Be still my beating heart!! Seeing this awesome sight of a massive mound of shells sure does get the blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing.
Blind Pass Captiva was rocking yesterday afternoon with shells rolling in with every wave. I stood on top of the mound to see Barb from St Louis pick up a gorgeous orange FLAT SCALLOP.
Debbie from Cape Coral found her first part of a JUNONIA which is the perfect size to make into a necklace or other piece of jewelry.
I was thrilled to see that Sharon from Orlando found a very cool piece of bling…
… Two different TEXAS LONGHORNS! This is great BEACH BLING! If you missed my post about them in January, you should read this post … CLICK HERE.
Yesterday morning, I was at Gulfside City Park to find a wrack line of shells as far as I could see. Seeing a long string of shells like this along the shore gets my heart pumping too but once I start picking through them, it has a different effect on me… I relax and zone out everything else in the world. Love, love, love.
These are some of my gorgeous treasures…
On my last post when I showed you that crazy STARFISH eating the SEA URCHIN, I didn’t get a chance to show you some of the other cool things I found at Lighthouse Beach just after the storms came through.
I met Pam and Steve from Iowa as he was scooping up shells to bring to her to sort. It reminded me of that video of the Shellingmen Tribe I did last year. LOL
They were collecting DISK DOSINIAS, BANDED TULIPS and APPLE MUREXES.
They even found a perfect PURPLE SEA URCHIN.
I still have so many other cool things but they will have to wait but just so you know…. Most beaches along Southwest Florida today should till be very good shelling conditions. So if you are any where near a swfl beach, get going! Just try your luck at finding at least one sweet treasure.
Oh… and I added a button on the right side on this page about my camera. I constantly get asked what type of camera I use so I decided its time I just made a page about it. I’ve tried to get fancy and buy several really high end cameras with big zoom lenses but it never works out since I end up worrying about my camera instead of enjoying my time beach combing. So I stick with this one because I can capture a great photo or video while I am enjoying my time on the beach (FYI- its not waterproof though).
Thank you for all your posts and especially for the camera you use. Hope I get the one I ordered in time for our trip in May and your shelling excursion on the 22nd!
Pam…I have the waterproof lumix and it’s awesome!!! We went to Gulfside today, was probably great in the dark at low tide, lots of bling, but not rolling in like Blind Pass! I have never had luck there, can’t seem to time it right!!! :)
That’s the same camera I use and I love it! I feel it was quite reasonable priced and takes great pictures. I’ve had it for a couple of years now and always get some great shots while on Sanibel. Wish I could be there right now, photographing the shells I was finding! Hope they keep rolling in for those of you who are there.
Your treasures are gorgeous! You did a great job displaying them for the picture. What part of Lighthouse Beach do you shell at? I usually go by the pier but never seem to find the bigger shells.
I too, loved my Lumix, but one day it up and died. I bought something else to replace it and I’m sorry I did. I’m going back to a Lumix too.
Thank you for all your wonderful post. I’m hoping to come back again this nov and hope to get a chance to meet you. Have you been to any of the islands like st george or dog island
Have you ever found a giant eastern murex
That species does not live in the Sanibel-Captiva (southwestern) part of Florida.
The giant eastern murex lives from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to Cape Canaveral, Florida, and in the Gulf of Mexico from off Cedar Key, Florida, to off southern Texas.
Found my first four wentletraps and many other things there yesterday.
Hi Pam, shelling report from Honeymoon Island (my home sweet home)..I FOUND A JUNONIA!!!WOO HOO!! It is a bit worn but still exciting!
Kelly!!!! Congratshellations Sweetie!!!! I know Honeymoon Island is a special place for you so Im happy you found one there. Susan from St Pete and Stephanie from Bonita said they had shells now too. It’s a great week for everybody on the west coast of Florida. Woohoo!
Eeeeee! Can’t wait to get there! We arrive on Sunday!
I am so longing for a trip to Sanibel, Tennessee is pretty but I have Sanibel Sea Water in my veins.
Lovely, lovely!
Wow! Sanibel is where Mother Nature delivers!
Susan,
Yes, she sure does deliver !!
Now I know why local shellers named the 15,840′ across the SANIBEL CAUSEWAY…..
“The Highway to Heaven.”
Shellotte
Wow. I have never seen so many shells.
LOVE Remarkable Creatures! And of course you’ve read The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher? Word…:-)
Hi Pam, I was unable to get more data on your camera. It says click here but then says it is unavailable. What is the model number of your camera. May newest SONY just died so I am looking for a replacement.
Marilyn,
If you click on the picture of the camera itself, it automatically went to Amazon for me and shows it. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the tip. It worked. I ordered it from Costco today. I am usually a SONY girl but my HX200 broke the first time I used it on Sanibel, they fixed it and 13 months later is is broken again. Time for a change.
Thanks for mentioning Costco. I ordered online from them after seeing your post. Great price! I shopped around and found this to be the best deal.
OMG. My heart is beating out of my chest!!! I may even be salivating a little. In two weeks I’ll be among the avid shell seekers. Here’s hoping that a huge shell pile will be awaiting my arrival. I’ve got glass bottles and jars begging to be filled with treasures from the sea.
In Feb. I sent you a photo of what you said was a Texas Longhorn but it is all gray/white with no spots on it. That is what originally confused me. Is it just another variety of brytozoa?
Thanks for the camera info, Pam! Just placed an order to get the same one. We’ve been needing a new camera for quite some time and have been putting it off as we thought we’d need to spend a lot more for good quality. Will come just in time for our trip to Sanibel!
I was at Blind Pass on the 8th and that area was completely empty! Missed it by *that* much! If the man in the red Monterey Bay aquarium shirt who told me the best places to look based on the incoming storm is reading this, hi and thank you again for the huge cockle shell :)
Hello Pam! I use to do quite a bit of diving out of Panama City when I lived in Georgia and I was a bit fan of the Long Horns; the biological aspect of them is fascinating. I am currently working on a beautiful collection of 6 shadow boxes with interesting pieces we have collected through out all out diving trips. I have fossilized shark teeth from North Carolina, sand dollars from 5 different states (in the pacific, atlantic, and gulf coast), etc, etc, etc… Long story short: I cannot seem to find my long horns and I would really like to dedicate an entire shadow box to them. I’ve search for days online to trying to purchase them and the search has been futile. I am reaching out to you as a matter of last resort to ask if it would be possible to purchase a small handful of them (6 or 7 perhaps). I currently live in Washington and I am unsure then I would be able to make it to Florida again. Thank you for you consideration. Happy shelling!