.09 Spring Break 2025: Florida Gulf Coast
Anyone who’s into shells and beachcombing knows the Florida Gulf Coast is the top shelling in the US. And although we weren’t able to hit Sanibel or Anna Maria Island this time around, I am thrilled with the haul I brought home. And even more excited that everything but one mussel made it through two flights in one piece!
Okay so new knowledge to me - the tides are different in the Gulf than they are in North Carolina/Virginia. Instead of two obvious highs and lows, there’s one low, a kind-of high, a kind-of low, and then a high. Honestly they’re really weird. I much prefer the highs and lows of the Atlantic. But regardless, I was able to shell first thing in the morning and then again in the afternoons/evenings. We took a trip down to Caspersan one day as well and the shelling was to die for. Check out the photos below for all of my beachcombing finds!
Favorite finds include: Calico box crab carapace, Sunray Venus clams, cobalt blue sea glass, vertebrae in amazing condition, piece of tile, yellow & orange Calico scallops, a beautiful operculum, Flame-streaked box crab claws, spiny oyster & lion’s paw pieces, and the flat Zigzag scallops.
My biggest and best piece of advice if you plan on flying home with shells - air-tight plastic containers. I love this set from Target, but any brand will do. I picked out the containers that were the size I needed and the rest replaced our very worn-out, mis-matched collection of Tupperware.. I packed the horseshoe molt stuffed with tissue on the underside and around the inside of the container so it didn’t move at all when shaken. All the crab appendages went in a small, AIR-TIGHT container (so important if you plan to bring home anything that still smells. If your luggage stinks of rotten fish, I can almost guarantee it will get flagged, searched, and your finds confiscated.) Any shells I hadn’t got around to washing all went into a gallon bag that I wrapped in a dirty hoodie. All of these items were packed in my checked suitcase - I didn’t want to risk them taking the horseshoe molt and crab pieces. And lastly, my most favorite finds all went in an air-tight container that stayed in my carry-on. I made sure there was still a tiny bit of room for them to move, because if they’re mashed together tightly, the shells and fragile items will break in transit. All-in-all, I only lost a single mussel on the flights home and nothing got confiscated. I am beyond thrilled almost everything made it home safely. Now - on to washing, sorting, organizing, and creating!