Holy Cowrie! We have had an exshellent adventure shelling the beaches of Cat Island in the out island of the Bahamas.
Clark and I along with our travel buddies Jane and John packed up our shorts, bathing suits and snorkel gear and headed for this very undeveloped, laid back gorgeous Caribbean island to see what kind of beach treasures we could find.
We found all sorts of spectacsheller shells and BEACH BLING!
We scoured just about very inch of this 48 mile long island by renting a jeep to take us through the rugged back road trails leading to every beach we could find. Although the rutty  roads were fierce, the vicious sand burrs were our worse enemy. We had to help each other “un-burr” ourselves each time we got back in the jeep. LOL
It was worth every bump, sticker and long trek to the northern shore on the Atlantic…
to find SEA GLASS…
NERITES, WEST INDIAN TOP SHELLS and ROCK SHELLS…
and shells like this WEST INDIAN CHANK and FLAME HELMET…
We even snorkeled to see beautiful fish and live creatures like this SEASTAR…
While finding a few “keeper” SEA BISCUITS in the calm Shanna’s Cove …
We canoed in the Fernadez Bay…
To find MILK CONCHS like this…
Every day we marveled at our loot…
And shellebrated for each other on “first finds”. This was the first time I’ve ever found WEST INDIAN CHANK SHELLS! Shellzam!
Once I get our shells unpacked and go through a few more photos, I will give you more details of this beautiful island, places to stay, the food we ate, the amazing people we met… and of course some identification of some of these awesome seashells we found.
Oh yeah, we also saw …. errrrr ….. SHARKS. But no worries, I’ll show you my crazy video of them very soon so you view it in the comfort and safety of your own home. Stay tuned for more of our shelling adventure to Cat Island Bahamas! Check out more info on our Cat Island trip CLICK HERE
Simply BEAUTIFUL!! Glad everyone had a successful, fun and safe trip!
Oh my! The se glass is so beautiful! My hubby bought me some of those milk conchs from Anguilla a while back. But they are very old and landed a nice home in my garden!
WOW! I live on the East Coast of FL. So close to those gorgeous shells but not close enough! Great shelling! Love the pictures!
OH WOW… it is amazing and so uncrowded. You look alone on that beach. I need to know more. :))
Wow! Those are some exshellant finds! Now I want to go too! But I’m too afraid of sharks….. :-(
You always can find the shell.
How exciting for you! Wonderful haul of shells.
I am going on a cruise to Grand Turks, St Maarten and San Juan. Does anyone know of good shelling beaches in Grand Turks and St Maarten? San Juan we’re doing inland stuff. Or know of contacts there that would take us around to the beaches.
Lois, we are going on a cruise with a stop at Grand Turk and wondered if you found any information on shelling there.
Thanks for any assistance-Mike
Congrats on your great finds! That plate of colorful bivalves is to-die-for, it looks like the trip of a lifetime! (I’m sooo jealous!)
I can’t wait to see your “crazy” shark video.
Pam,
Do you know how long it had been since anyone stepped on those same beaches looking for shells? The quantity and variety are unbelievable.
Great finds. Love the cowries.
Oh my gosh!!! My hubby just said he would take us there!! Gotta go now! Can’t wait to here how you got there, where you stayed, etc. It would be so cool to find a whole new collection of new varieties of shells!!
Yes please do tell!! How do we get there and where to stay? :)
Pam…your merry band of shellers want all the details…..you are a true travel ambassador!!
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing your treasures!
Pam, looks like yall found some nice shells. Congrats.
Really nice haul. Love those milk conchs. Of course I love all of the teeny tiny shells you found there! I bet you found some wonderful little tiny ones. I see some very cool land snail shells too. :)
WOW!!! Thank you for sharing!!
What are the white torpedo looking shells? They look like olives, but not! Cool!
You are probably asking about the Cerion, which is genus of land snail.
This looks like an awesome trip. I can’t wait to hear more about these shells.
Exshellent for sure! We are adding Cat Island for our Tour de Shell. A beautiful place and lots of great shells. Did Clark find any operculum from the West Indian top shells? I wish we got West Indian Chank Shells over this way…
Isn’t that the island Sidney Poitier is from?
Beautiful!
Omg Pam!! Give us more, more, more!!! I can’t get enough of your vacations. So if you have 30 more posts on the subject I will be only too happy
Lot read each one and drool over the gorgeous photos!! Lol
I am so jealous. Look at all that sea glass. And all those glorious shells. Oh my, oh my!!! Loving every minute of your vacation.
