Good evening, Beach Angel! I'm so happy for your finding another dessicated seahorse. You've got a good eye, girl! I'll bet you'd love gem hunting! Come up to Western North Carolina sometime and I'll show you how much fun it is to find dry land treasure! Rubies, sapphires, emeralds and garnets are yours for the finding! Your discovery convinces me of my theory that the hurricane sent deep waves over the shallow sea grass flats just offshore, casting the inhabitants ashore to die. Seahorses are very slow movers, with weak swimming muscles and small fins, so they just didn't move to deep water where it was safer. It's the way of life, I know, but it still makes me a little sad, for the years it will take for their population to recover. Oh, I just love manatees! That group enjoying their meal of sea plants in the flat just off shore. No doubt, they are disturbing a seahorse or two. When I was a preteen adventurer, my family went to Crystal River one winter and there were lots of manatees there, wintering in the relatively warm water. I've also seen manatees at the spring head at Manatee Springs State Park. As it is a protected area, rangers routinely make everyone get out of the water when these aquatic wonders are present. These mammals are so gentle and calming, like their elephant cousins. I often wonder if they communicate with subsonic sounds like the pachyderms do. I wouldn't be surprised, as sound carries much farther underwater as it does through the air. That is a gorgeous arrowhead sand dollar, Sharmon! It's a shame it's not a fossil, but it surely came from deep water, courtesy of Ian. At Hart Springs, in Gilchrist County, the spring's stream or run flows about a quarter mile to join with the Suwanee River. There is a semi-paved trail along the crystal clear eater's shore where there ARE fossilized "sea biscuits" to be found, though they're much more scarce now than when I was a teen. Those are oval in shape, up to an inch thick and up to about two inches long and a little over an inch across. They have the distinct sand dollar/sea urchin pattern of their descendants on their face and a finger-sized depression on the reverse. There is some discussion about whether they are actually fossilized sea urchins or not, though there are no marks from their needles on their surface. I've got one or two left, somewhere in my treasures. I am told that sharp-eyed snorkelers may still find them in the spring's run, but they're quite hard to find on and along the path, which was surfaced with limestone from the eater's depths. I always wondered what other fossils might be found, but at that age, boys were more interesting than fossils, do I didn't look for many. I thought of you this week and could almost hear your laughter at my excitement when my shell hunting gear started arriving. I got things in many small shipments, as Amazon is prone to do - a micro mesh net with a telescoping handle arrived first, then the mesh backpack, collecting bag and small mesh bags with zip closures (for the delicate shells). I also got some windproof pants in case it's cold in October, along with a t-shirt that reads "Not All Who Wander Are Lost. Some are simply searching for the perfect seashell." I especially thought of you, then. I've got it all put together, even putting in a few plastic grocery bags for trash. I've still got to order my rain jacket, a sun hat (in case it's sunny, as I'm light sensitive) and a pair of water sneakers. Try as I may, I can't locate the water shoes I wore when I married my late husband (we were married at the base of the wedding tree where two trees grew to be one trunk, at the edge of the lake which had its feet in water. As we are both Cherokee, it was very symbolic to us to be married in a native ceremony. My husband was barefoot, but he insisted that I wear water shoes. I protested, but actually, it was sweet that he though of keeping me safe. Haha! The fighting conchs give a new and much better meaning to being "flipped off!". That one really wants to get away from you! That hermit crab is a landlord! He enjoys the inside while he allows tenants on the exterior! Actually the anemone stuck on his shell provides him with a degree of protection, aside from his own claws! I'm glad you got to enjoy such a great shelling day. It sounds like you had a nice luncheon with the ladies from the Shell Club. This afternoon, I realized that it is Beach Day and a sense of peace settled over me. Thank you for bringing that into my life. It's more needed than you could guess. I look forward with joy to your next adventure and to your allowing me and all our Beach Friends to tag along. Imagine what fun we'd have! Thank you from a native born Floridian for your efforts to keep our beaches trash free. It may be more difficult to do at present but I want you to know that each piece you take away is very much appreciated. Until next time, I'll be here in our bungalow in the mountains, dreaming of the sea. Much love from The Lost Mermaid
You are right! That arrowhead sand dollar was from deeper water that was near the island. Smart cookie! And my hat is a big, floppy one with a back flap. I've burned my neck something awful all stopped over looking for the shells! For some reason I am not surprised you are Cherokee and your wedding ceremony sounds like it was perfect. ❤️ You really must find those shoes now. I was beachcombing this morning and by the time I left I was weighed down with shells and trash, but my heart was light. I'm so excited you're going to get to come here in October!!
@@SWFBeachLife I think my sister may have my beach shoes. I've still got my white moccasins. A native woman is allowed to wear white moccasins at her marriage and for one year afterwards by law. However, her husband may grant her permission to wear them as long as he chooses. My Mama wore hers for nearly fifty years, until my Daddy died. I have worn mine since my marriage to my present husband, nearly five years now. Sadly, my late husband rests in an urn near our bed. My husband honors him highly and says he owes a lot to him. One day, the three of us will rest together. Until then, there are beaches to explore and shells to find! I can just see you plodding along with your cargo of shells! Have you found anybody selling miniature donkeys yet? Thanks for the tip about the hat, I'll look for one with a longer back panel. We're planning, at present, to go home to around Pensacola, but Gama has brothers in Apopka, so I'm suggesting a visit to see them and a side trip to your locale. Love and sand dollars, Becca
@@ittybittykittymama7582 Thank you for sharing so much and telling me about your white moccasins and your present and late husband. We should all be so kind and understanding to each other. You truly are a remarkable soul and I am truly glad we "met." ❤
How Sharmon! I am sooo excited to see your trip to beautiful Cayo Costa island! ( : Let's go to the beach! Yayyyyyyy! ( : Can't wait! ( : I love looking through the crusty flotsam and jetsam in the upper water line! ( : What a fossilized sand dollar?! Wow! ( : Oh, not fossilized? I never heard of an arrowhead sand dollar! Ooh. An albino prickly cockle! ( : Wow, a huge chalky lucene! Sweet! ( : Wow a super big sun ray Venus clam shells are one of my favs! ( : What a beautiful beach! ( : OMGGGG! I can't believe you found another beautiful seahorse! Wow! ( : Wow! You found a gorgeous urchin cleaned up! ( :cool fish vertebrae. I have one from cape cod! ( : Wow, a beach penny! ( : Sooo many sand dollars today! I love those! ( : Sooo many beautiful lightning whelks today! ( : Yayyyyyyy! Can't wait to hit the road with you next Sunday and go on an exciting adventure! Woo hoo! Have an awesome week! ( : ❤️❤️❤️❤️🤗🤗🤗🤗🥰🥰🐚🐚🐚🐚
As alien like as a live one may appear to be they are harmless and they do get pretty big mostly found further up north where its colder. A pufferfish with spines not necessarily that one are called porcupinefish, and also not that the cowfish was one but the trunkfish is similar please look all of those up because they are awesome
Killing me with anticipation! I encountered manatees at Marco Island last summer in June. And also again at Naples Beach ! Such a wonderful site to see. Enjoy Awesome sand dollar, something I've never seen before. Omg...Sea horses, yes !
