I thought the 2 week old huge shell pile at Blind Pass would be completely picked over by now. I was so wrong! The minute I walked on the beach, I saw Mike find this awesome SHARK’S EYE…
His mom Holly found some FLAT SCALLOPS!
This whole Illinois family was there to bask in the shell glory. From left to right is Suzanne, Matthew, Holly, Mike and Isaac…
I was so curious to look in their shell bags so I figured you would like it too…
We met another very happy sheller from Illinois and her name happens to be Suzanne too. It’s a small world on a shell pile.
Yep, I got a photo of her shell bag too! She found TURBANS, a NUTMEG and The Sanibel Six
Every aqua wave brought in another treasure.
I ran over to the Sanibel side of Blind Pass to see a family scouring the sand bar in search of goodies. They found a few FIGHTING CONCHS and bits and pieces of larger shells but the shore line is lined with KITTENS PAWS, AUGERS, CERITHS and more.
As you can see, the shelling is fabulous at Blind Pass for the weekend but I have a fun reminder. This might be the weekend that CBS Sunday Morning might air the segment by correspondent Bill Geist as he visited Sanibel for the 75th Sanibel Shell Fair and Show. So set your Tivos or DVRs to CBS from 9am to 10:30. You just might see Leroy or me or some of your other favorite shellers and of course Sanibel! I’m keeping my fingers crossed it’s on!
UPDATE: I just received an official email today… “We just heard that the shell story has been pushed back from its original March 18th air date. The CBS producer is hoping the segment will air in early April. She promises to give us a heads up once a date is confirmed …….”
Well darn. I’ll keep you posted as well when I hear something else.
Pam, I recently received information that the Sunday morning feature of the 75th Sanibel Shell Fair and Show will not air until sometime in April. However, I wouild still recommend recording the show this Sunday, since the information I received could be wrong.
Thanks MK! Your info was correct too. Dang it! Oh well, waiting a couple of weeks more won’t hurt too badly. ;)
Great post Pam! I love it when there are tons of photos! I purposely make myself go photo and information one by one! It’s so tempting to just fly through and see all the photos and then go back up and work down…. OK let’s be honest, sometimes I have to do that… but normally I savor each post!
Wow…the water and shelling looks awesome!!!!! We cannot wait until we return to Sanibel on May 5th for two weeks…maybe more. We stayed for four weeks the last time in September/October 2011 and our daughter and husband and two grand kids joined us for Columbus day and had a great time picking up shells.
We hope to see you on the beach! We need more seashells to make our jewelry!
http://www.no2arealike.com
Kathie & John
Southlake, Texas
So fine…bet you liked the good wormie…I check your site every day. Keeps me happy when I cannot be there. My Sis says however, she can’t look…hurts too much. Thank you and keep me smiling every day.
Hey Pam. As you probably noticed, that shark’s eye is the “other” species, the high-spired more southerly one that has a much more restricted range, Neverita delessertiana, rather than the low-spired regular shark’s eye which occurs from Massachusetts south, Neverita duplicata. Cool.
Yes! That’s the first thing Clark and I talked about when I showed him the picture. Cool! I’ll do a comparison in a future post.
Hello…I follow your website religiously and am planning to come to the Sanibel/Captiva area in a couple of weeks to go shelling for a few days.(One of the things on my “Bucket List”) Where are some of the best places to go shelling in the area and when are the best times of day to go? I have read online that there are some areas that are only accessible to residents.Are there any maps particular to shelling available that I can purchase when I arrive? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Sandee
Hi Sandee,
I hope this helps… I have made a map of Sanibel with the location of parking areas and the restriction. Click on the first interactive map to enlarge, then you can click on the other 2 images to print out to bring with you. Here’s the link… http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/parking/
Since the shelling changes by the day, I have a guide to finding the best shelling experience here- http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/best-seashell-shelling-tips/
Always remember it’s a treasure hunt and if you don’t since the beach littered with larger shells, then make sure you look closely at the shells in the wash lines- there are usually gorgeous little mini shells that most people walk right over. Those are special too (and a little easier to take home with your for a wonderful souvenir)!
If I know of any new piles of shells, I’ll either announce it here with a blog post or on FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/iLoveShelling.
Good luck Sandee!
Pam, thank you so much for the helpful information, tips and map! I can hardly wait to begin my quest. I will keep my eyes wide open as usual for news and info on your site. I’m SOOO excited, so wish me beginners luck and happy shelling to you and all of your followers. HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY
Susan, thanks for your comments about the Shark’s eye. Many shell collectors on Sanibel do not realize that there actually are two different species that are commonly called Shark eyes. Although both shells are found on Sanibel Island, the Neverita delessertiana, http://shellmuseum.org/shells/shelldetails.cfm?id=39 is more common, in my experience, than the Neverita duplicata, http://shellmuseum.org/shells/shelldetails.cfm?id=40 . Frankly, it has taken me a long time to figure out how to differentiate between them, since they are so similar.
Thanks for the beautiful pictures! I’m in Iowa and I don’t think I’ll get down there this year so these photos help relieve the tension up here!!! Happy shelling and Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and your family!
Terri
The water color is absolutely gorgeous. We’ve had fun zooming in on the pictures of the shell pile and mesh bags for a little “long distance” shelling! Pam, your wonderful pictures are always the next best thing to being there!
WOW…I love Sanibel so much yet to see that shell pile..well I’ve only seen that many shells like that 3 maybe 4 times & it just makes you feel like you are in heaven. The photo’s came out so clear and beautiful as always too.
My family had a wonderful time shelling and enjoyed our finds. Meeting you added to the fun of the day. I have beening checking I love Shelling for two years but never expected to be a part of it. Thanks for posting the pictures.