from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
beachcomber \beachcomber\ [Written also {beach-comber} or {beach
comber}.] (Naut.)
1. A vagrant seaman, usually of low character, who loiters
about seaports, particularly on the shores and islands of
the Pacific Ocean.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
I was fortunate enough, however, to forgather with a
Scotchman who was a beach-comber. --F. T.
Bullen.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
2. a vagrant living on a beach.
[WordNet 1.5]
3. a person who searches along a beach for objects of value,
such as lost objects or seashells.
[PJC]