Best 30A Beaches for Finding Shells?

Crooked Island off Tyndall is a spot where we've had pretty good luck shelling. To my knowledge, there is no shuttle, so you have to access it with your own boat. Three years ago, I found the biggest whole sand dollar I've ever seen.

Crooked Island off Tyndall is a spot where we've had pretty good luck shelling. To my knowledge, there is no shuttle, so you have to access it with your own boat. Three years ago, I found the biggest whole sand dollar I've ever seen.

Oh no :nono1:, you don't want to go there. You may step on a land mind, get eaten by an alligator or shark, get shot by the military folks, have a bomb accidentally dropped on your head, etc. Stay away from Crooked Island, unless you take me as your guide.

JB, shame on you! ;-) Now stop it, or I am never going to post another photo of that house in Blue Mtn.

I had a feeling I might be giving away a secret. But since I sold my boat..... :lol:

I would like to see a progres pic of the BMB house, though.

Oh no :nono1:, you don't want to go there. You may step on a land mind, get eaten by an alligator or shark, get shot by the military folks, have a bomb accidentally dropped on your head, etc. Stay away from Crooked Island, unless you take me as your guide.

JB, shame on you! ;-) Now stop it, or I am never going to post another photo of that house in Blue Mtn.

Hey, .44 caliber empties don't count as shells? :funn:

Hey, .44 caliber empties don't count as shells? :funn:

No, but the unfound vintage WWII stuff does. They don't post signs out there for nothing.

I found these last August at Grayton Beach State Park. I walk in the surf and you can see the sand dollars washing in.

ok, in the pic for post #7, i see a big and little sand dollar (middle), a big and a little blood ark (left side), a big and little strawberry cockle (right side), a scallop that grew in muddy sand (red tint) and either a sunrise tellin or possibly a donax varibalis going off the edge at the bottom (sorry, don't know the common name for that one)

so which one is an 'ocean lovers'? i'd probably guess it's the blood ark

google is totally useless on 'ocean lovers' shell name

this just gave me a idea for adding contextual photos to my shell collection - neat! adds just another layer of detail of where and when found, conditions, etc., especially involving growth series of a particular species

ok, in the pic for post #7, i see a big and little sand dollar, a big and a little blood ark, a big and little strawberry cockle, a scallop that grew in muddy sand (red tint) and either a sunrise tellin or possibly a donax varibalis going off the edge at the bottom (sorry, don't know the common name for that one)

so which one is an 'ocean lovers'? i'd probably guess it's the blood ark

google is totally useless on 'ocean lovers' shell name

'Ocean Lover' is the screen name of the person who posted the shell pic. Those are Ocean Lover's shells. She found them at Grayton Beach. 😀

And I think they are treasures no matter what they are called, but thanks for the IDs on the shells!

'Ocean Lover' is the screen name of the person who posted the shell pic. Those are Ocean Lover's shells. She found them at Grayton Beach. 😀

And I think they are treasures no matter what they are called, but thanks for the IDs on the shells!

DOH! :doh: Jeez i am so dense sometimes - i get it now! 'treasures' in the adjective as opposed to the noun and ocean lover's in the possessive :oops:

sorry about that

DOH! :doh: Jeez i am so dense sometimes - i get it now! 'treasures' in the adjective as opposed to the noun and ocean lover's in the possessive :oops:

sorry about that

😀

Now I understand.:floor:

When we were on vacation in 2004 my kids found over 100 sand dollars right off the beach in old seagrove, it was amazing....we still have all of them!!! They were everywhere we looked!!!! :cool:

Sounds like I'll be visiting the different beaches along 30A at sunrise during my upcoming vacation. Thanks for all the tips! I'll let you know if I find any shells. I'm sitting here in our living room in Michigan now looking at the many gorgeous shells I found right after Ivan at Seacrest Beach.

I've found some humongus Lightning Whelks over here off 30A in Gulf County, also a couple Horse Conchs.
My particular haunt right now is around Salinas Park, but some of them have been found further up, on Cape San Blas.

