Shelling Marco Sand Bars
By
Lightning whelk
I’m still exhausted from boating yesterday. Clark, friend Mary Jo and I “adventured” to take our boat down to the sand bars off Marco to do some shelling. The gulf was calm and flat for our hour and a half boat ride down (if only it had stayed that way). We pulled up to our first sand bar where I found this beautiful LIGHTING WHELK.
Marco sand bar
There was a nice shell wrack that looked very picked over but there were too many SUNRAY VENUS CLAMS to count. They are always so pretty when they are together.
Sunray venus clams
Then I thought I hit the jack pot….
Junonia piece
Only half of a JUNONIA but it was still fun to find it. Maybe I’ll make a necklace like Kathy.
Half of a junonia
I found a very nice size MOON SNAIL or NATICA which Mary Jo calls them.
Marco Moon snail
Mary Jo found a TUSK SHELL which is very tiny so you can see it would blend in with just about everything in the sand. I’ve only ever found one … I don’t have any eye for them yet.
Tusk shell
I found just one WENTLETRAP in what looks like coffee ground camo. There were a few RICE OLIVES in there too…. but wait! I just looked closer at this photo and there is a TUSK SHELL in this photo I didn’t even see.
wentletrap in sand
My best find of the day was this very different FLORIDA CONE. Look at the colors and stripes- wow!
Florida Cone marco
I met Ron from Marco out on this sand bar and he told me that he has found numerous JUNONIAS in the very same spot at daybreak. He has slept on his boat to get there first. He said he goes out there to fish but if the fish aren’t biting, he shells.
Ron (Marco)
You can see how narrow this bar is….
Mary Jo shelling
I won’t even tell you how many times we almost got stuck on the shallow flats. It’s not easy boating down there if you don’t know the waters (which we don’t). Then the boat ride back was 2 and a half hours back to the dock ….. the gulf was very choppy which makes the ride very intense (ugh). It was a beautiful day in Marco but I’m sure glad to be back on Sanibel. To be able to walk out on the beach to find incredible shells by the handful…. priceless.
Leopard Crab shell
Mary Jo and Clark in Marco
beautiful! thanks again for sharing!!
hubby just asked me to ask you if there are any restaurants that u can reccommend. we will be down end of march. we’ve done bubble room & mucky duck, fun & delish. thanks,debby
Try the Island Cow. The food was awesome and the atmosphere was fun!
http://www.shellbellestikihut.com/2010/11/dining-on-sanibel-island.html
I love The Timbers. They have the best crabcakes on the islands.
My family also likes RC Otters on Captiva. It is right down the street from Bubble room. Also, lunchtime places are Shnapper Hots. Great place!
We love the Over Easy Cafe! Right near Baileys at Tarpon Bay Rd. intersection with Periwinkle. Fabulous!
Try the Hungry Heron, too!
Looks like the kind of place that might be good to kayak around? That natica, wow, it’s big. Nice specimen– it must be close to the max size? Thank you for sharing your boating adventure!
loved the tiny minis in the wentletrap pic there were to many to count the cone s pretty special too
Hey Pam!
What a fun day. I bet your heart jumped when you spotted the big jay. That is going to make a stunning necklace.
The shell you found is called a Gaudy Nautica according to one of my shell books.
Marco Sand Bars are one of my all time favourite places on Earth. I live in UK and come to Marco most years around Nov/Dec – I have many lovely shells from there, I must take some photo’s – following your lovely blog has helped me indentify so many of them – I can’t wait to be back there. Thinking of renting in or around Sanibel this year….. Oh and I can reccommend Doc Ford’s Bar and Grille for lunch – Randy Wayne White is signing his new book there today. I would give anything to be there !!! unfortunately I am stuck in the UK.
That looks like it was a blast. Whoo Hoo!! to the junonia…. I love the beach worn look.
That’s a great Junonia, maybe not a whole one…but “almost”…bet your heart was beating fast when you spotted that!
I’ve never wanted to go to Marco . . . until now!
That FL cone and moon snail are AWESOME! so envious of the cool stuff you’re finding.
It seems like a lot of us are coming to Sanibel in the end of March. Too bad we can’t all get together and meet.
There is a great restaurant called The Stone Crab- my sister and I ate there EVERY NIGHT on our last trip down- food is delicious and service was excellent.
That great large shell IS a Gaudy Natica- I have found a few myself but not that big!! Great finds!!
Isn’t the stone crab restaurant near all those nice “permit A” parking areas?
I have always had better luck on Marco then Sanibel for shelling. Found a 3 inch perfect Junionia one year that had just washed up. Also, best locale for lightening whelks, alphabet cones and both true and banded tulips. Be careful to check them first because many are occupied and must be thrown back!
Hi, great post, the weather is nice here and I just wish I was back at the beach. I gave you a shout out today, stop on by and help us celebrate.
Wow, awesome finds…wish I was back there now! Here in Michigan we got 8 inches of fresh snow. Yuck!!!!! Oh… to be back in the sunshine on the beach!
great post! I am so excited to get there in 25 days!
I plan to paint and photograph, as well as shell. Ding Darling here we come!
So if you only find half a Junonia the other half must still be out there waiting for you. Maybe he’ll talk to his friends and your next find will be a whole. I’d be there sleeping on my boat too for one of those. Love Marco for sand dollars too.
i have always been jealous of you living on the islands but even more so now that i think about boating to a shelling destination……you are one lucky woman to live in paradise and be able to travel by boat on the beautiful waters to get from location to location!! thanks again for sharing your experience with us.
AWESOME shelling adventure!! I only wish!! A wonderful natica, and the partial junonia is a great find, too. Happy day!
I love this website so much info and great pictures I look forward to each days adventure.My husband and I will be there first time in May Can’t wait