I was told by a park ranger from North Carolina, that once an egg casing has come loose from its mooring on the ocean floor, the eggs will no longer be viable. If you throw it back in the water, it will just keep washing ashore.
That could very well be true, but I figure what if those snails were only 20 minutes away from hatching? I hear you but I just can't remove them from the beach anyway.
What a fun trip this week! Well, they all are, but I was excited to see Cabbage Key! We took a boat there in January of 2021 and ate our "cheeseburgers in paradise"! Loved the turtles. It was a fun outing.
Love seeing all the life in the ocean. The lighting welcks are very beautiful and the variety of colors was WOW. Thank you f ou r a great day and helping me calm down. Have a great day.
Stunning lightning welks in this video! As pretty as I’ve ever seen. So jealous! We absolutely adore your videos. Thanks for taking us on another perfect adventure!
Love the seahorse. Would love to go to Cayo Costa again. Can't afford the price of a private tour. I contacted Captiva cruises and was informed that they are not permitted to take anyone there until the park service okays it. I always have a great time when I go there. Last year we were swimming with manatees. They are so gentle and friendly.
Go figure. I didn't know you can't get to Cayo Costa right now - or at least with Captiva Cruises. I launched from their marina on Captiva. I was happy that it was open!
That notched sand dollar was so interesting. I like how you could see where the little hair things had been. That hinged Atlantic semele was awesome, too! Love the little seahorse.
Hi Sharmon, my dear beach friend, It looked like you had a fantastic day on the water and at the beach! Thank you for sharing your adventures with us. I enjoyed every minute of it! That sand dollar looks amazing, can totally understand that you thought it was fossilized. And another seahorse, those creatures are so beautiful and delicate. Now you know where to look for them, you will probably find them more often. Wish you have a wonderful week, sending you lots of love and hugs, xoxo ❤️, Ilona
I have a feeling that no matter how long I roam these beaches, there will always be something to learn. I almost never spend time in that upper wrack line and there are so many treasures up there! I love that I keep learning. Plus I'll start my Florida Master Naturalist classes in a few weeks! I am so excited to learn even more!
You are a delight to watch! My parents owned a home on the other side of Cayo Costa (our house faced the backside of Cabbage Key) in the 70's and 80's. We spent every weekend there and enjoyed the shelling, sailing and beach walking. This video was a nice nod to my past!
Hello! I left a comment on ur last video about ur seahorses. I know u felt bad but lucky to find them. One other thought I had would b just remember that even tho u are finding expired fish and seahorses...shells are expired animals also! Happy collecting and know we are still enjoying ur videos soooo much! Keep thinking of these things as ur gifts from nature!!
Yes, it has occurred to me that I collect dead things. Shells are left from dead snails. Sand dollars - dead urchins. Urchins...well, they're still urchins but dead. It's a wild world out there!
The notched sand dollar is fabulous! As were the 2 different colored Welks, WOW! And the Sea Horse, again, no words to really convey other than precious and magical and those words don't even begin to cover it. Such a fantastic video, thank you so much!
There were soooo many finds in this great beach walk video. Of course the Seahorse was in beautiful condition!! The Chalk Lucine was so light in colour and beautiful and the puffer fish looked like it was deflating or inflating. Besides Ian causing chaos on shore, it did quite a number on the ocean life as well. I didn’t know manatees grew that big!! Sure was beautiful seeing them and the dolphin!! Thank you for a great beach walk!! Have a great week!!🥰🐬
Sharmon, thank you for sharing another beautiful shelling tour. That seahorse was so pretty. But that really unusual and stunning lightning whelk had me exclaiming along with you, calling my husband over to the computer. He was amazed at it's beauty too. I also loved that gorgeous butterscotch-colored lightning whelk you found earlier and that stunning adult fighting conch. Another favorite from this trip for me was that very large lucine-like white shell that almost covered your hand. I'd say between the great fellowship you had with the other shell collecting ladies and all the wonderful treasures you found, it seems like a stellar day. Happy for you.
One day I'm going to be able to come for a nice long vacation and visit all the wonderful places SWF has to offer. It's just been way too long since I've been to the beach. One day soon! Until then...thank you for bringing that beautiful beach to me!
Oh what a lovely beautiful seahorse my sweet friend, You always take us to the most beautiful beaches and I for one feel like I am right there in person with you. Thank you for the relaxing beach time and for letting us tag along. Sending starfish hugs and mermaid kisses fr your Kentucky mermaid 🧜🏼♀️
It was such a treat to share this adventure with you, especially today. Yesterday we got approximately 12-14 inches of snow!!! Thank you so much for sharing your time at the beach with us. My Mom and Dad had a summer home in Homasassa Springs (Florida) and I loved going to their local nature park to watch the Manatee for hours. Was cool to see them in their natural habitat, thank you. Take care of you. Love and hugs from Ontario Canada. ❤️
The piece of crab shell you found at 4 minutes was the back section of a horseshoe crab! Very cool sand dollar! Lol. You found an albino PC there and not up here. Thanks for the ID on the big lucine. I've found a couple and wasn't sure what they were. Yep. Beautiful sea horse!😊❤️ That little LW at 17 min was almost the coloring of a pear whelk. Yeah, really like the color of the one at 18 min! I think those looked like sea squirts on that banded tulip with the crab. Very cool! WOW! I can't believe how straggled Captiva looks! It's always been so lush. Really different and sad. But it will eventually grow back... Thanks, Sharmon. Looking forward to next week!😊👍👍
Hi Sharmon, haven't commented in a while. Wonderful finds today! When I was at Cayo Costa camping several years ago a seahorse washed up at my feet. Magical! I took it as a sign that I should make some seahorses (I am an artist of jewellery and moaics mainly). So I did. One winter I was so sick with pneumonia and bronchitis that making the mosaic seahorses saved me from going crazy with boredom. I'd send you a photo if I knew how. I love seahorses! Thanks for your wonderful beachy adventures, especially for us in the freezing, snowy north. ❤️
You already know how next week goes 🤣 It is shocking to see how sparce both Captiva and Sanibel look, but I'd say the greenery will be back by next summer. Seeing those manatees was a real treat!
Yes! One of my favorite locations to shell in Florida! My shelling heart will forever be on Cayo Costa💙 That fossilized Arrowhead Sand dollar is UNREAL - such a unique find. This was a great episode!
Hey there! I’ve been away from videos so today is catch up day. Wishing you all the best. You are like a ray of sunshine for me! You always sound so upbeat. You also teach us. I thank you for it all. Today we saw some really unusual things!! It was great. I want to come to Florida! And then meet with you to tag along on your journeys. I’m working on my walking. Take care okay?
It was nice to see Cayo Costa, I’m sure it was fun to see what the other shelters collected too. Your haul was gorgeous, looking forward to next week’s video.
