Wonders never cease to amaze me — wonders of the beach, that is. Florida seashell hunters are a unique flock. Even seagulls watch them with intrigue. Hunters with heads down, eyes gazing the sand, walking slow as a turtle. They’ll stop from time to time when they spot something to inspect. Sometimes it’s a keeper, most of the time it’s not. Dedicated seashell hunters are kind of picky, looking at a potential gem with intensity, as if they’re using a jeweler’s loupe.
It’s not my thing, but I’m a people-watcher, and it’s my wife’s obsession, so I go along. I must say, she’s rather good at it. So good, I got her a seashell bag to hold what she finds instead of her putting them in my hands to hold. I love my new hands-free beach life. Oh, and her name’s Susie, as in THAT famous seashell tongue twister. No, she doesn’t sell them. Just collects. (On display in almost every nook and cranny of our house). Though during our last beach visit we came upon a woman who finds shells, turns them into jewelry — trinkets, really — and sells them in her store. She handed us her business card, as any seashell entrepreneur would do.
Some other discoveries are just as exciting, so I’m told. Like sand dollars, intact, with their skeletons bleached white from the sun. A find like that amongst a group of “shellers” is sure to elicit a “Way to go!” or a “Nice find!” Maybe even a thumbs up. Seems this activity is also gender specific, as in female, at least in my observation. Some good advice, gentlemen? Go along and watch. Just don’t be left holding the bag, the seashell bag. Oh, the wonder of it all!
Bagged Shells Video
Personal Collection
Florida Seashell Hot Spots
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel Island is the only accredited museum in the United States devoted solely to shells and mollusks.
