Shellzam! It’s astounding to me that in one long weekend visiting Guantanamo Bay Cuba, Clark and I collected oodles of stunning sea shells, containers of colorful SEAGLASS, gobs of gorgeous SEA URCHINS and buckets of bountiful BEACH BLING. These are the shells Clark and I found in just one day…
Guantanamo Bay (aka GTMO or Gitmo) is a 45 square mile U.S. Naval Base on the island of Cuba surrounded by picturesque Caribbean waters, rock, sand and CORAL… perfect for our favorite sport of shelling.
How did we get to go there you ask? Because of this handsome, super fun couple.. our friends Lee and Susan.
Since Lee and Susan work at the base and have lived there for almost 4 years, they were our sponsors for our trip when Clark and I were able to visit last year (CLICK HERE) and again to visit this past weekend. Good grief, how did we get so lucky?!
We feel so very fortunate to have been able to be there but much less shell so many beaches in such a short time.
We collected sooooo many amazing treasures!
It was a whirlwind shelling adventure as we combed the beaches through rock and CORAL…
To find sweet mini shells…
We climbed up and down stairs on the cliffs…
… to find SEA GLASS and more shells.
We snorkeled the bay …
… to see fish and find more awesome shells.
We went boating…
… to find SEA HEARTS, BEACH BLING and absolutely more shells.
We climbed up and down boulders and cliffs…
… to find gems and you guessed it- more shells.
We boated to more beaches…
… to find more treasure and Voila! even more shells.
We combed through scrub brush…
…to find old Cuban bottles and yup, more shells.
Even when we had to take refuge in the shade for a few minutes…
We found a cool breeze, a place to refuel and of course, more shells.
But that’s not all! Okay, so you’re not gonna believe this…. While we were there… Clark, me, Susan and Lee were written up in their local newspaper the Guantanamo Bay Gazette!
We were interviewed by Public Affairs Officer, Kelly Wirfel about how the shelling stacks up on Guantanamo Bay (no pun intended- heehee) against some of the other places in the world we’ve traveled while collecting shells. It was soooo muuuuch fuuuun to talk to her!! Omigosh, thank you, Kelly for writing such an amazing article in such little time.
You can read the article too! Just CLICK HERE or click on the article. Cool!
After each adventurous day in Gtmo, we cleaned, sorted and researched and we are still cleaning, sorting, researching at home. I could look, pick and photograph these shells for days and not get tired of it but it sure was super fun at the end of each day when we all got together at their picnic table to clean and sort…. I love a good Shell N Tell!
We can’t thank you enough Lee and Susan for an unbelievable adventure on this special island “The Pearl of the Antilles”!
And I am very thankful to Susan for taking photos and sharing her excellent photos with us throughout the weekend so I could share them with you too (photos 5, 12, 18, 25, 28). She’s as much of a shutterbug as I am- i love it!
I will be sharing more close-ups of the absolutely stunning shells we found as well as some of the very cool Bling (geez… the SEAGLASS! You won’t believe it) so our story will be continued soon. But just so you know, all of the shells and the ones I will identify on my next post are shells you can find in some of the other Caribbean islands. So don’t worry! Gtmo is not the only place you can find these amazing treasures. Here is a map of where Gtmo is on the island of Cuba and also in relation to some of the other islands. See how close Turks and Caicos is to Gtmo? We found so many of the same shells on our trips to North Caicos, Middle Caicos and also Cat Island and Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas so now you see why.
To be continued so don’t miss Part Two of Our Adventure in Gtmo!
wow, wow, wow! that’s all i could come up with! :-)
So jealous, wish we could go.
Ditto
Oh my gosh, you and Clark hit the lottery there! What an amazing adventure …
I suspect you are experts now bringing all these treasures home safely! I am off to read the article in the Gitmo Gazette! Thanks, Pam and Clark!
Really great biodiversity on those beaches. I guess not only is there not much competition with other shellers, but I guess that part of Cuba is very clean and unpolluted, with a lot of excellent marine habitat of different kinds.
The only collecting I have seen richer than this in the Leeward Islands is after storms or hurricanes, when shells wash up by the truckload. But it seems as if Guantanamo Bay is pretty rich all of the time.
We do have lots of great marine habitat in Gtmo and enjoy easy access to great diving and fishing (deep ocean in close proximity to the Bay).
You mention storms – we had lots of shells after Hurricane Sandy, many of which we have not found before or since.
Though all residents take good care of the base and the natural resources, there are some beaches which do accumulate trash much of which comes from other Caribbean islands or even passing ships.
I love a good, vicarious, memorable beach birthday thrill! It’s also fun to see all the beach glass you found. What good scavengers you are!
Great article and photos Pam. It’s cool to see how the friendship came about and blessed you. You guys had to be worn out. Anyway, congrats on the unique opportunity.
Skip
Oh my! Gorgeous photos, lovely write-up! Can’t wait to see more!
Do you have any trouble passing through customs with the shells?
No problem through customs!
Wonderful post, Pamela! I’m so glad you had another amazing visit to Cuba! Give Clark a birthday hug from me! Miss you guys.
The urchins are stunning and I absolutely love the seaglass!