My favorite shells are the Paper Figs, the Scotch Bonnets and Tuns.
They are a challenge because it is hard to find ones without holes or cracks.
Also Murex--they do not seem very common here.

Last week I found a Tun as big as my fist! I got all excited, bent down to pick it up, and saw that it was occupied! Oops, excuse me, Mr. Hermit Crab.

I had a nice collection of sand dollars until my cat knocked them off the table.

From FWC so may apply more to other areas....



Winter is a perfect time for the beach and for collecting seashells



Moon snail egg casing. FWC photo by Karen Parker.

When most people think of Florida’s sandy beaches, they think warm, sunny summer. But what the locals already know is that winter at the beach has tons to offer.

The sand and water may be cold, but it’s a perfect time for looking for seashells.

Maybe it’s because less people are on the beach, or maybe it’s the cold weather and winter storms washing them ashore, but the beach always seems full of seashells and other great finds during the winter months.

As a former island dweller, seashells have become an integral part of my home decorating scheme. They make great containers for Q-tips, candles and jewelry. Some act as decoration atop a cabinet, while others have been turned into craft projects such as a necklace or windchime. Little jars of sharks’ teeth collected throughout the years are tucked away. I even have a shell from my daughter’s first trip to the beach, labeled with the date. A little reminder of paradise.

While collecting is fun, leaving behind seashells and other marine organisms can also benefit our beaches, which is why I always limit what I take. Shells provide protection for creatures such as hermit crabs and can be hiding places for small fish. They also help stabilize beaches and anchor seagrass.

But if you do want to take home a few souvenirs, it’s important to know there are some rules when it comes to recreational seashell collection on Florida’s beaches.

The major thing to keep in mind when you are collecting is, if it’s dead, it most likely is OK to keep.

Do not keep anything that is federally protected (i.e. sea turtles, sawfish or parts thereof).

If a seashell has a living organism inside it or is a living organism (think sand dollars and starfish), you must have a Florida saltwater fishing license (unless exempt) and you must adhere to state and local limits for that species.

It’s also good to know that there are a few species prohibited from harvest, such as the Bahama starfish and live queen conch. You may collect queen conch shells when the shells do not contain any living queen conch at the time of collection.

Special rules also apply if you are collecting in Lee or Manatee counties.

To learn more about FWC’s regulations on recreational seashell collecting, visit MyFWC.com/Marine and click on “Recreational Regulations” and “Sea Shells.” For a fishing license, visit GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.

My top favorite beach finds:



Sea beans. FWC photo by Rich Abrams.

Sea Beans: I love that these rare finds often illicit a “whoa, what is that” from fellow beachgoers. Sea beans or drift seeds are common names for a variety of seeds that frequently wash up on the beach. Our ocean currents are amazing, and sea beans are proof of that. Many of these seeds come from faraway places, such as the Amazon River.



Cockle shells. FWC photo by Amanda Nalley.

Cockle shells: These beach show-stoppers are often the size of your hand and strong enough to remain in one piece, which make them great for collecting. It’s also always “warmed the cockles of my heart” that the two shells of this bivalve form a heart shape when whole.



Lightning whelk versus knobbed whelk. FWC photo by Amanda Nalley.

Lightning whelk vs. knobbed whelk: I love a good whelk. They are big, beautiful, strong enough to not easily break and look great on a shelf. My favorite beach party whelk trick is showing people the difference between a lightning whelk and a knobbed whelk. Lightning whelks open to the left, whereas the two other commonly found whelks, the channeled and knobbed, open to the right.



Channeled whelk egg casing. FWC photo by Amanda Nalley.

Egg casings: Another favorite “whoa, what is that” beach moment often comes from finding the egg casings of whelks and moon snails. While these finds aren’t great for decoration (moon snail casings are very fragile, whelk casings and skate egg casings –sometimes called mermaid purses – that have already hatched can be smelly and need to dry out), they are definitely fun to look at and talk about.



Skate egg casing (mermaids purse). FWC photo by Rich Abrams.