Great shelling trip! Never been to any of the smaller or uninhabited islands in the area but I guess I've missed something! Wow and I've never seen a sand dollar like that either! Great find! and another sea horse? Wow! Thanks so much for sharing your fun shelling trip with us!
A great adventure to be sure! Love the live condo complex! So happy to see the live creatures..the ffc was racing to go! Save those babies.. and bring the sea horse home.. congratulations on another one! Glad you had some social time too! Hope you left a dollar.. how amazing! Can't wait for next Sunday!
Thank you for taking us to the beach with you. The fighting conch was so much fun, and I always have mixed feelings when you pick up a seahorse. I so enjoy your videos. Thank you once again, for sharing them with us. ❤️
Great finds!!! Cannot believe another seahorse. That is crazy. Cannot wait to see what you do with them. :) Have a great week. See you next Sunday. XOXO
What great finds on this beach adventure! When you turned over that second or third Prickly Cockle shell with those intense orange, pink and purple colors, I literally went WOW! Also, I have never seen that yellow color on a lightning whelk before either, but it was stunning. The Sunray Venus clam shell that you bleached looked amazing, and I think that I will try that on a few of mine. Thanks for letting me tag along, vicariously, on your fun beach trip Sharmon. From another snowed in Ontario, Canada fan. ❤️🇨🇦
I just LOVE the way those sunray venus clam shells look bleached. It's so funny how we all have our preferences when collecting, cleaning and storing these treasures!
Lovely video thank you for sharing the treasures and firsts that you found. You need to put yourself in the group - serious shellers 😄because you are a serious sheller.
You are finding such cool specimens! Your Arrowhead Sand Dollar, Sea Horse and Sea Urchin ! Along with your Puffer Fish , Egg Casings and your Vertebrae ! Vey fun ! Wow!
Just a suggestion. I only get to shell once a year, so I live vicariously through you! But, the young man from Solace in Shelling on UA-cam used muriatic acid on his New England shells and he used part water and added the acid to it. He left them a bit longer than you did, and got amazing results. I just thought you might want to try it diluted instead of 100% acid. Like I said, I am NOT an expert and I am not trying to be a know it all. Just offering a suggestion based on another shellers experience. I appreciate you taking us along each and every week!!!❤TN Nana
Well thank you TN Nana! I am ALWAYS open to suggestions! I mix my acid in a 1:2 mixture with acid to water. I've also left shells in the acid too long on purpose to expose the nacre underneath and it's quite neat! I actually have another cleaner that I'm working with that I hope to share soon!
I found you about 6 months ago and have been binge watching ALL of your videos! I'm in dry New Mexico, so seeing the beach and those beautiful shells is amazing! What do you do with all of your shells? Also, I looked up some of the shelling tours and they say you have to be in very good shape to go. Do you know why that is? What is considered very good shape? I can't run a marathon. :0( Lol.
The tours probably say you have to be in good shape as you need to get on and off a boat and you may need to navigate a ladder in and out of a boat so you should be in at least "decent" shape. And as far as my collection, I mostly I keep the shells in glass jars, vases and lanterns. I showed my collection in a past video: ua-cam.com/video/Afy0jl0smpE/v-deo.html Then, I put some shells to the side to sell and others to do projects with. I've managed to complete 2 projects thus far. A shell mirror: ua-cam.com/video/Mf5SVm8m5n8/v-deo.html And a shell photo frame: ua-cam.com/video/h9UIvqlOzgM/v-deo.html I have lots of ideas I just need to find more time!
@@SWFBeachLife Now I feel like I'm all caught up! Thank you for replying and adding those links! Beautiful projects! I have a collection of shells from every beach we've been to. I make jewelry with them and fill glass jars too. Perfect!!
Oh I love that sea horse! And the urchins. And the sand dollars…..and all the other shells lol. You had quite the wonderful adventure. All the amazing memories you’re making and getting to keep forever. I’m green with envy😂stay safe xx
WOW ~ I thought you picked up the Puffer Fish.. Thank you for showing us another Island tour. So surprised to see another Seahorse.. Such a variety of shells.. Am completely happy.. Thanks for showing the effect of bleach. The shiny light color was a surprise. I thought it would remain brownish..
I teach prekindergarten and when I come in February I’ll be looking for those kinds of treasures for my science center in my classroom. Kids love that stuff
Love your videos. We’re following the hurricane cleanup from snowy Minnesota. Love your trash totals too - any idea on how many pounds of shells etc you’ve removed from the various SWF beaches? Just curious.
I was in Florida recently (the same day this aired) at Pass-a-grill and found a hinged Sun Ray Venus clam, empty. My 5 year old granddaughter loves them and uses one half as her shell phone! Also my son seems to have caught the shelling bug. He went out in deeper water to hunt for some. He found me a beautiful crown conch. The water was pretty murky right at the shore line. Powerful waves that day. I also found a pretty pink sea urchin. Also lots of slippers and lucines! It was the tail end of red tide and we could feel it in our respiratory system. I was coughing a bit. I envy all the lightning whelks you found.
Love those sea urchin encasements without the spines they look like a pincushion embellished with beads all over lol I just love the patterns on those!!
It was not a fossilized sand dollar - much to my chagrin. That sand dollar is a notched sand dollar. Completely different than the "regular" keyhole ones I normally find.
I was just reading about the "red tide" on the South West coast of Florida. I'm wondering if that might be why there are so many puffer fish washing up on shore.
I love shelling on Cayo Costa and actually cried while watching your video. All the lush vegetation gone. Did the few houses that were on the island survive the hurricane? I didn’t see any in the video. I won’t be back to Sanibel and Captiva for a few years. I used to spend 2 weeks on the islands every August. Just breaks my heart.
The houses on the South end of Cayo Costa were indeed still there. We were more toward the North end of the Island on the gulf side so you wouldn't see them. The hurricane really did a number on these islands down here but recovery is happening on a daily basis!
I just came across your videos a few days ago. I have been learning quite a bit. What do you do with all the shells? I am nowhere near the ocean so alot of things to learn. 😊
I get asked about my collection a lot so I made a video - it's probably getting time to make my 2024 shell collection video 😂 ua-cam.com/video/GZQVCKCJQZk/v-deo.html
Another great video! Thank you. I have 2 trips to Marco planned. The end of March and again the end of April. I am wanting to try a shelling tour and maybe a wildlife tour. I would like to go to Kice and Dickmans Islands. Could you recommend a good company to use or would you suggest just renting a boat and exploring? Thanks
I would recommend SWFL Shell Guide: www.swflshellguide.com She does tours to Kice, Dickman's and also provides Eco-Tours via kayak! Ali is a great resource and will help you get what you're looking for!
Lately on the Miami Herald there was an article about this guy that found at Alligator Point Beach in the Panhandle a live a Ocean Quahog shell that weighted it 2.6 pounds. He took it to a Marine Lab and they counted 214 rings on it, they calculated the shell hatched in 1809! Thank God they let it free like you do.😊
Wow! 214 years old! Miracle it survived that long. Did not know you cld calculate age of quahogs by counting their rings - kind of like aging a tree. Very neat. TFS.
