Our Sanibel and Captiva beaches were pounded by 4 to 6 foot waves for three days because of high northwest winds from Hurricane Sandy so I assumed we would have lots of shells at Blind Pass Sunday morning at low tide. I was wrong… so I kept moving.
Gulf Side City Park showed promise!
It’s always a good sign to see PEN SHELLS! They get washed up first in a good storm so you know that there are better collectable shells on the way. I was lucky to see a SEA WHIP caught in this group of PEN SHELLS. I love these purple ones.
After walking east only 1/4 mile, we found a nice shell pile!
My first find… a beautiful dark WORMIE!
And a candy corn for Halloween. See it trying to hide?
Then I found a TULIP, WHELK and CONCH…
I saw Kim from Michigan find a gorgeous TRUE TULIP rolling in the surf.
Are you ready to go shelling? Okay, then… Let’s go CYBER SHELLING! Click on the next photo to enlarge this random photo I took of the shell pile. Notice how many beautiful SCALLOPS there are…
I think today will be even better but I’ll never know until I get there. As we all know, the beach changes every single day but I think Blind Pass will take another day to load up with shells so I’m headed back to one of Sanibel’s mid island beaches…. like Gulf Side City Park again.
Hurricane Sandy may be bringing us a few new shells to get excited about but we are very worried about all of you and our families that are up north bracing for Sandy and the “Super Storm” (as they are calling it). Please be safe!
There’s a shell pile west of West Wind Inn. Richard found lots of small lightning whelks, a nice alphabet and I found 2 medium empty horse conchs. Saw 3 that were alive and lots of live Fighting Florida Conchs.
Thanks for your concern Pam. Cannot wait for this storm to be over. :(
Thanks for the nice cybershelling Pam! It’s not bad at all here in NYC right now, just some strong wind gusts and heavy overcast with occasional rain. Currently places to the south of us like southern New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia are getting hammered. We are currently right on the edge of it all, but that could change by this evening.
Wow! There are some beautiful scallops there!!…I really am amazed at the bright pink ones!! I really love your cyber-shelling pics!…it is so much fun to “pick” through the shell pile! Makes me feel more connected to the beach. Thanks!
Hi Pam…my sister and I had a great time visiting with you this morning. Finally! Great shelling! The original picture you took of us was posted on your blog on June 15, 2011…we had thought it was in 2010. Happy Shelling!
Thanks for the pics Pam, I just cybershelled on my coffee break, yippee! We’re definitely shellous up here in NY, can’t wait to see more pics of what continues to roll in.
Awesome morning at Algiers Beach Gulf Side. There were at least four 12 – 14 inch tulips and whelks but they were “occupied” so I left them. One had a huge pink conch inside. Someone picked them up because they were gone when I walked back.
Ugggghhh, I just left on Saturday!!! I knew those shells were going to come in!!!
I am glad you are enjoying them. :) I’m going to lick my wounds and cyber shell.
xxoo
Pam, we watch your web site and posts daily. We are in Sanibel visiting from Colorado. We have always wanted to meet you. Today when we were looking at your post to see where we should be for the best shells, we saw my daughter, my sister and myself in the picture you had of city park beach!! We couldn’t believe you were there and we missed you!!!! Hopefully we will cross paths again!!!!
Thanks for all the great information and great pictures!!!!
Julie
Great morning on Sundial beach. Found lots of good sized lightning whelks. But the find of the day was a 10 inch horse conch. I was thrilled. Saw lots of large occupied shells but this big empty one was just sitting on the beach waiting for the ‘early bird’ which was ME. I was all by myself before sunrise having an early trick or treat. Still got a smile on by face. I’ll be posting a photo on your facebook site when I get back home. Also, we ate at Traditions tonight because I wanted to see where all the sistahs will be staying in January. Nice place.
Great job on the horse conch!!! I am so jealous – I told my brother while we were there that the horse conch was my dream shell. I was hoping he would stumble upon one in the deeper water since I never venture out too far. I love some lightning whelks too and only found a couple of small ones while we were there in early Oct. But so much fun…
Found another this morning about 7 inches. A thousand fighting conchs were lying on the beach flopping around. It was quite a sight.
Love dat wormie!!
I think we dodged the bullet. Haven’t been on the roads yet, so I don’t know if there are trees down that will prevent passage, but we have electricity, and nothing fell on the house. Yay, we didn’t get shellacked!
Hope all of your followers came out of it with little or no damage. Whew, mother nature as been awful testy of late.
I was so busy cybershelling in that photo that I forgot about my oatmeal cooking on the stove. Wish I could cyberclean that oatmeal pot!
I was so excited to actually meet you, Pam, on Algiers Beach! I took your advice from this site & found that new for me beach since I have always been a Blind Pass sheller & it was windy & bare….Now my less-shell-obsessed family & friends will have to hear new shelling tales from me! Thanks for the tips, too. Sooooo fun! Went back today & found a big shell pile by Casa Ybel & enjoyed the morning.
Here in Rocky Point, Mex are beaches are all wiped clean. We had a very big rain storm here few weeks ago and washed out roads, etc. BUT our beaches are now swept clean, nothing but dead clam shells (we clam a lot). So they must have all taken leave and headed to Sanibel. I’m so jealous!!!
Janet in AZ
That is shell heaven to me. We only find a shell every now and again. I wish you’d pack up a big box and send them to me!
Love your cyber shelling pics. I just stare and keep saying “one day soon I’ll be there”. Thanks. Keep posting them!