Virginia State Oyster Shucking Champion Sam Davis of Saluda placed fifth out of 15 competitors in the Seafood Expo North America (SENA) in Boston, Mass., on March 17. The competition was conducted during the trade event for seafood buyers.
Davis shucked 12 oysters with a time of 1:23. All oysters were farm-raised with half coming from the west coast and half from the east coast.
Davis said it was “a fun challenge,” because he rarely gets to shuck farm-raised oysters.
Davis, 29, started shucking oysters in 2014 and has been competitively shucking since 2018. Davis won the state champion title at the 2025 Urbanna Oyster Festival, Virginia’s official oyster shucking contest.
He learned the skill from the late Davila Redmond, son of Debra Pratt, a former state champion shucker.
His sponsors for the SENA contest include the Virginia Oyster Company in Hayes, where Davis is employed, and Something Different restaurant in Urbanna.
His next shucking contest is set for Saturday, June 20, at the Mathews Volunteer Fire Department’s East River Fest in Mathews.
Sam and his wife Stacey Davis have three children, Ziriyah, Rosie and Willow.