Yes! They do indeed create "rings of sorts" that they could count to determine the age: www.cbsnews.com/news/giant-clam-florida-214-years-old-alligator-point-gulf-of-mexico-abraham-lincoln/
A lot of nice lightning welk with pretty colors. I do love the colors that some of these shells have. Have you thought about selling some of the sea horses you found or keeping them all? Such a great find. I do love how the bleached shell turned out. Great video and looking forward to next one.
Sand dollars I soak in hydrogen peroxide. I can leave them as long as I like and they won't get damaged. Then I "seal" them with 1/2 glue and 1/2 water mixture.
Love your beach walks. Would love to spend a day with you. We go to NC and SC beaches. Which is the best hotel to stay near Tampa? Hope to visit. Thanks.
I do not think the greenery was anything invasive. Luckily that stuff isn't designed for hurricanes and will normally get uprooted. There are actually lots of trees down here that don't lose their leaves making it feel like summer all year round 😃
Hi Géraldine! I go once a week to film a video and if I can sneak in more trips I will go and just look for shells. If I happen to see something super cool I will record it to share. 😌
You are allowed to remove them from Florida and the USA so you would be able to collect as many as you like. As long as you're able to bring them into Brazil you should be fine!
I am working on a new video about that, but in the meantime, here is my collection from a past video: ua-cam.com/video/Afy0jl0smpE/v-deo.html Then, I put some shells to the side to sell and others to do projects with. I've managed to complete 2 projects thus far. A shell mirror: ua-cam.com/video/Mf5SVm8m5n8/v-deo.html And a shell photo frame: ua-cam.com/video/h9UIvqlOzgM/v-deo.html I have lots of ideas I just need to find more time!
Hello from Nebraska! I found your channel when my sister-in-law gave us her shell collection and your channel popped up with the meuriatic cleaning technique. I really need to watch your videos more often. I don't know why I space them off. Too many subscriptions ! I thank you today because I am pretty sure I have a dried egg case of a whelk of some sort. It's super fragile and is shaped like a penis with fluffy bits on the end that look like feathers. Now I know what to search for. You need to watch ZeFrank's newest video! It is about mollusks and it super fun and kind of scary. Have you ever watched Ocean Conservation Namibia? They go out and rescue entangled Cape Fur Seals. No shelling; but you will see white mollusks as they run down the beach. Thank you for doing beach clean-ups!!! So, a while back, a cousin of mine lived in Jacksonville. She told me that Manatees were not endangered. Everyone else says they are. What do you think? Blessings!
Hi Shala! It's true, manatees are protected but not endangered right now. Yay! And ZeFrank has THE BEST channel on UA-cam in my opinion. He's my absolutely favorite. And strangely yes, I have also seen seal rescue videos on Ocean Conservation Namibia. UA-cam is such a wealth of fabulous content!
Manatees can be found in both salt and fresh water! Here is a website that will give you a little more info on them: myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/manatee/
Good evening, Beach Angel! I'm so happy for your finding another dessicated seahorse. You've got a good eye, girl! I'll bet you'd love gem hunting! Come up to Western North Carolina sometime and I'll show you how much fun it is to find dry land treasure! Rubies, sapphires, emeralds and garnets are yours for the finding!
Your discovery convinces me of my theory that the hurricane sent deep waves over the shallow sea grass flats just offshore, casting the inhabitants ashore to die.
Seahorses are very slow movers, with weak swimming muscles and small fins, so they just didn't move to deep water where it was safer. It's the way of life, I know, but it still makes me a little sad, for the years it will take for their population to recover.
Oh, I just love manatees! That group enjoying their meal of sea plants in the flat just off shore. No doubt, they are disturbing a seahorse or two.
When I was a preteen adventurer, my family went to Crystal River one winter and there were lots of manatees there, wintering in the relatively warm water.
I've also seen manatees at the spring head at Manatee Springs State Park. As it is a protected area, rangers routinely make everyone get out of the water when these aquatic wonders are present.
These mammals are so gentle and calming, like their elephant cousins. I often wonder if they communicate with subsonic sounds like the pachyderms do. I wouldn't be surprised, as sound carries much farther underwater as it does through the air.
That is a gorgeous arrowhead sand dollar, Sharmon! It's a shame it's not a fossil, but it surely came from deep water, courtesy of Ian.
At Hart Springs, in Gilchrist County, the spring's stream or run flows about a quarter mile to join with the Suwanee River. There is a semi-paved trail along the crystal clear eater's shore where there ARE fossilized "sea biscuits" to be found, though they're much more scarce now than when I was a teen.
Those are oval in shape, up to an inch thick and up to about two inches long and a little over an inch across. They have the distinct sand dollar/sea urchin pattern of their descendants on their face and a finger-sized depression on the reverse. There is some discussion about whether they are actually fossilized sea urchins or not, though there are no marks from their needles on their surface. I've got one or two left, somewhere in my treasures.
I am told that sharp-eyed snorkelers may still find them in the spring's run, but they're quite hard to find on and along the path, which was surfaced with limestone from the eater's depths. I always wondered what other fossils might be found, but at that age, boys were more interesting than fossils, do I didn't look for many.
I thought of you this week and could almost hear your laughter at my excitement when my shell hunting gear started arriving. I got things in many small shipments, as Amazon is prone to do - a micro mesh net with a telescoping handle arrived first, then the mesh backpack, collecting bag and small mesh bags with zip closures (for the delicate shells). I also got some windproof pants in case it's cold in October, along with a t-shirt that reads "Not All Who Wander Are Lost. Some are simply searching for the perfect seashell." I especially thought of you, then.
I've got it all put together, even putting in a few plastic grocery bags for trash. I've still got to order my rain jacket, a sun hat (in case it's sunny, as I'm light sensitive) and a pair of water sneakers.
Try as I may, I can't locate the water shoes I wore when I married my late husband (we were married at the base of the wedding tree where two trees grew to be one trunk, at the edge of the lake which had its feet in water.
As we are both Cherokee, it was very symbolic to us to be married in a native ceremony. My husband was barefoot, but he insisted that I wear water shoes. I protested, but actually, it was sweet that he though of keeping me safe.
Haha! The fighting conchs give a new and much better meaning to being "flipped off!". That one really wants to get away from you!
That hermit crab is a landlord! He enjoys the inside while he allows tenants on the exterior! Actually the anemone stuck on his shell provides him with a degree of protection, aside from his own claws!
I'm glad you got to enjoy such a great shelling day. It sounds like you had a nice luncheon with the ladies from the Shell Club. This afternoon, I realized that it is Beach Day and a sense of peace settled over me. Thank you for bringing that into my life. It's more needed than you could guess.
I look forward with joy to your next adventure and to your allowing me and all our Beach Friends to tag along. Imagine what fun we'd have!
Thank you from a native born Floridian for your efforts to keep our beaches trash free. It may be more difficult to do at present but I want you to know that each piece you take away is very much appreciated.
Until next time, I'll be here in our bungalow in the mountains, dreaming of the sea.
