Sanibel Island

We spent the day on Sanibel Island visiting with new friends, Ed and Tricia, who are seasonal residents there. There is an exotic bird exhibit in their resort but there was no show the day we were there.  Luckily we drove to the beach with Ed and Tricia as they have a parking pass that allows parking near the beach.  Once we placed our low rider beach chairs on the beach it was time for shelling, walking, and wading in the water.  There had been two major storms, including tornado warnings, in the past week so there was a lot of debris along with shells washing up on the beach.

Shells, Shells and More Shells

Sanibel Island juts out into the Gulf of Mexico and with its east-west location, it is a natural catch-all for billions of shells that are cast up on its beach during strong northwestern winter blows.

So Many Shells, So Little Time

The unbelievable quantity and assortment of shells makes Sanibel Island one of the top shelling destinations in the world.

 "Sanibel stoop" is a phrase often used to describe the position used by shellers while collecting their "treasures" along the beach.

Take a few steps, bend over and pick through the shells at your feet.

There are at least 275 kinds of shells in the shallow waters of Sanibel Island. Another 500 species live far out in the Gulf.

Unfortunately, large shells are likely scooped up by those who are shell obsessed and get to the beach in the wee hours of the morning.

We were told to soak our treasures overnight in a solution of 20% bleach.

After Two Major Storms, Lots of Stuff Washing Up On Beach

We had a wonderfully relaxing afternoon on the beach. The temperature was perfect, the sea breeze was perfect, and no sunburn as we remembered to apply sunscreen beforehand.

Alice & John Shelling

Our friends, John and Alice, are avid shellers and came to the beach with shell basket and net.  He was helpful in trapping sea shells and depositing piles in front of us to pick through as we sat in our low rider beach chairs.