We had a beautiful full moon last night which normally means a good low tide to expose more of the beach to collect more shells. But this past week it only got down to a 0.6 which is fine but not that really low tide that you hear the major shellers getting excited about. Any tide at a 0.0 or a negative low tide like a -0.1 or lower is what we consider a really good low tide. We didn’t have that this week…. nor west winds. But you know what? That didn’t matter to rookie sheller Sam from Seattle. He didn’t know anything about the tides, moon, winds and weather. He did it the old fashioned way… he worked hard inspecting every angle of the beach every day for an entire week. Yes, he found all of those empty HORSE CONCHS in the photo above… and more. He said he found several live ones too but of course put them back. He also found… wait…. remember I told you he was a rookie? Never has he been to Sanibel and he didn’t know what this was when he found it…
Yes, a JUNONIA. Sam (first time sheller!) found all of those HORSE CONCHS and a JUNONIA by wading in the water chest and neck high and feeling around with his toes since he wasn’t finding anything on the beach. He’s like Alan The Toe Sheller I talked about just this week! No wonder I haven’t been finding anything on the beach. These guys are out in the water chest high digging around with their feet so these shells don’t have a chance to wash up on the shore. Clever. Sam, you da shell man!
So, Clark and I went to West Gulf Drive today with our friend Jane (Happy Birthday Janie!) to do a little toe-shellin. Nuthin. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Sam probably got everything there was to get in the water for miles along Bowman’s beach east to West Gulf Drive… which he soooo deserves! But… there are a lot of miles on the beaches of Sanibel… so if you aren’t finding anything on the beach right now, get your piggies in the water and start a little toe-shellin. Congratshellations Sam and Nancy of all of your exshellent finds!!! Thank you so Beth at Blue Dolphin for introducing us. We hope to see you next year since your first time to Sanibel was something to shellebrate.
FYI- I now have 2013 Sanibel Captiva TIDE CHARTS available… CLICK HERE.Â
FYI2- If you want to learn how to clean those HORSE CONCHS, CLICK HERE
Way to go Sam!! You sure found some beauties! The full moon was something up here in KY too!
Talk about beginner’s luck!! Congratulations Sam!
Wow, well done Sam! You are a natural!
YAY Sam!! You’re addicted like us now!!! :D
Great finds Sam!!! Nothing better then reaching down and finding great shells. You would never know you were a rookie. Congrats on the shells especially the JUNONIA.
Pam, your blog and Beth’s photos on the Blue Dolphin Cottages Facebook page keep me going in between visits. We always stay at Blue Dolphin. Great people and great shelling!
Congrats Sam. I would be thrilled to find shells like that – but guess I don’t want them bad enough to go chest deep in the water after all I’ve seen in the water this week. Did find some minis today in the old shell pile at Blind pass.
Cindy, what did you see? Are you OK i hope?
They have caught 2 sharks out here this week and I saw a 4 ft hammer head shark at waters edge – thanks for asking yes I’m fine.
Geez. And there were jelly fish too. Oh and I saw another HYDROID too but didnt have my camera in the water with me. Unless it’s clear enough to snorkel (which it wasn’t), I’m not as fond of toe-shellin as I am of walking the beach I cant take photos and share them. Yall be careful! Cindy, sorry I didnt run into you this week!
Wow, thanks for the heads up. I like Pam’s idea of staying out of the water if it’s not clear. That avoids opportunity for any case of ‘mistaken identity’ by the sharks. Additionally I believe sharks are most active at dawn and sunset, so I’d avoid the water at these times too. Be safe everyone! In addition to the awesome natural fauna of Sanibel & Captiva, the beaches themselves have more than enough great shells…my first trip to Sanibel resulted in me grabbing ~500 shells in 3 days without me getting more than my ankles and feet wet.
Pam – I got to meet the shellanator and his cute girls last Sunday. I am here for 3 more weeks (yeah) so hopefully I’ll run into you sometime.
Incredible…I love the junonia pic with full moon behind him.
Nice Shelling Sam from Seattle!
Congrats Sam … wow what an awesome find … gotta love the Dolph … thats the area I found mine … shhhh our secret … LOL !!! Thanks Pam for sharing !
Would love to talk with you sometime…..We will be coming Oct 25th-Nov 4th 2012
I love your blog or website or both. How can we get a hat with the lights in it? Can we buy on the island?
I can’t wait, it has been since 2011 that we have been back.