Much love from
The Lost Mermaid
You are right! That arrowhead sand dollar was from deeper water that was near the island. Smart cookie! And my hat is a big, floppy one with a back flap. I've burned my neck something awful all stopped over looking for the shells! For some reason I am not surprised you are Cherokee and your wedding ceremony sounds like it was perfect. ❤️ You really must find those shoes now.
I was beachcombing this morning and by the time I left I was weighed down with shells and trash, but my heart was light. I'm so excited you're going to get to come here in October!!
@@SWFBeachLife I think my sister may have my beach shoes. I've still got my white moccasins. A native woman is allowed to wear white moccasins at her marriage and for one year afterwards by law. However, her husband may grant her permission to wear them as long as he chooses. My Mama wore hers for nearly fifty years, until my Daddy died. I have worn mine since my marriage to my present husband, nearly five years now.
Sadly, my late husband rests in an urn near our bed. My husband honors him highly and says he owes a lot to him. One day, the three of us will rest together. Until then, there are beaches to explore and shells to find!
I can just see you plodding along with your cargo of shells! Have you found anybody selling miniature donkeys yet? Thanks for the tip about the hat, I'll look for one with a longer back panel. We're planning, at present, to go home to around Pensacola, but Gama has brothers in Apopka, so I'm suggesting a visit to see them and a side trip to your locale.
Love and sand dollars, Becca
@@ittybittykittymama7582 Thank you for sharing so much and telling me about your white moccasins and your present and late husband. We should all be so kind and understanding to each other. You truly are a remarkable soul and I am truly glad we "met." ❤
How Sharmon! I am sooo excited to see your trip to beautiful Cayo Costa island! ( : Let's go to the beach! Yayyyyyyy! ( : Can't wait! ( :
I love looking through the crusty flotsam and jetsam in the upper water line! ( :
What a fossilized sand dollar?! Wow! ( : Oh, not fossilized? I never heard of an arrowhead sand dollar! Ooh. An albino prickly cockle! ( : Wow, a huge chalky lucene! Sweet! ( : Wow a super big sun ray Venus clam shells are one of my favs! ( : What a beautiful beach! ( : OMGGGG! I can't believe you found another beautiful seahorse! Wow! ( : Wow! You found a gorgeous urchin cleaned up! ( :cool fish vertebrae. I have one from cape cod! ( : Wow, a beach penny! ( : Sooo many sand dollars today! I love those! ( :
Sooo many beautiful lightning whelks today! ( :
Yayyyyyyy! Can't wait to hit the road with you next Sunday and go on an exciting adventure! Woo hoo! Have an awesome week! ( : ❤️❤️❤️❤️🤗🤗🤗🤗🥰🥰🐚🐚🐚🐚
Thanks for coming along and enjoying the beautiful beach with me!
Great video lots of finds @4:32 the top of a horseshoe crab without the tail. In NY at a certain time of year there are many..
As alien like as a live one may appear to be they are harmless and they do get pretty big mostly found further up north where its colder. A pufferfish with spines not necessarily that one are called porcupinefish, and also not that the cowfish was one but the trunkfish is similar please look all of those up because they are awesome
Killing me with anticipation! I encountered manatees at Marco Island last summer in June. And also again at Naples Beach !
Such a wonderful site to see. Enjoy
Awesome sand dollar, something I've never
seen before. Omg...Sea horses, yes !
زيفغخ٦٥٤٦عاا😂😂،🐚🐌
I was told by a park ranger from North Carolina, that once an egg casing has come loose from its mooring on the ocean floor, the eggs will no longer be viable. If you throw it back in the water, it will just keep washing ashore.
I look forward to your videos every week.it makes my day.how does one become a supporter to help you?
Thank you so much! And here is a link to my Patreon page should you consider supporting me: www.patreon.com/swfbeachlife
That could very well be true, but I figure what if those snails were only 20 minutes away from hatching? I hear you but I just can't remove them from the beach anyway.
That seahorse was huge! Grats. You must have found the side with the lightning whelk nursery today. So many different sizes, & egg sacs too🌊🤍
Awesome shelling trip, finding a sea horse is a highlight I remember well myself. Thanks Sharmon.
What a fun trip this week! Well, they all are, but I was excited to see Cabbage Key! We took a boat there in January of 2021 and ate our "cheeseburgers in paradise"! Loved the turtles. It was a fun outing.
Love seeing all the life in the ocean. The lighting welcks are very beautiful and the variety of colors was WOW. Thank you f ou r a great day and helping me calm down. Have a great day.
The sea urchins, sea horse sur ray venus and the sanddollars are very awesome. You had a great variety of beautiful finds
Stunning lightning welks in this video! As pretty as I’ve ever seen. So jealous! We absolutely adore your videos. Thanks for taking us on another perfect adventure!
Love the seahorse. Would love to go to Cayo Costa again. Can't afford the price of a private tour. I contacted Captiva cruises and was informed that they are not permitted to take anyone there until the park service okays it. I always have a great time when I go there. Last year we were swimming with manatees. They are so gentle and friendly.
Go figure. I didn't know you can't get to Cayo Costa right now - or at least with Captiva Cruises. I launched from their marina on Captiva. I was happy that it was open!
That notched sand dollar was so interesting. I like how you could see where the little hair things had been. That hinged Atlantic semele was awesome, too! Love the little seahorse.
Hi Sharmon, my dear beach friend,
It looked like you had a fantastic day on the water and at the beach!
Thank you for sharing your adventures with us. I enjoyed every minute of it!
That sand dollar looks amazing, can totally understand that you thought it was fossilized.
And another seahorse, those creatures are so beautiful and delicate. Now you know where to look for them, you will probably find them more often.
Wish you have a wonderful week, sending you lots of love and hugs, xoxo ❤️, Ilona
I have a feeling that no matter how long I roam these beaches, there will always be something to learn. I almost never spend time in that upper wrack line and there are so many treasures up there! I love that I keep learning. Plus I'll start my Florida Master Naturalist classes in a few weeks! I am so excited to learn even more!
You are a delight to watch! My parents owned a home on the other side of Cayo Costa (our house faced the backside of Cabbage Key) in the 70's and 80's. We spent every weekend there and enjoyed the shelling, sailing and beach walking. This video was a nice nod to my past!
That must have been amazing - I would have loved to have seen the area in the 70's and 80's!
Hello! I left a comment on ur last video about ur seahorses. I know u felt bad but lucky to find them. One other thought I had would b just remember that even tho u are finding expired fish and seahorses...shells are expired animals also! Happy collecting and know we are still enjoying ur videos soooo much! Keep thinking of these things as ur gifts from nature!!
Yes, it has occurred to me that I collect dead things. Shells are left from dead snails. Sand dollars - dead urchins. Urchins...well, they're still urchins but dead. It's a wild world out there!
The notched sand dollar is fabulous! As were the 2 different colored Welks, WOW! And the Sea Horse, again, no words to really convey other than precious and magical and those words don't even begin to cover it. Such a fantastic video, thank you so much!
