#shellcollection

Gigi x Shelly !

a guide by a floridian sand gremlin

WEAR SUNSCREEN!!!

Start in the sand before the shoreline, there’s a lot of broken shells there, they’re can be really pretty shards in there (you can do this while waiting for the sunscreen to soak up) wear shoes or sandals if they hurt your feet too much.

if you like a shell, grab it. It doesn’t matter if it’s small or broken, or covered in barnacles and worn down with holes. There is no such thing as an “ugly shell” so go crazy!

After the sunscreen has soaked in, and if the water is clear enough, wade to about knee-thigh height and squint as best you can to see what’s at the bottom. The waves are just something you have to deal with, look for half buried objects and tread carefully (sting-ray shuffle if your a floridian). If you see something grab it. You can also put on goggles and stick your head in the water to find things.

Make sure you don’t stay in the same place twice, pick a direction and wade/walk through a bit. But don’t stay there.

Stay close to the shore of the waves are especially large (California). Don’t risk our life for the sake of a shell.

(This doesn’t always work) but you can go deeper, just use goggles and stay low to the bottom like a sting-ray, dig around and pick up things you like (mostly shards, leave the crabs and fish alone)

Take breaks, if you find that your not finding anything good, go back and sit in the shade and drink water, if you live in a colder place, wrap yourself up for a bit. Make sure to reapply sunscreen and eat something too! Take stock of how many shells you have collected, and maybe even start identifying them!

Make sure to show people what you find! There’s so much validation in seeing your friends gawk at the shell you found.

Make sure to clean your shells!!! I made the mistake of just sticking them in jars when I got home WITHOUT CLEANING THEM, and they stink...so make sure you use water and bleach and clean those suckers good.