After the rain stopped and the warm sunshine filled our weekend, the Sanibel Lighthouse beach was very popular for watching wonderful wildlife like this huge live HORSE CONCH Bijou is showing us in the first photo (with fresh sunscreen protecting that sweet little face!). Bill from Michigan found a different one moments later…
Three young girls look like mermaids calling the dolphins to tell them secrets…
 Bruce from Eugene, Oregon was crouching in the sand filling up his University of Oregon cup with hundreds of shells…
Look at his collection of COQUINAS!
Allison from NC found everything from WENTLETRAPS to LEOPARD CRAB shells but wanted to find a pair of ANGEL WINGS to give to friend but couldn’t find them.  So instead, she was collecting COQUINAS since they were like colorful wings.
Not one minute after she told me about the ANGEL WINGS, I looked down to find a pair of tiny ANGEL WINGS practically at our feet. What are the chances! We placed the wings inside one of her double DOSINIAS to keep them in her bag for safe traveling until she got back to her room. Best Wishes Allison!
Shelling worlds tend to come together and when they do, Sue and Ken tend to be there. Ken was busy collecting the miniature shells as well…
He found lots of other shells but he showed me these WENTLETRAPS, a SHARP RIBBED DRILL and a GULF OYSTER DRILL. I realized I don’t have the GULF OYSTER DRILL on my SEASHELL IDENTIFICATION page! This week, I’m going to work on getting that up to date, my friends.
You may not think the beach looks pretty in the next photo because it looks a little “dirty” at the surf line… but to me, that looks like a gold mine! That’s where all of the mini shells are hiding.
 This is just a small assortment of what Clark found the beginning of the weekend. I haven’t had time to sort out our finds yet so I’ll try to get those posted soon too.
 Just in case you were worried about what happened to those large live HORSE CONCHS…. after I took a photo of Bijou’s HORSE CONCH, she immediately walked it out in the water as far as she could and gently placed it back in the GULF OF MEXICO (without her mom Deanna having to tell her).
And Bill did the same thing. From all of us, Thank you for being good stewards of the sea.
Oh, and…. Join us for our iLoveShelling shelling adventure to Cayo Costa Island next Saturday! Click on the next image for more info…
Bijou, thank you for taking care of the horse conch, you did a very good job! Everyone should do that just the way that you did it!! :)
Looked like a great day to be on the beach!! Wish I was there!!
The Easter gifts continue to come! :-) Think I might come to the beach come Monday.
Beautiful finds…It was a great weekend for mini-hunting.
The girls and I found many Wentletraps too.
We found a $20 bill too…we spent it at Dq..lol.
Hi, Pam!
I saw that you are selling your Seashell Identification Cards online now. When we were down in February, the first stop I made (before we even checked in!) was at MacIntosh Books to buy one of the cards. The next day I went on the Captiva Cruises Shelling Trip with you, so it got a good workout! The following day I was on the beach on West Gulf Dr, shelling like a maniac. I met a little girl (5 years old) with her parents. She showed me the shells she was collecting. We looked up some of them on the card, so she would know the names. (I could have just told her what they were, but she loved finding their pictures.) She looked through my shells, too, and I gave her some to add to her collection. She went back to shelling; after a while, she came over to ask me to come look at her shells. She had laid them out on her beach towel in a chart-like arrangement, like your card! I wish I had thought to take a picture. So of course, I gave her the Seashell ID Card to keep. :-) When I went out to replace it, I bought 2 this time, and always carried both of them with me, so I could give the other one away if I met someone who didn’t have one. I will always make sure I have an exta one, to welcome a new shell-lover into the “family” that you have created here. Thank you!
Such a sweet story, Gail ..and that you gave her your ID card! Thanks for sharing.
Pam, you have a lovely blog. Bijou was quite excited by her find and even happier to return it to the gulf. We look forward to returning to beautiful Sanibel Island.
Deanna
Bijou, you are such a smart and kind young lady! We are very impressed with your finding such a huuuuge horse conch, and even more that you gently returned it to the sea!!!
When will you be.in Sanibel Moira? We arrive onthe7th and are staying at the Island Inn. I hope we meet on the beach.
We arrive on the 4th and are staying at Oceans Reach! We just might meet on the beach!!!
Very cool of the little one to do the right thing with that big shell! <3 Can't wait to get on that airplane on Tuesday. Pam, see you on Saturday for a shelling adventure!!!! In the meantime I will be trolling lighthouse beach at low tide. Nice sunrise/low tide on Wed morning!
I’m finally here!
Went to BOWMAN’s today around 3:30 for an hour. I was so overwhelmed! Found lots of beautiful calico scallops, cockles, a gorgeous lion’s paw, jingles, olives, whelks, and fighting conch.