You are so welcome! I don't know why seahorses conjure the word "magical" for me but they do ❤️
There were soooo many finds in this great beach walk video. Of course the Seahorse was in beautiful condition!! The Chalk Lucine was so light in colour and beautiful and the puffer fish looked like it was deflating or inflating.
Besides Ian causing chaos on shore, it did quite a number on the ocean life as well. I didn’t know manatees grew that big!! Sure was beautiful seeing them and the dolphin!!
Thank you for a great beach walk!! Have a great week!!🥰🐬
Thank you for watching and I hope you have a great week too Pam!
Sharmon, thank you for sharing another beautiful shelling tour. That seahorse was so pretty. But that really unusual and stunning lightning whelk had me exclaiming along with you, calling my husband over to the computer. He was amazed at it's beauty too. I also loved that gorgeous butterscotch-colored lightning whelk you found earlier and that stunning adult fighting conch. Another favorite from this trip for me was that very large lucine-like white shell that almost covered your hand. I'd say between the great fellowship you had with the other shell collecting ladies and all the wonderful treasures you found, it seems like a stellar day. Happy for you.
It was indeed a very fun day to be out there and I can't believe I found another seahorse! Thank you so much for watching and coming along with me!
One day I'm going to be able to come for a nice long vacation and visit all the wonderful places SWF has to offer. It's just been way too long since I've been to the beach. One day soon! Until then...thank you for bringing that beautiful beach to me!
You are so very welcome! These beaches really are amazing and everyone should try them at least once!
Oh what a lovely beautiful seahorse my sweet friend, You always take us to the most beautiful beaches and I for one feel like I am right there in person with you. Thank you for the relaxing beach time and for letting us tag along. Sending starfish hugs and mermaid kisses fr your Kentucky mermaid 🧜🏼♀️
Always lovely to hear from you KY Mermaid! ❤️
It was such a treat to share this adventure with you, especially today. Yesterday we got approximately 12-14 inches of snow!!!
Thank you so much for sharing your time at the beach with us.
My Mom and Dad had a summer home in Homasassa Springs (Florida) and I loved going to their local nature park to watch the Manatee for hours. Was cool to see them in their natural habitat, thank you.
Take care of you. Love and hugs from Ontario Canada. ❤️
The piece of crab shell you found at 4 minutes was the back section of a horseshoe crab! Very cool sand dollar! Lol. You found an albino PC there and not up here. Thanks for the ID on the big lucine. I've found a couple and wasn't sure what they were. Yep. Beautiful sea horse!😊❤️ That little LW at 17 min was almost the coloring of a pear whelk. Yeah, really like the color of the one at 18 min! I think those looked like sea squirts on that banded tulip with the crab. Very cool! WOW! I can't believe how straggled Captiva looks! It's always been so lush. Really different and sad. But it will eventually grow back... Thanks, Sharmon. Looking forward to next week!😊👍👍
Hi Sharmon, haven't commented in a while. Wonderful finds today! When I was at Cayo Costa camping several years ago a seahorse washed up at my feet. Magical! I took it as a sign that I should make some seahorses (I am an artist of jewellery and moaics mainly). So I did. One winter I was so sick with pneumonia and bronchitis that making the mosaic seahorses saved me from going crazy with boredom. I'd send you a photo if I knew how. I love seahorses! Thanks for your wonderful beachy adventures, especially for us in the freezing, snowy north. ❤️
You already know how next week goes 🤣 It is shocking to see how sparce both Captiva and Sanibel look, but I'd say the greenery will be back by next summer. Seeing those manatees was a real treat!
❤ what a fun walk on the beach! Great finds too. And you are definitely being rewarded for saving the critters. Not to mention inspiring us. 😊
Yes! One of my favorite locations to shell in Florida! My shelling heart will forever be on Cayo Costa💙
That fossilized Arrowhead Sand dollar is UNREAL - such a unique find. This was a great episode!
Sadly those cabins were destroyed by the hurricane. I am going to try a little overnighter there one of these days!
Hey there! I’ve been away from videos so today is catch up day. Wishing you all the best. You are like a ray of sunshine for me! You always sound so upbeat. You also teach us. I thank you for it all. Today we saw some really unusual things!! It was great. I want to come to Florida! And then meet with you to tag along on your journeys. I’m working on my walking. Take care okay?
I hope you do make it down here to FL to experience these beaches. They are amazing!
It was nice to see Cayo Costa, I’m sure it was fun to see what the other shelters collected too. Your haul was gorgeous, looking forward to next week’s video.
Great shelling trip! Never been to any of the smaller or uninhabited islands in the area but I guess I've missed something! Wow and I've never seen a sand dollar like that either! Great find! and another sea horse? Wow! Thanks so much for sharing your fun shelling trip with us!
A great adventure to be sure! Love the live condo complex! So happy to see the live creatures..the ffc was racing to go! Save those babies.. and bring the sea horse home.. congratulations on another one! Glad you had some social time too! Hope you left a dollar.. how amazing! Can't wait for next Sunday!
Thank you for taking us to the beach with you. The fighting conch was so much fun, and I always have mixed feelings when you pick up a seahorse. I so enjoy your videos. Thank you once again, for sharing them with us. ❤️
Great finds!!! Cannot believe another seahorse. That is crazy. Cannot wait to see what you do with them. :) Have a great week. See you next Sunday. XOXO
I am going to make shadowboxes. I'm going to need to find a really good framer!
I was so excited when I went to Cayo Costa, butI pretty much only found cockle shells, so I’m in awe of all you found!
Cayo Costa isn't usually very good to me but wowzer on this day!
How exciting, such beautiful finds . Thanks for sharing ❤
Love watching your shelling videos and your voice is so relaxing.
Como siempre muy interesante y emocionante recorrido por la playa. Me encanta. Muchas gracias! 🌻❤️
¡De nada! ¡Muchas gracias por acompañarme!
What great finds on this beach adventure! When you turned over that second or third Prickly Cockle shell with those intense orange, pink and purple colors, I literally went WOW! Also, I have never seen that yellow color on a lightning whelk before either, but it was stunning. The Sunray Venus clam shell that you bleached looked amazing, and I think that I will try that on a few of mine. Thanks for letting me tag along, vicariously, on your fun beach trip Sharmon. From another snowed in Ontario, Canada fan. ❤️🇨🇦
I just LOVE the way those sunray venus clam shells look bleached. It's so funny how we all have our preferences when collecting, cleaning and storing these treasures!
Lovely video thank you for sharing the treasures and firsts that you found. You need to put yourself in the group - serious shellers 😄because you are a serious sheller.
真的很大沙币
You are finding such cool specimens! Your Arrowhead Sand Dollar, Sea Horse and Sea Urchin ! Along with your Puffer Fish , Egg Casings and your Vertebrae ! Vey fun ! Wow!
It was such a fun and special trip!
