Boom Shellalaka! It was so stinkin fun to see this spectacsheller empty HORSE CONCH wash up with the tide… but to actually film the whole thing on video so you can see exactly what I experienced? A-mazing! It was like an out of body experience to know I would be able to relive it again too.
I told y’all the story about my fab find on my last post (CLICK HERE) but it took a while to get the video downloaded … But with pershellverance, its up and running. I know, I know… its long (over 6 minutes) but I didn’t edit anything or make it shorter so you could see all the other cool stuff that washed up … And… to show you that if I didn’t take a minute to enjoy watching the birds, I would have missed it entirely! Thank you for being so adorable, Ms. WILLET and Mr RING-BILLED GULL, you lead me to my prize find.
Enjoy your beach walk with me and have fun finding a surprise shell!
Join me on a Shelling Trip! For more info CLICK HERE
You are so lucky I love beach combing …..x
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! Pam, I was just there 2 weeks ago and didn’t see anything like any of that!!! I’m so jealous, but happy for you!!! So what happened to those 2 beautiful (smaller) shells and sea grass that you sat down when you got the big one??? Hope you picked them back up. I would have loved those 2!!! Can you tell us what beach you were at on Sanibel, and what time of day was it? Also, when I was there I stepped on a lot of those huge black shells in the water – what are they? Man you sure had a lot to see that day on the beach… I’m jealous. ;-)
Jim from Michigan (in the cold and snow!)
Love the video! great find!!,love the scenery especially when its 4 degrees here!! thank you
Woohoo Pam! Great video and great horsie! Thank you for the little taste of heaven on this dreary cold day in Michigan!! Love it!!
Congratulations, Pam! You passed up so many shells that this Louisiana girl would have picked up. It was fun seeing you so excited to find the horse conch!
That is so awesome!! Thank you for posting as I felt like I was walking the beach with you (while I sit here at work in St. Louis). I hope you went back and picked up your other treasures that you laid down when you went after the conch. I loved that sea whip. I found my one and only in Sanibel in 2009 and didn’t know what it. I only knew that it was pretty. It wasn’t until I started following your site last year that I discovered what it was. So glad I kept it. I just can’t get enough of this stuff!!!
Pam when you can find time, will you please look at the coral I tagged to you in instagram. I’m hoping you know what type it is. Thanks!!
Christine, ack! im so sorry i can find the tag- i pisted a photo of this conch on instagram and i had so much axctivity on it – my notifications page went haywire! Lol can u retag today? Things should be calmer – heehee
The pictures are still tagged. I’m not sure how to “retag” them. I was looking at your page and hit the report user button by mistake. I’m a novice when it comes to Instagram. Yikes – I hope it didn’t really report user. I have nothing but admiration for your page.
So sorry but I didnt get it. Coukd u put ir on iLS facebook page?
Love your video so much and the shell that rolled up was incrediable i never saw one that big! When you found the purple sea Whip? can you take those and if so do you have to do anything to preserve them? Will they break easy, thanks for all your videos and advice – I love shelling so much
karen
That is amazing! I can only imagine how may of those you have.
Awesome!
Thanks for the kudos y’all! it really was fun and especially since knowing I could share this with YOU!!
Yes, I did keep the sea whip but not the other 2 shells. To preserve them, I rinse them off well and keep them outside for a while since they are pretty stinky. Once they dry outside and lose some of the odor I try to keep them by the dehumidifier until they don’t have any odor. I probably should give them a bleach bath but Im so afraid of them losing that fab color!
Pam, what are all those large black pointy shells?
I think you mean the pen shells. They are very large, dark brown, and rough on the outside.
On Sanibel, a lot of them always wash in after a storm. Normally they live below the low-tide level. They have their point down deep in the sand, anchored by a threaded byssus, with only a little of their wide top part sticking out of the sand.
During a storm, the waves uproot them and throw them up on the beach, where they die and smell. They have a pearly lining in part of their shell and they can actually, rarely, make a pretty dark pearl.
Thanks Pam. Yes it’s those. I stepped on a bunch of them when shelling in the water 2 weeks ago.
If you step on them and like shells, it is often profitable and fun to get a facemask and hunt around under the pen shells. Smaller shells get caught in them and it’s cool to see what comes up! We found a bunch of alphabet cones and a Junonia cob this way.
I woke up to find this video in my email for the blog. What a way to start the day!
Pam–I’m in no way a religious person but I do think that God (or maybe someone else you know that is ‘up there’) helps us out at certain times & for certain things–even in what we might think are trivial ways. In your case, I think ‘someone’ intended for that Horse Conch to wash up for you because of the admiration you were showing all of the lovely things on the beach (God’s work), AND you were saving the critters that were still alive. It was their way of saying Thank You and You’re Welcome at the same time! They’re possibly even thanking you for sharing all of the beautiful things that are on Sanibel with so many people around the world and teaching everyone how to respect the critters that live there.
Anyway, I sure do thank you!!!!!!
(Sorry to get so heavy so early in the morning!)
Omigosh Kaye, that is so sweet of you to write such a nice note. But you know? I feel the same way in things we do in life…. You get back what you put into it. Thanks for writing!
How exciting!!! That was fun to watch. Thanks, Pam.
Thanks for the video Pam, love it!!!! Makes me feel like I’m at the beach with you and reminds me of past trips.
I very much enjoy these long unedited videos; they give you more of a feeling of really being on the beach. :)
Pam, I would be a HAPPY GIRL, too! The video was great, as have been all the videos I’ve seen the past couple of days from the different shelling groups. I don’t think I can stand it any more. While the boys watch the Super Bowl I think I’m going to have to just head down to Sanibel by myself for a couple of days! Maybe I’ll run into you on the beach. Happy Shelling!!