Thanks so much…. I don’t think I’ve said that in a while. I truly mean it. Thank you.
xo
Lovely!!
Pam…. If you had your choice to shell in Bahamas or the FL Keys, which would you pick?? I’m trying to decide on a Vaca, by myself. Unless you have another suggestion other than Sanibel.
Appreciate your time
Mary Ann
East Granby. CT
Mary Ann, the Florida Keys don’t have any beaches to comb to speak of- you would have to go out in a boat or to Bahia Honda. I have lots to post about Cat Island still. Let me get through more of my posts first, then you can see what there is to offer so you can make choices to suit you. Everybody does vacations very differently!
Thank you for sharing! I know where I want to go now! I suppose those of us left in the cold and snow will live vicariously through you! Keep the photos coming.
Incredible – I’m beginning to wonder why Sanibel is # 2 in the world!!!!
errr…SHARKS. This made me laugh out loud! Thanks! P.S.: Can’t wait for the update!
Pam,
You are so fortunate to visit the most amazing places. Thank you for bringing a glimpse of the world to those of us that may never make it there. Just beautiful.
(But I am anxious to hear and see about the sharks. Yeek!!) :)
did you enjoy when you found all of these shells?
Looks like you’re having a great time. Enjoy!!!!
Holy Cowrie is right!! WOW!! Those are beautiful!
Pam, thank you so much for the Bahamas cyber-shelling! I love the out islands of the Bahamas, haven’t been for a few years, always end up in Sanibel instead. ;)
Sounds like a wonderful vacation, full of your explorations and discoveries!!
We have been talking about going to the Bahamas, please share with us: where did you stay on Cat Island and how did you find your rental? Were you staying on the beach in a small cottage or a hotel complex? Any ideas that you may share are very welcome – we are trying to plan a trip for February! We will be staying in Sanibel and Captiva in January, hope to see you there!! THANK YOU, we love your Shelling adventures!!
Looks like such a great time! I need to go as well!! My favorite thing is collecting the sea glass – glad to know there is some over there. Thanks for sharing!!!
Wonderful finds!! Bahamas must be a wonderful place! I just found your blog and I MUST go through it now!!! :)
Hi Pam!! We are planning a trip to the Bahama’s sometime in late Sept or Oct. I’m wondering where you would recommend for us to go shelling in regards to the variety and amount of shells, accommodations, and overall cost as to one being more expensive than others! We know that you’re a great big shell book of knowledge so since you’ve traveled there several times and different island locations we would greatly appreciate any info and suggestions from you or anyone else that’s traveled there!!We are leaning towards Cat but still somewhat uncertain and those pics you posted are absolutely picture perfect!!
We really loved exploring cat island and the shells we found. Fernandez bay is beautiful! But then, I want to go explore other islands because every island we’ve been to in the Bahamas, we’ve found shells off the beaten path. Oh no! I don’t think I’ve helped but I do think u will find shells if u explore the beaches that aren’t groomed by the resorts. Good luck. And check out the categories on the left side of my blog under “World Shelling” you will see all of the places I’ve posted about.
If you ever plan another trip to Cat Island, look into coming to our beautiful house in Bennett’s Harbour! Hope to see you on the North Shore!
So beautiful! But went l why no you tube video of shelling on any of these amazing beach/island trips you go on?
i am planning a trip to cat island in june. 4 shell lovers have many questions about your trips & would love traveling & lodging ideas. we are all snorkelers. we will be flying out of ft. laud.
thank-you
I am leaving for Cat Island in April and saw that you were the most recent post. I would love any shelling tips you might habe to share. We rented a small house on the windward side and plan on making it to every beach we can! I would also love any food recommendations also! Thank you so much.
It has been two years since our amazing trip to Cat Island. We stayed 5 days at Rollezz Resort. We were able to rent an SUV & go from one end of the island to the other. We shelled every beach possible. My daughter & 2 of my friends all came home with great treasures & memories. We spent time sight seeing also.
We got the idea for this trip from Pam.
Patty
Coral Springs, Fl.
Awww Patty, thats so wonderful to hear that you enjoyed your trip- as you know, we loved Cat Island too and it makes me smile every time I think about it. So thank you so much for your comment! Its so nice of you to think about writing – especially after its been a while. You made my day!