Just a suggestion. I only get to shell once a year, so I live vicariously through you! But, the young man from Solace in Shelling on UA-cam used muriatic acid on his New England shells and he used part water and added the acid to it. He left them a bit longer than you did, and got amazing results. I just thought you might want to try it diluted instead of 100% acid. Like I said, I am NOT an expert and I am not trying to be a know it all. Just offering a suggestion based on another shellers experience. I appreciate you taking us along each and every week!!!❤TN Nana
Well thank you TN Nana! I am ALWAYS open to suggestions! I mix my acid in a 1:2 mixture with acid to water. I've also left shells in the acid too long on purpose to expose the nacre underneath and it's quite neat! I actually have another cleaner that I'm working with that I hope to share soon!
Wonderful tour. Love the live critters! 😊😊😊
Fun to see another island/beach I haven't heard of! So many wonderful places to explore in SWF! And great finds! ❤️
What a fun trip! Beautiful shells, sea urchins and that wonderful seahorse- amazing! ❤️🐚
Love the sea horses. This was a great trip with amazing treasures.
I found you about 6 months ago and have been binge watching ALL of your videos! I'm in dry New Mexico, so seeing the beach and those beautiful shells is amazing! What do you do with all of your shells? Also, I looked up some of the shelling tours and they say you have to be in very good shape to go. Do you know why that is? What is considered very good shape? I can't run a marathon. :0( Lol.
The tours probably say you have to be in good shape as you need to get on and off a boat and you may need to navigate a ladder in and out of a boat so you should be in at least "decent" shape.
And as far as my collection, I mostly I keep the shells in glass jars, vases and lanterns. I showed my collection in a past video: ua-cam.com/video/Afy0jl0smpE/v-deo.html Then, I put some shells to the side to sell and others to do projects with. I've managed to complete 2 projects thus far. A shell mirror: ua-cam.com/video/Mf5SVm8m5n8/v-deo.html And a shell photo frame: ua-cam.com/video/h9UIvqlOzgM/v-deo.html I have lots of ideas I just need to find more time!
@@SWFBeachLife Now I feel like I'm all caught up! Thank you for replying and adding those links! Beautiful projects! I have a collection of shells from every beach we've been to. I make jewelry with them and fill glass jars too. Perfect!!
Gorgeous seahorse! Thank you for sharing and taking us along!! Have a great week!
Oh I love that sea horse! And the urchins. And the sand dollars…..and all the other shells lol. You had quite the wonderful adventure. All the amazing memories you’re making and getting to keep forever. I’m green with envy😂stay safe xx
It's a good thing I had practice finding those little treasures or I think I would have missed that one! I am quite a lucky girl 😌
WOW ~ I thought you picked up the Puffer Fish.. Thank you for showing us another Island tour. So surprised to see another Seahorse.. Such a variety of shells.. Am completely happy.. Thanks for showing the effect of bleach. The shiny light color was a surprise. I thought it would remain brownish..
Beautiful beach! I don't think I've seen it before. Very nice finds.
Thanks for the shelling adventure and I'd be bleaching those sunray Venus clams too!
I teach prekindergarten and when I come in February I’ll be looking for those kinds of treasures for my science center in my classroom. Kids love that stuff
Bring an extra suitcase - there are so many fascinating things here and in February you can likely find egg casings too!
I want to find a sea horse!! GOOD to know about egg casings. I find them a lot but afraid to take them home. THANKS for the information. ❤️
Love your videos. We’re following the hurricane cleanup from snowy Minnesota. Love your trash totals too - any idea on how many pounds of shells etc you’ve removed from the various SWF beaches? Just curious.
Shoot, I would say at least 1 lb each trip and if I go every week....I wouldn't say a ton of shells but probably a lot!
I was in Florida recently (the same day this aired) at Pass-a-grill and found a hinged Sun Ray Venus clam, empty. My 5 year old granddaughter loves them and uses one half as her shell phone! Also my son seems to have caught the shelling bug. He went out in deeper water to hunt for some. He found me a beautiful crown conch. The water was pretty murky right at the shore line. Powerful waves that day. I also found a pretty pink sea urchin. Also lots of slippers and lucines! It was the tail end of red tide and we could feel it in our respiratory system. I was coughing a bit. I envy all the lightning whelks you found.
That dang red tide is awful. I'm glad you were still able to go to the beach!
Love those sea urchin encasements without the spines they look like a pincushion embellished with beads all over lol I just love the patterns on those!!
Aren't they so pretty! We have 2 different types of urchins. The purple ones are even bumpier and so pretty!
This was an awesome trip to the beach! I can’t thank you enough for sharing your beach trips with us! ❤
Aw man I found that kind of egg casing on Mexico beach yesterday but didn’t know what it was. Only a small section & it was completely dry!
Cell puffer fish I resin you can do the seahorse the same way shells too.
Wow another seahorse! So so lucky ! That one especially was gorgeous! Thanks for another beautiful day at the beach!
The color on this one is a little different - go figure ❤️
So excited every Sunday night when I can do my physical therapy watching you shell! I'm confused, did it turn out not to be a fossilized sand dollar?
It was not a fossilized sand dollar - much to my chagrin. That sand dollar is a notched sand dollar. Completely different than the "regular" keyhole ones I normally find.
@@SWFBeachLifeBoo, but it's still really cool. Thank you!
I'm in southern Indiana and I watch you religiously!! Family members live near you and it's a visual vacation every week.
Virtual vacation - love that! 🌴🌊🐚
Thanks for the critters and shell ID!
I was just reading about the "red tide" on the South West coast of Florida. I'm wondering if that might be why there are so many puffer fish washing up on shore.
Red Tide is killing A LOT of critters on the beaches down here but the dried up ones on this island I don't think were from RT.
The new sandollar is cool and I love the seahorse. Great job! ~ Evelyn
Thank you Evelyn! I hope everything is good with school!
I am DYING at that sea urchin with the barnacles!
I know right?! I wish it hadn't broke. I thought it was so cool.
Do you know what type of conch they eat in the Bahamas?
Queen conchs 🥲 That's why the shells have that little missing piece. They whack the shell there to get the critter out to eat.
Oh I had been wondering about Cayo costa since Ian
Very cool find. When we were on Ana Marie we found lots of sand dollars but only one teeny tiny seahorse. It was exciting.
That is exciting!
I love shelling on Cayo Costa and actually cried while watching your video. All the lush vegetation gone. Did the few houses that were on the island survive the hurricane? I didn’t see any in the video. I won’t be back to Sanibel and Captiva for a few years. I used to spend 2 weeks on the islands every August. Just breaks my heart.
The houses on the South end of Cayo Costa were indeed still there. We were more toward the North end of the Island on the gulf side so you wouldn't see them. The hurricane really did a number on these islands down here but recovery is happening on a daily basis!
I just came across your videos a few days ago. I have been learning quite a bit. What do you do with all the shells? I am nowhere near the ocean so alot of things to learn. 😊
I get asked about my collection a lot so I made a video - it's probably getting time to make my 2024 shell collection video 😂
ua-cam.com/video/GZQVCKCJQZk/v-deo.html
I know you have told us where you check for red tide but I can’t find it. Any help is appreciated.
