The shells at Blind Pass have shifted from the Sanibel side to a huge beautiful pile on the Captiva side because of a few days of northwest winds earlier in the week.
It was like old times watching the shells roll up in the surf only to quickly fall back in the Gulf playing catch me if you can. I thought I caught “the big guy” when I saw the tip of this JUNONIA right on top of the pile. Dang! The whole back end was gone. Oh well, he’s still pretty.
I did find a prize when I met Candy and her sister-in-law Angela. I am soooo tickled they are in their iLoveShelling tank tops! Awww- so cute. Thanks you guys!
Talking about cuties… Jordyn and her mom Lisa were enjoying sifting through the big shell pile too.
They had started filling up their shell bag with the SANIBEL SIX. They got the hardest one to find… the CONE but still needed the TULIP (I think the WORMIE makes up for the TULIP!).
Then Jordyn held out a shell that they said they couldn’t identify. I looked at the shell and had to laugh. No! I didn’t laugh at them… I laughed because Tricia Gorman had just posted (2 days ago) on iLoveShelling Facebook page a “mystery shell” she found at the Sanibel lighthouse. It was the same shell. It’s a land snail but for some reason the name of it always escapes me.
So since I can never remember the name of it, Holly Giehler identified it as a ROSY WOLF SNAIL. Yes, that’s it! Holly, you have got an eye! Remember her? She was the first one to guess where our Thailand CONES were found too. So thanks to Tricia, Holly, and Jordyn I don’t think I’ll ever forget the name of this land snail that sometimes washes up from the Gulf Of Mexico on our beaches. It’s a ROSY WOLF SNAIL (Note to self: remember this!).
Although we had more lines of SEAWEED than usual washing in with the waves and shells, the Gulf was a brilliant blue with shades of aqua and green highlighted with creamy white caps coming in from the north. I captured just a few seconds of this on video. Enjoy the wind, water, waves… and shells! (oh, and please ignore that big splash on my lens. geez. I got a little too close!)
FYI- Dredging will start at Blind Pass beginning next week and run through August to open up the pass. When they start pumping the sand on to Bowman’s Beach… there could be shells, people! Click HERE for details.
FYI #2- More Thailand pics coming soon. (but don’t worry! I’ll keep you posted on Southwest Florida beaches too)
Love the video !! i just want to bend over and pick one up !!
Aaw man…your life is so cool! For me to get to the beach, I have to wait till the weekends or possibly the holidays… :)
love the last pic.
Everything looks so pretty!! I love the first and last shots – amazing!! Looks like shelling is fun too.
Thank you for the video. I really needed to hear the ocean today. Please continue to keep us updated with the dredging. I’d love to see some pictures of the pass while they are working as well as the sand/shells being pumped onto the beach. Next March can’t come soon enough. I too love the last picture!!
Oh, the dredging project is exciting news! Can’t wait to see not only your posts/pics/videos of the ongoing project but also your “finds” from the piles of dumped debris. (she types whilst rubbing her hands together) What are monument markers? They said that’s where they will dump some of the dredged sand. One would be tempted to camp out since the work will happen 24/7!
Your vid of the water with the gorgeous colors is a balm to soothe my weary soul, Pam. Thank you! Toward the end it looked like you were zeroing in on a close shot, like you found/saw something wonderful…hmmmm? Miss you and the island.
I want to be there now! Usually i just pick a spot near the rocks, plop down and start gently digging my way to China. Find some real goodies that way. It amazes me how deep the shells go there, and I’m not just talking mini’s.
Pam, thank you for the nice mention when talking about another “Rosy Wolf Snail” find. :) I remember I was looking for help in Oct. 2011 in identifying the one I found in South Carolina and you and Murex Ken helped me with that. I love the pictures you posted and am curious to see what bounty the dredging will bring to all of you. I wish I was down there too and look forward to your posts.
We will be there in 9 more days!! I’m so excited I can’t stand it! This will be our first trip to Sanibel and we are staying for 2 weeks. I’m a little bummed though because the weather forecast is calling for storms the day of our arrival. Hopefully the storms will be short and will stir up beautiful shells!
The water looks soooo blue and clear!!! YAY!
Hi Pam,
We will be there in July. Since they are going to pump to Bowman’s Beach does that mean the shells will be covered up there or will more be rolling in. I am not sure how the pumping will work.
Thanks,
Tim
Honestly T, I’ve never done the shell dredging but I’ve always heard how killer it is. So I don’t know what to expect either with timing.
Great pix. The rosy wolf snail is very cool! I’ve not seen one of those before. We’re gonna be there for the dredging. Can’t wait. We missed the dredging a couple of years ago so we’re looking forward to this opportunity. Can’t wait to see everyone.
John & Kathie
I absolutely love your blog. I started following you in April when we were at Sanibel on vacation. My husband and I got married there on the beach four years ago & now come back every spring. We both adore the island and aspire to retire there ‘someday’. It is pouring dowm rain here in Ohio this morning so I especially enjoyed your video of the beach. It truely is my ray of sunshine for the day!
The sound of the shells jingling in the surf is the most calming, peaceful sound in the world. Thanks for the video!
I just love and adore your blog! It makes me anxious to get back over there (I’m on the east coast of the state, over here in Jupiter). We typically spend a week in Sanibel every summer, along with a few days every March, and while shelling is my absolute favorite thing to do on ANY beach, it’s even more special in Sanibel.
I’ve gotten many a shell in the Sanibel Six while there and only one in the Elite Three–a lion’s paw–but I actually got it over here at Jupiter beach last month! We don’t get near the number of shells as you guys over there do but it’s still fun to go out and browse the shore here. There’s just something special about scouring the clear waters, looking for treasures being brought in to the shallow water’s edge with each wave–at least, that’s how we roll over here on the east coast, LOL
Thanks for helping me live vicariously through you and other Sanibel visitors you highlight on your blog.
But still…I need my Sanibel fix!
We are back home now after nine incredible days on Sanibel. Love the video, it helps with the separation anxiety. We had the most placid calm seas during our entire stay, but still found the Sanibel Six and more. Found a beautiful alphabet cone, 4 Florida cones, a gorgeous worm shell, lots of beautifully colored rough scallops, a nutmeg, and some buttercups. For the past 21 years we have always stayed at the West Wind Inn and only shelled from there to Bowmans and have done well. This time, after reading your blog, we also shelled at Blind Pass (both sides) and wish we would have visited Lighthouse beach to look for some tiny Wentletraps. I guess we’ll try that next time! Thanks for making Sanibel accessible to us year round and for the shelling tips!