  We report on an experiment on Grover's quantum search algorithm showing that
{\em classical waves} can search a $N$-item database as efficiently as quantum
mechanics can. The transverse beam profile of a short laser pulse is processed
iteratively as the pulse bounces back and forth between two mirrors. We
directly observe the sought item being found in $\sim\sqrt{N}$ iterations, in
the form of a growing intensity peak on this profile. Although the lack of
quantum entanglement limits the {\em size} of our database, our results show
that entanglement is neither necessary for the algorithm itself, nor for its
efficiency.