This is the map I use: myfwc.com/research/redtide/statewide/
And I've been using it a lot more lately 🥲
Hi, was this filmed before the red tide became severe? The beach and water looks beautiful!
Yes, this was filmed on Feb. 20th.
Thank you for your UA-cam Vlogs💕💕 I love it when you save a live critter. You for sure are their GUARDIAN ANGEL.
Another great video! Thank you. I have 2 trips to Marco planned. The end of March and again the end of April. I am wanting to try a shelling tour and maybe a wildlife tour. I would like to go to Kice and Dickmans Islands. Could you recommend a good company to use or would you suggest just renting a boat and exploring? Thanks
I would recommend SWFL Shell Guide: www.swflshellguide.com
She does tours to Kice, Dickman's and also provides Eco-Tours via kayak! Ali is a great resource and will help you get what you're looking for!
@@SWFBeachLife Thank you so much. I will definitely contact her. God bless!
Lately on the Miami Herald there was an article about this guy that found at Alligator Point Beach in the Panhandle a live a Ocean Quahog shell that weighted it 2.6 pounds. He took it to a Marine Lab and they counted 214 rings on it, they calculated the shell hatched in 1809! Thank God they let it free like you do.😊
Wow! 214 years old! Miracle it survived that long. Did not know you cld calculate age of quahogs by counting their rings - kind of like aging a tree. Very neat. TFS.
I didn't know that type of shell could live that long myself. Pretty amazing.
The Abe Lincoln clam? Wasn't that amazing? I was happy that they got curious instead of killing it. Some of these creatures are truly amazing!
Yes! They do indeed create "rings of sorts" that they could count to determine the age: www.cbsnews.com/news/giant-clam-florida-214-years-old-alligator-point-gulf-of-mexico-abraham-lincoln/
Wow! Gorgeous lightening whelk!
A lot of nice lightning welk with pretty colors. I do love the colors that some of these shells have. Have you thought about selling some of the sea horses you found or keeping them all? Such a great find. I do love how the bleached shell turned out. Great video and looking forward to next one.
I'm going to auction off the seahorses I don't keep to raise more money to help someone recover from Hurricane Ian.
Love the eyes on that critter
I just love your videos they are so soothing and comforting
Thank you!
Hi. That brown crab shell is a horseshoe crab. They are very common here on the eastern shore of Maryland
I didn't recognize it - thank you for the ID!
How do you clean a sand dollar? Do you follow the same steps as the other shells?
Sand dollars I soak in hydrogen peroxide. I can leave them as long as I like and they won't get damaged. Then I "seal" them with 1/2 glue and 1/2 water mixture.
@@SWFBeachLife awesome! Thank you so much for the tips. I can't wait to get out there and do some shelling of my own😁🏖️
Love your beach walks. Would love to spend a day with you. We go to NC and SC beaches. Which is the best hotel to stay near Tampa? Hope to visit. Thanks.
I've never stayed up in the Tampa area so I'm not sure where to recommend!
My favorites are the seahorse, and the key notch sand dollar 😊
Sorry to ask but where do sand dollar doves come from? Where I do my shelling I find those all the time.
I broke open a sand dollar in the past to show the sand dollar doves and the legend: :ua-cam.com/video/6EWKKhTgyvE/v-deo.html
Curious, the trees that appear to have leaves, are those leaves or an invasive vine? As in kudzu ? A nice day out, as I watch snow melting. :)
I do not think the greenery was anything invasive. Luckily that stuff isn't designed for hurricanes and will normally get uprooted. There are actually lots of trees down here that don't lose their leaves making it feel like summer all year round 😃
@@SWFBeachLife
It says something about the strength of palm trees and other trees. While a building is swept away.
Hi can you tell me whether you were on the north, south or center part of the gulf side? Just wondering.
I was very close to the North end of the island versus the southern end.
So when you soak your shells and bleach is it straight bleach or can you mix it with water
I soak them in 100% "concentrated" bleach I find at WalMart. It works great!!
Loved all your critters today!
Always enjoyable!
Beautiful shells and Seahorse! The puffer fish was cool! Can you bleach it to preserve it?
I'm not really sure! Its sitting outside at my "shell station" until I figure to what to do with them!
Nice place to take a walk!
Yay! "Let's go to the beach...🎶 "
Another wonderful video! Love it! ❤️
Hey Sharmon I have a little question. Do you only go shelling once a week and do a video or do you go more often without filming ? Bye 😁
Hi Géraldine! I go once a week to film a video and if I can sneak in more trips I will go and just look for shells. If I happen to see something super cool I will record it to share. 😌
Hi. Were you able to identify what kind of lucine you found?
That big honking lucine was a chalky lucine 😌
Thank you!
I live in Brazil if I go to a shelling tour would I be allowed to bring lots of shells to Brazil?
You are allowed to remove them from Florida and the USA so you would be able to collect as many as you like. As long as you're able to bring them into Brazil you should be fine!
Great video!! Definitely a day to remember 🐚
Definitely!!
As a new follower, what do you do with all the shells you find?
My question too.
I am working on a new video about that, but in the meantime, here is my collection from a past video: ua-cam.com/video/Afy0jl0smpE/v-deo.html Then, I put some shells to the side to sell and others to do projects with. I've managed to complete 2 projects thus far. A shell mirror: ua-cam.com/video/Mf5SVm8m5n8/v-deo.html And a shell photo frame: ua-cam.com/video/h9UIvqlOzgM/v-deo.html I have lots of ideas I just need to find more time!
Hello from Nebraska!
I found your channel when my sister-in-law gave us her shell collection and your channel popped up with the meuriatic cleaning technique. I really need to watch your videos more often. I don't know why I space them off. Too many subscriptions !
I thank you today because I am pretty sure I have a dried egg case of a whelk of some sort. It's super fragile and is shaped like a penis with fluffy bits on the end that look like feathers. Now I know what to search for.
You need to watch ZeFrank's newest video! It is about mollusks and it super fun and kind of scary.
Have you ever watched Ocean Conservation Namibia? They go out and rescue entangled Cape Fur Seals. No shelling; but you will see white mollusks as they run down the beach. Thank you for doing beach clean-ups!!!
So, a while back, a cousin of mine lived in Jacksonville. She told me that Manatees were not endangered. Everyone else says they are. What do you think?
Blessings!
Hi Shala! It's true, manatees are protected but not endangered right now. Yay! And ZeFrank has THE BEST channel on UA-cam in my opinion. He's my absolutely favorite. And strangely yes, I have also seen seal rescue videos on Ocean Conservation Namibia. UA-cam is such a wealth of fabulous content!
@@SWFBeachLife How wonderful that we have so many channels in common. :)
That is a relief about the Manatees.
Do manatees swim in both salt and sweet water? I remember seeing them in a canal behind our home when I was little.
Manatees can be found in both salt and fresh water! Here is a website that will give you a little more info on them: myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/manatee/
@@SWFBeachLife
Thanks, such a beautiful animal
Will the palm trees regrow their fronds?
As long as the tree isn't dead it sure will!
I hope you find a way to frame them in a shadow box type frame