Met a lovely woman from michigan who gave me two lightening whelks as she is going home tomorrow.
My husband enjoyed shelling too. He wouldn’t share the sifter!
What beach should I try tomorrow? I can’t wait!!
Have a great time Terry, my fave beaches are lighthouse and blind pass on the captiva side….but you’ll enjoy it no matter where you go:) just a tip if you’ll permit me: i took an aleve pill every morning with my breakfast, because boy was I worn out after each day, but wanted to keep going full-tilt!! :) no, I don’t work for the aleve people, just found that it worked well for me.
yesindeeddy, I had the same experience this PM. lots of minis in the muck. I found a number of Wentletraps and a juvi pair of angle wings so fragile that I hope will make it home in one piece. I was looking at the shells I brought back yesterday, and to my horror found a live hermit crab in a murex. He seemed to be still full of bullets today so I quickly ran him back down to the beach. That’s when I found all my treasures today. I think mama nature said thank you.
I’ve noticed a lot of people being very respectful to anything they find live, and bring it back to the surf. It really is heartening. hats off to Bijou and Bill!
It was great to see another Oregonian and Duck fan out on the beach on Sanibel, Bruce from Eugene. Go Ducks!!! Maybe we’ll meet up one of these days on the beaches of Sanibel, or maybe even at the Mucky Duck-LOL! (Daina from Lake Oswego)
I love your blog and the videos! You have ignited a spark in me for shelling. I don’t live near the coast, unfortunately. I want to go to Sanibel but sadly as far south as I’m getting is probably Dog Island. Have you ever shelled around St Andrews, Dog Island, or Cape San Blas? We are going to be visiting this area next month and we’re looking for the best shelling spots. Thanks so much!
Love this post…. and a “clean” beach is a boring beach, who wants just sand??
Donna, thanks for the tip. I wish I had given my husband one yesterday, he fell asleep at 7 pm from bone weariness. I’m planning my day now.
Terrific post. Those beautiful mermaids are gorgeous!
Looks like a great beach day!
I loved this post!! I also LOVE to sort by color… What a fun idea for the jingles!! :)
My kids went to Montessori school, and their big “work” in the classroom was sorting. It is so therapeutic and fun…
TODAY IS OUR 63RD WEDDING ANNIVERSARY AND I WISH WE COULD BE THERE SHELLING WITH ALL OF YOU. BUT I LOOK AT ALL OF YOUR MINIATURE SHELLS AND COUQINAS, ANGEL WINGS AND THINK I’VE GOT ALL THOSE IN MY COLLECTION FROM ROCKY POINT. SO IN A WAY I AM THERE SHELLING WITH YOU. I WISH I COULD SEND YOU PICTURES OF SOME OF MY FINDS IN ORDER TO SHARE. SO ON THE 4/25 -3 TIDE I’LL BE OUT THERE SHELLING AND THINKING OF YOU ALL. I SO LOVE YOUR SITE, IT BRINGS ME JOY EACH DAY.
JANET IN AZ
I saw a post earlier by a Deanna, and I just wanted to clarify that we are not the same person. I adore this blog, and because of its fans and its founder, I’m sure it is a reliable source. That being said, I will launch into my questions! I hope you all don’t mind! I may be visiting Sanibel with my family this coming summer or fall. I wanted to know if the huge piles of shells I’ve seen so many pictures of are common– as in ‘almost every time we go to Blind Pass’ or ‘very rarely’. I’d also like to know the price range of the typical sanibel hotel. And my last question for now, are the cones, conches, and whelks common finds on the beach, or am I seeing the best of the crop? Thanks everyone!
Well, I like to show someone’s best finds… because they are of course more excited about showing them to share in the excitement. If you look back on my posts of Blind Pass or anywhere else, I think I give a good representation of what you can find… and no, you are not going to find a cone every time you go… but then it wouldnt be so exciting to find one if you did. About the hotel pricing…. we are such a seasonal place, there is no “typical” price because it depends on the time you want to come, if you want to be on the beach etc. The Island Inn is a great place to start to look for prices- they are “sheller friendly” and they a great support to iLoveShelling! oh and maybe add another initial or soemthing to your name so we will know you better?
Thank you so much for your answers!
Hi Pam (or anyone else that can help me) – We are wanting to shell at Blind Pass and are wondering if you can tell us where is a good public parking area? I have had both hips replaced & can’t walk a long distance. We arrived on Sanibel last evening and as usual, it’s still amazing! Love this island more than I could ever begin to put into words. <3 Thank you for the help! We hope to run into you while we are down here!!!
Diane, Welcome to Sanibel! To make things easier, I have listed all of the parking lots on this page… http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/parking/
Thank you so very much, Pam!