Oh I enjoyed this so much! (did anyone else notice the sunglasses around minute 2 or so? haha). I”m ready to book a flight !
I thought that I was the only one that reacted that way when I found a big shell. It never gets old does it.
What a spectacular find!!! And to film it. I am just as excited as you are… very awesome! We were at the first of the month and I’m ready to leave the Midwest and come back. Shellrah! Shellrah! Shellrah!
Thanks for the video, it’s always fun to shell with you!! Hopefully I can really shell with you in May on your shelling cruise out of Fort Myers!!
Awesome video Pam – really enjoyed this one. It’s a great dream of mine to be on a beach this filled with shells and sea life.
So happy for you! And well deserved too. Eventho’ you have spent many hours beachcombing it’s truly delightful to see your reaction at finding, not only the “little stuff” but your surprise and joy at finding that Conch! Love you and thank you for sharing the video, I know it was a pain to download. Keep ’em comin’!
Thanks for taking us on a virtual shelling trip, Pam! Love how your first instinct is to share with Clark what you found. :) There’s some really cool stuff floating in these days after the winds. Love that horse conch!!
Curious which beach, and what time of day that so many beautiful shells and creatures were there?????
Her prior post said Gulf City Park at the evening tide.
Pam, what wonderful timing to get that find on film! You rock!
Belated Happy Birthday.
So excited for you! and I enjoyed every second of your 6 minute video. Made my heart melt on this cold winter day.
What a fun video Pam, loved your excitement when the horse conch rolled in! Must admit though, very shellous up here in the snow… we were there for the weekend and had to leave just as the wind died down and shells started to roll in, totally missed the awesome shelling. Thank you for the longer video/walk on the beach, we really enjoyed it. It’s the next best thing to actually being there.
That’s awesome!!! I wish I could be up there finding great shells like that one! I love your videos, it makes me feel like I’m right there! Show a picture of that big guy when you clean him up!
Pam, Thanks for taking me for a “walk” along Sanibel – it’s been a couple years since we’ve been there. It was such fun seeing you so excited finding the horse conch! :) Sitting here awaiting yet another snowstorm really makes me wish we were along with you! Unfortunately I’m also going through topical chemotherapy for facial skin cancer so might be a while until I can shellabrate. (I did too much indoor tanning) But the next time we’re in Sanibel we’re going to take one of your cruises and learn more about shelling! Always looking forward to all of your shelling emails!
Love your video. I hope that’s me finishing the big shell soon.
I have to say I love that you hunt for shells while wearing your seashell bracelet!
I love Sanibel and have a beautiful shell collection. I now live in Tennessee and haven’t been to Sanibel in a long time. I treasure my Junonia shell I found around 1978 but never found a big Horse Conch.
CONGRAULATIONS!
Thanks for sharing your excitement in finding a great shell. What a find. Love your website.
Best video yet….wish it was sixty minutes!!
That’s a beautiful horse conch! I loved the way you picked up the big star fish, put him back, then gave him a pat :D
Pam, thanks for the awesome video! I wouldn’t have wanted to miss a minute of this, so I’m glad you posted the whole thing! I loved seeing so many sea creatures on the beach. I just hope most of them survived!
I loved watching this video! Pam, your reaction to seeing the horse conch was adorable!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Pam, It’s 31 degrees in Knoxville, TN and I needed to do some cybershelling this morning! Thanks for letting me beachcomb with you! Hope to see you in the fall!
I enjoyed “walking the beach” with you this morning on a rainy Tucson day. The seastars and urchins were amazing. Anticipating when that horse conch was going to roll in was fun. However, the expression on your face and joy expressed were the highlight.
Don’t you just love it when the shells start rolling right in front of you. The peach/orange color is beautiful, not going to need much cleaning.
Love the video! Didn’t seem like 6 minutes. It was great with the surf in the background and your narration. Last night there was a young boy stomping on the sea urchins. I mentioned that some of them were still alive and he stopped. The father asked how you could tell. So I explained the difference. Found some nice medium and small shells. Pat
Woooooo Hoooooo. I was as excited as you when that came rolling in. Wowza. Thanks for sharing your video.
You are the cutest! What a wondering find! I would have done the happy dance! Hope to shell with you in April or July!
I could watch that video over and over! Thanks so much!
Dear Pam,
I so appreciate your web site; the video on YouTube is great! Hoping to go on a shell cruise with you in May…
loved the video-only way I get to join you. BUT you left the fig and sea fan!
I haven’t had a good low tide in couple of years so I don’t get any pen shells. They are too far out, and hate to take live ones. As the “Ponga fisherman” continue to scrape the bottom of ocean we are getting fewer and fewer shells of any kind. So very sad. One day I’ll make it there and hope to meet you personally.
Janet-shelling in ChollaBay, Puerto Penasco, Mex.
Wow – LOVE the horsie….the shells have been so incredible – but all six horse conchs I saw were all alive. This last few days have been unbelievable, tho’ – somehow we always miss seeing you. Bob says – haven’t seen Pam in a while – and I said yes, only at Costco! Looks like you’re doing well. Guess I’ll see you at the shell show in March. Be sure and look for my Lion’s Paw pair entry in the scientific division – you won’t believe it – my son found the pair while diving off Pensacola Beach.
Watching that horsie roll in…. I felt so LUCKY, like a CYBER~SHELLIONAIRE :)
Thanks to you, I’d say we are all winners to witness the SHELL~LOTTO !!
Loved it when you said so joyfully, “YEE DOGGIES!!!”
Shellotte
I LOVE THIS!!!! I can’t believe it…..lol. Of course only you!!!!