Sounds like heaven…. you are blessed……
Oh wow awsome
Thank you for the explanation , this is what you meant you were going back soon, when I had ask you a couple of weeks ago about your trip. To Cuba
You are ao very Lucky bei g able to go there and find all the shells
You very much deserve it , you are such a very sweet Lady
I am so glad and feel very Lucky I got to meet you and got to go on your shelling trip
What another great trip! So envious of your shelltastic vacations that we have planned our very own family trip to North Caicos…we have spent the past 6 years doing a spring trip to Eleuthera in the Bahamas but your trip recap made us decide to take our 20th anniversary trip as a family and head to TCI. Can’t wait! Thank you, again, for all your fantastic shell information and encouragement!
Amazing shells! How wonderful to be able to go there! Sherri from MN
Amazing! The different shells are so interesting. Especially the mini’s.
Thanks for sharing :-)
What a great birthday trip for Clark-and you get to go along and enjoy it too. The shells you found are awesome, even the minis. Now you have the fun of cleaning and sorting. The sea urchins are so pretty and fragile. You’ll need a vacation from your vacation! Hope Clark had a happy birthday. Enjoy the shells. Pat
I am always in such awe when I see what you bring back from Gitmo. What a wonderful experience for you. Love, love, love the photos you’re sharing. Sigh……., one day!
You and Clark have been very blessed to have had this amazing experience. I am an avid shell collector but since the shelling has dwindled at the Jersey Shore, I now also look for sea glass. Finding a cobalt Blue piece is so rare and I am envious that you found so many.
I go on retreat In November to Long Branch NJ each year and and at that time of year the beach gives me many gifts. My retreat is in Long Branch NJ that was hit very hard by the “Sandy ” storm and now the beach is not replenished. However, one year on retreat I went on the beach during a free time after conferences. I “talked ” to God during my whole beach walk praising Him and just asking for my eyes to be open. I found more than 100 pieces of glass, some of them cobalt blue and most were turquoise. As I was praying all the time I was searching, I felt very blessed and that my prayers were being heard! That was the most amazing and spiritual experience I have had so far in my 72 years of life.
I guess my point is that, if you meditate while you walk the beach, you will be rewarded with some gifts from the Sea if you are open to them, especially “bling”!
how lucky you two are but then with everything you two do for everyone else you very much deserve it cant wait for January then I can meet my heroes you and clark see you then R.G.STEIN
You two really know how to Party! Fiesta! Fandango! Shellabrate! Happy birthday to Clark.
Lee and Susan, I’m sorry that I didn’t get to really meet you during Shellabaloo; I was the lady in the cowboy hat who could not stand to be in-doors when there was sun on the beach and negative low tide (and no computer in sight)! Your assignment is certainly more congenial than my 4 years at Minot AFB in ND — no seashells there!
Pam, you’re right about finding many of those shells on other islands, so everyone should be encouraged. Some of my beauties came from Jamaica, St Thomas, St Croix, Providence, Eleuthera, Barbados…, and I was best able to identify them using my gorgeous Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells. Pam, one of the “sweet mini shells…” looks like it might be one that I have not been able to id; the 3 that I found are clearly tulip-shaped, but are pale blush-colored and have no markings at all. If that’s what you have, I would really like to know what it is.
Wow you are so lucky to have gone to GITMO – the shells are beautiful and i love the Sea Glass – looking for Sea Glass is on of my favorites things to do besides shelling. Glad you got to you again
Wow! those sea urchins and sea glass … wish were there! continue to enjoy!
Hey Gorgeous!
Any interesting terrestrials this trip to go along with the beautiful bevy of marine species? What a fantastic trip and kudos to Lee and Susan.
Oh guys, how Lucky you are!! WOW
WOWWEeeeeeee!! WooooHooooooo
X one million!!
Please please keep sharing
Mary Ann
East Granby
Will Susan and Leee be my friends, too??? Please!
I agree with Victoria!L. I’ll cook and clean too!! :)
You lucky ducks!! Beautiful shells! Love the seaglass! Y’all always take such fabulous trips!
Nice variety of shells. Thanks for sharing. Glad you had the opportunity to collect there.
Pam,
How wonderful! I enjoyed your blog and looking at all of the photos. Such wonderful finds!!
Sue
pam, here and in many of your posts you talk about cleaning your shelling finds at the end of each day. How do you do this? I searched and found the entries on cleaning horse conchs and sand dollars, but can’t find anything on general shell-cleaning.
Thanks!
I’m SO appreciative of your website and all of the beautiful posts and photos you share with all of us. That being said……I’m SO jealous!!! But in a good way, not a bad way. ;) Thank you for sharing! :)
Love all your posts. Found you about a year ago and wanting to visit Sanibel for a very long time. Happy to say we’ll be visiting your area in Sept. for our anniversary. Can’t wait to get there and hope to meet you on the beach!
WOW!! What a great place to shellebrate a Birthday! Love all the shells and bling you found. It sounds like you had another awesome visit there. It is great to see and hear about a place that most of us can’t get to :-).
Thanks for identifying. I did not know the ID of some of the shells I have found in Turks and Caicos – now I do!
Looking forward to seeing you again on the August cruise :-).
This looks like heaven to me! I buy all my shells & I make them even more gorgeous with glitter & stones…big-time hobby of mine! I just cant believe my eyes seeing them all for free. Good luck in all your ventures!
Hello Pam, can you help me? Please help me or anyone..
I want to go shelling at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and I know nothing on how to get there. What airplane did you use? Anyone help me please, it is in my bucket list.. I’m not very well….and thats why I really want to go there please..
And what beaches did you go for shelling?
Hope you see this comment Pam, I really want to go there please..
Alex