Most shellers could only dream of finding such a large perfectly toned LIGHTNING WHELK like this. But Clairissa from L.A. found TWO of them at Blind Pass Captiva! Boom Shellalaka!
I was absolutely thrilled for her and thrilled to find that there was a gorgeous shell pile that formed in the last 24 hours oN the beach by the jetty rocks. Shellalujah!
I saw her combing the water back and forth….back and forth. I asked her mom Nannette if she was finding anything out there and she said “Oh yeah…. Lots”.
As I looked in their bucket, they told me that the best ones were the big WHELKS they found in the rain storm late yesterday afternoon before the shell pile formed. Ooooo- I had to see them! Fortunately she still had them in her car. Yowza! Clairissa said she found them after hours of being out in the water in the rain. Persistence. Â She told me she actually found several of those large WHELKS ( i think she said 4) Â but gave 2 away to kids that were on the beach since she saved the 2 best ones for herself. She’s an amazing sheller and a saint. Congratshellations on your beautiful finds!
There were lots of other people finding shells too… including me.
My friend Susan sat right down in that big shell pile and started sifting…
Sitting in the one spot, she found 2 GAUDY NATICAS (COLORFUL MOON), CONCHS, WHELKS, OLIVES, MUREXES, SCALLOPS and one sweet HORSIE…
I’ve got lots more photos and a video too but had to get the news out…. shell pile at Blind Pass! We’ve had nice west winds for a few days with this rain storm and its supposed to continue for another day. Fingers crossed we have another few days of seashell heaven!
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OMG I’ve never seen such huge whelks! Are you sure she didn’t steal them from the Shell Museum?
What a lovely pair. LOL
Awesome!! Counting down to October 5th!!!
Thanks for the info about the shell pile. May have to head there tomorrow! Gorgeous whelks, BTW!! :-)
Amazing!! I am in utter awe and total jealousy with those incredible finds! I’ve said it before, but my luck is that someone would be home in them or they would be partially broken. Wow! My idea of finding gold!
OMG, are those big whelks for realz?!!!
So perfect! I’m jealous of it all. Your shelling opportunities make the sparse beachcombing selection up here in Connecticut so shameful. Wah wah wahhhh…
Wow…those are awesome.
Congrats Clairissa!!!! So excited for your amazing finds!! BEAUTIFUL!!
Such amazing finds! Way to go!
Those are awesome!!! I would so love to have just one like that in my collection! Wonderful find!
Those are so beautiful– I’m trying really hard not to have major shell envy!!
Amazing! I have got to get out and smell the salt air. Great finds! Pam, thanks for the inspiration!
Pam, what is the zig zaggy shell in your photo touching your pinky? I found a piece of one like that in June. Thank you for the wonderful posts. They are my zen here in Pittsburgh.
Wow! I was lucky enough to find one this past summer but not as beautiful as those two.
Holy Cow! I mean, Holy Shells, Batman! Those are some nice Whelks! Really wonderful that she could persist and find such loveliness. Someday, hopefully, I will find one like that, but she found 4! Congrats and HAPPY SHELLING everyone out there on that pile!
Usually only hit Blind Pass once when we are down in December….think we have been missing the good ones! I know, Pam, they change every day, so we’ll keep reading your blog and following your good advice! Hugs…
Hi Pam – my husband had an interesting question – what eats Lightening Whelks? I’ll try Google but maybe you know. I found one that size at Lighthouse Beach once but it was still alive so I put it back.
Other carnivore mollusks eats lightning whelks. I’ve seen horse conchs, kings crowns, other lightning whelks eat each other.
Congrats Clarissa those are Amazing! The topper is just beautiful . Good job!!
Keep shelling everyone
Mary Ann
East Granby. CT
All I can say is “Wow, what a luckly gal”
Such beautiful whelks!
Was she snorkeling or just walking in the water? I would be so thrilled with 1, but 4…She is so blessed!
Pam, thank you so much for posting such beautiful pictures. Hope you and Clark are doing well.
Nancy
Shellabaloo 3
Hi Nancy! First of all… so cute you referred yourself to Shellabaloo 3!!!! I get so confused sometimes with so many similar names so the reminder is fantastic! I smiled from ear to ear when I saw that it was you!
Clairissa didnt have a snorkel on but she went under a lot when she felt something. there was another guy out there with a snorkel on but since the water was still a little rough the visibility was so great. I have a video that will show you what the water and everything looked like… I’ll hopefully get that up with a few more pics of other finds in a few hours. Hope you are doing well, my friend.
Clairissa certainly has the talent. I worry about stepping on live shells, there were so many live sand dollars and urchins in the water at Cayo Costa that walking would surely kill some.
I have shell-envy, maybe someone could start a support group for those of us afflicted :-)
Hugs.
Wow sums it up, was there for two weeks earlier in sept and shelling was not good, obviously I left a week too soon.
Those whelks are amazing Clarissa, congratulations. Glad to hear the shell pile is back, hopefully there will be more wonderful finds this week.
The whelks are so clean! Incredible. How nice of Clarissa to share two of them.
Another windy day today so have fun y’all! Would love to hear if any more of those big whelks are found.
Gorgeous finds!
We shelled Blind Pass Captiva last weekend (Saturday morning at low tide) and, sadly, there was no shell pile so I spent my time snorkeling to shell. Found some beauties but nothing like hers!
OMG!! Unreal! What beautiful whelks! That is definitely my dream of getting the big one! Even more than a junonia! Amazing & so jealous! Congrats! Sherri from MN
I am so there!!! See you there this week. I cannot wait!!! I would like to find some shellreally fabulous shells like they did!!! Kuddos to them!!! Boo from Texas
Congrats Clarissa on finding those great whelks. They look perfect.
Wishing I was there.
Been shelling on Danibel for years!! Have never found whelks that large that were’nt alive. Great find. Did find a dead seahorse on our last visit.