I love seeing the awsome shells people find and I can only dream that one day i might be as lucky as they have been.
Yes, Pam! I too would love to buy one of your hats with the lights!
Oh no, You guys… I sold out of the hats with the lights on them. Im so sorry!
We were lucky enough to meet Nancy and Sam on the beach where he was shelling. He showed us his Junonie after he found it and I almost fell over. So, my husband Paul went out with Sam and started to shell with him and also got a Horse Conch. Thank you again Sam and Nancy for sharing your shelling spot with us.
Couldn’t be happier for you both.
Pam, great seeing you and Clark today too!
So good to see you too Barbara LI NY!!!!! Glad you recognized me toe-shellin. lol
Wow Sam – you did good!! Really really good! I’m afraid to get in water that deeply. But my dream shell is one of those big horse conchs so I may just have to try it. This time next week ill be looking at the moon over Sanibel myself!!! Hope to win that gift card to help with shelling gear….fingers crossed….lol. love that last shot Pam! @oo
Hope I win – I’ll be coming down to see you!!
Thanks all for the great comments! This is my 15 minutes of fame. Never thought our 1st time vacation to Sanibel would be so spectacular! One thing is for sure, Nancy and I are addicted. Already making plans for next year! The people here are so friendly… A great attribute for a community. Thanks Pam for stopping by and sharing our excitement. Your website is absolutely amazing!!!! See ya’all next year!
Sam and Nancy
Were you really in chest deep water at night??? If so, you are very brave!!
Love the Junonia. Beginners Luck! I have to say I used to love to shell in the water till we started shark fishing and realized there are as many sharks waist deep as shells. Food for thought.
When we went to Navarre Beach on vacation, I stood in water up to my shoulders for hours & scooped up shells from the bottom. The water was crystal-clear so I could see the colored shells& would scoop them up with my shelling net. Got some pretty shells, so it was worth that time spent out in the water!
Wow! It is amazing what you can get with your toes. :) Anyway, the full
Moon last night actually coincides with the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese lunar calendar, which is the Mid-Autumn Festival so happy holiday! Congrats on the junonia! It is really a gem! :) Thank you again Pam for your sharing! It is really a life-saver for the shelling-deprived, like me. :)
Awesome…really !
Wow! Way to go Sam!!! Beautiful finds, will remember to get into that water and dig around-seems to be the way to go. :)
We look forward to your blogs all the time, thank you so much for doing what you do!
Pam, it’s my first time in sanibel! Where are the shells! I am very disappointed ;(
Sarah, where have you been shelling? Did you try Bowmans and walk to Blind Pass or the other way towards to West Gulf Drive? As I’ve remarked in the past few posts… I havent found much either (dang!) but remember its a treasure hunt. Mother Nature gets a little tricky some days. You might have to search for a couple of days before you find something you like. Enjoy the hunt and have an open mind because you might see other things that come along your path while looking for shells. Dont forget to look in the high tide wrack line… not just down by the water …or get in the water too
I want to find the elusive Junonia shell sometime! Everyone that finds this most beautiful shell is not only lucky but given an internal sense of peace!
I get an internal sense of peace EVERY time I shell, be it on Sanibel, or here in Long Island, NY. That is the point. As Pam always says, you have to enjoy the hunt itself, and simply take pleasure in the experience. Let the sound of the crashing waves and the breeze relax you :)
Jayne, I am with you, how amazing to find a Junonia. But yes, you need to open yourself to all of what you see and hear. My favorite part about shelling (well BESIDES the awesome shells!) is hearing the waves coming to shore, to then hear those shells make music as the water receeds back to the sea! Shelling is such cleansing therapy session for my mind, body and soul! :-)
I have been a toe shelled for many years. Will be arriving on Oct. 7th to give the toes a workout. I can hardly wait.
Wow! Congrats Sam! Very special finds.
I’ll be down in 2 weeks, save some for me.
Happy Shelling everyone,
Mary Ann
I found a piece of Junonia on Marco Beach this morning. It must have been a doozie because the spots were HUGE! I got so excited I even went out with a flashlight this evening and did some night shelling. Nada.
I did find some lovely minis of lightning whelks, shark eyes, horse conchs, tulips and jingles. Hopefully the winds we’ve had has stirred things up for tomorrow.
Great post. My wife loves to go shelling when we are at the beach. I would rather be fishing, but I try to spend time with her on her walks. I will have to send this to her.