As the tide was rushing out of Sanibel’s Blind Pass channel, there were little pockets of semi-buried shells in the sand along the shoreline covered by only 3 inches of water. That’s where the treasures were last night just before sunset. My fave of the evening was that beautiful baby BITTERSWEET in the ARK ing the photo above. Love it!
Karen and Mark (New Jersey) discovered some of those shell pockets too.
They were happy to find some empty shell treasures of their own.
We all had to be very careful to look inside each shell to make sure there wasn’t a critter living inside of the shell like this teenie tiny HERMIT CRAB I quickly put back in the water after I snapped a photo…
This was an even more exciting find… a nice size live healthy LIGHTNING WHELK that I put back in the water exactly how I found it.
The GULF OF MEXICO is alive with beautiful sea creatures living close to shore like these MOLLUSKS, CRABS and this cutie SEA STAR too…
And to top it all off there was a shellsational sunset to end a great day.
Thank you for sharing a beautiful evening on Sanibel! Can’t wait to come visit in August :)
We were at Bowman Beach last week and found lots of whole scallops, with residents inside, that were being washed up onto the shore.
Apparently they weren’t too happy about being out of the water–they were snapping their shells together–looked like they were talking! I threw as many as I could back into the water. It was just something that I’d never seen before! Going to take a video next time!
Wow, how beautiful Pam! Thanks!
Love the sunsets at Sanibel. I love the bittersweets too. I didn’t get to the captiva side of blind past earlier this year. That’s were I usually find the bittersweets. I did find some of the comb bittersweets esp. at Cayo Costa. Hope everyone has a memorable weekend of shelling. Pat
Pam, was this on Sanibel side of the pass? There wasn’t much on Captiva side
Yes- on the Sanibel side
We found a large empty horse conch the night before we left. :-)
So nice meeting you Pam…what a beautiful sunset that night!!
Karen & Mark
Pam I just cannot thank you enough for sharing your wonderful experiences on Sanibel. I love it there & it is one of my favorite places to go. I am up North right now for the summer and miss it terribly. By you sharing, I feel like I am still connected to such a beautiful place. I love hearing about your discoveries and those of others you meet. The Shellsational Sunset shots with piles of shells really gives me goose bumps. I look forward to meeting you when I return in October. Thanks again and keep up the good work !!!! Pam
I want to shell at Blindpass sometime this week and also see the sunset at Captiva. We are staying at The Hurricane House. The problem I am having is being bitten over and over by noseeums. This is seriously impeding my shelling! Any advice? They seem to be worse at sunset.
We went out earlier last Tuesday evening during an extremely low tide. There were literally hundreds of beautiful live olives making trails on the sandbar. It was a thrilling site!
Yes, if there is no stiff breeze to keep them away, the noseeums are out & about and hungry just during the two hours surrounding sunset and sunrise. I don’t think they are out at all at any other times though.
It is hard to avoid being bitten around sunset and sunrise, but you can try to protect yourself by wearing thin long pants and long-sleeved shirt, a cap and water shoes, and then use a good quality insect repellent on your face, neck, hands and ankles.
wow good night for shelling thanks pam and clark r.g.stein
Hi Pam,
I just returned home from a 10 day vacation on beautiful Sanibel Island. I am still amazed at the fantastic sights nature has to offer. While sitting on the screened in porch of the condo we were staying in a Bobcat came strolling by ….stopped for a couple of minutes ….they continued on its way. It was only 10 ft away from me…. I was so shocked I just sat there like a statue. Wish I would have had my camera. Thank you so much for the regular updates on Sanibel Island. I check your website daily as it always brings a smile to my face.
Sandy Miller from Michigan
Pam: After 20 years at our house in Cholla Bay,Puerto Penasco, Mexico we are having to sell due to
health reasons. I have shared our life and shelling with you and so enjoyed your pictures. Unfortunately the “Ponga” fishermen have really stripped the bays clean and there is almost nothing left to shell. SO NOW I REALLY DO RELY ON YOU TO SEND ME BEAUTIFUL PICTURES. Sanibel is still in my bucket list. Maybe one day.
Good luck, to you Janet. I’ll keep posting our shelling adventures here- so no worries.