that residents here know well, Smith had an idea. She quickly asked her husband to film a video of her using a clam gun while digging for razor clams. Without much thought, she posted the video to her TikTok page after returning home.

Overnight, the video was liked over 40,000 times. To date, the TikTok has nearly 59 million views.

“When the clam digging video got as big as it did, I had no idea why. I was really confused, because it’s just something we’ve always done here and I just didn’t even think that people wouldn’t know what we were doing,” said Smith.

Smith has been clam digging for as long as she can remember, and hasn’t stopped since she first started the activity with her family as a young child. She now carries on the tradition with her own children and husband, heading out whenever there are scheduled clam digs.

“We go because it’s fun. I took a video of my daughter the first time she got her entire limit with a clam gun,” said Smith.

Over the last two years, she has posted several other videos of her using a clam gun at beaches throughout Grays Harbor County. Across her four most popular videos of her clam digging, she has amassed 94 million views.

“It was overwhelming, to be honest, because then all of a sudden I had a ton of followers for that one video. I don’t understand why people would follow me for no reason, and I still have several who do,” she said. “Every time I’ve posted a clam digging video, it’s done the same thing, and it blows my mind.”

Smith’s TikToks were then picked up by Buzzfeed News, which interviewed her late last year for a video on their website. The video was then reposted by Tasty, a popular cooking page on Facebook. Both videos have 20 million views. She has even achieved some international recognition, having been contacted by a content creator in Australia as well.

So what has viewers so hooked? It seems for the most part, they are mystified by Smith’s use of a clam gun.

“I used to clam dig with a shovel, and it was harder than I’d like to work and I’m not very successful at it. I’d often crack my clams,” she said. “I got my clam gun at Dennis Company in town, but that sucker slides into the sand so easily, and then you just plug the hole and pull it up and it’s done. I’ve crushed so many clams otherwise.”

Smith’s approach to razor clam digging has garnered some criticism from those who know the practice as well, but that just seems to be the price of becoming the de facto spokesperson for a beloved local tradition.

“I’m going to keep randomly posting clam digging videos to entertain people who don’t know what it is,” she said.

Despite the reception of her videos, Smith has no desire to become an influencer or maintain her page for an audience. While she hopes that her content may interest newcomers to clam digging, she’s still motivated by the same thing she was before: spending time with her family.

“Our family loves homemade clam chowder. We can’t just go to a restaurant and have good dairy-free clam chowder,” she said. “We put them in the next day, and then we freeze them and pull them out all year for clam chowder, and my husband and kids like fritters too. We also like to bread and fry them.”

While Roosevelt Beach in Mocrocks is her favorite spot for clam digging, Smith and her family can often be found at whichever beach is open for digging. This coming weekend, they plan on staying out at the beach until they reach their designated limits of razor clams.

“We’re going to visit the clam festival in Ocean Shores, and then we’re going to get another couple of limits of clams this weekend, and hopefully the kids will want to go,” she said. “It’s nice to see the different people around the Harbor that like to come out for the festivals.”

The Razor Clam and Seafood Festival took place March 18-20 at the Ocean Shores Convention Center.