The Treasures of Sanibel Island
by: Marlene Biondo

According to this particular crafter, Ft. Myers beach and several other Florida beaches have shelling opportunities as well, but none are as richly laden with shells as Sanibel. Apparently, Sanibel Island is the king of the treasures of the sea.

"So, Sanibel really is the hot spot for serious shelling then?" I asked.

The crafter said, "Absolutely!" It's my favorite spot in the US to gather shells. If you like to collect sea shells, then you really must visit Sanibel. It's the best." The crafter's display area included large and small bouquets of flowers made from shells, night lights, magnets, jewelry boxes, and numerous other crafts as well. This crafter's inventory was so large and the variety of his crafts so great, that it was obvious that he was an experienced sheller with a world of wisdom to share with a novice.

A month later, in April of '97 I arrived at Sanibel Island for my first visit. It was 11:30 a.m. Just as I had been warned, the traffic was exhausting. The first Sanibel natives to greet us were approximately 40 pelicans. Their accumulated figures supplied a rugged and honest beauty at the shoreline. Soon after seeing the pelicans, we located the beach. With two of my children accompanying me, I paid for parking, and we hit the beach.

The most pleasing shells found on this trip were small white clam shells perfect for jewelry. I envisioned many together as a bracelet or a singular shell becoming a pendant hanging from a chain. My daughter thought the small white clam shell would make a perfect angel's body. I thought she had a great idea.

The crowds were soaking up the Florida sun and spreading across the beach as far as the eye could reach. Our treasure hunt was limited. We were careful not to invade the other tourists' territories, and we were also careful not to pick up living specimens. My young son was delighted with the live specimens and wanted to take them home as pets. He was fascinated with their movement and appearance. His treasure would not be taken home in a bag. His treasure would be a memory stored forever. These images were among many that could only be taken home with a camera.

Another image for the photo enthusiasts would be the Sanibel lighthouse. This prominent figure on the Sanibel landscape is one that many visitors feel a must to photograph. Other typical subjects are pets that dot the beaches, brightly colored umbrellas, sunbathers, beach combers, and those who simply walk the beach . . . . taking in the view of the beach itself and to the vistas beyond.

In January of '98 I again visited Sanibel Island with several members of my family. The traffic was comfortable and the shells were plentiful and the variety much better since there were fewer shellers to compete with. The seashore was cool and the wind was up. There was minor activity on the beach, and even one lone sun bather!

Both visits to Sanibel were enjoyed. My recommendation would be to visit Sanibel in the Summer, during high season, but stay on the island to avoid the congested traffic, and to make the best use of your time in order to make sure you catch the high tides and low tides. The shells are plentiful enough for the average collector. I would also recommend a several day visit to leave plenty of time to visit with locals, and other shellers to see what shells they had collected.

The best times to find shells are just after high tide, or just after low tide. Sanibel shops provide free tide charts that tell what time the tides comes in every day. Free advertising magazines also highlight businesses and activities on the island.

Sanibel shoppers can choose from any number of find restaurants specializing in everything from a prime rib dinner to a seafood spectacular. You can choose from restaurants that serve a hamburger and fries or dine in on the finest French and Italian cuisine. Sanibel stores sell just about anything you would enjoy shopping for -- fine antiques, collectibles, jewelry, golf equipment, clothing, candy, coffee, crafts, ice cream, and sea shells..... many, many sea shells. In fact if you want for more specimens than you find on the beach, you'll find plenty in the sea shell shops. Not only do they include native shells from Sanibel, but shells from all over the world! It is like entering a museum, with all the shells labeled with names, and their places of origin.

Other than shopping while visiting Sanibel, activities could include fishing, bird watching, a visit to the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge, and hour of relaxing massage therapy, trunk shows, world class art shows, annual craft sales, visiting a comedy club, and of course.... more shelling.

After returning from Sanibel our treasured shells became of use in a variety of ways. After cleaning them in bleach and allowing them to dry in the sun, my daughter and I put our creativity to work. The shells became decorations on the band of a straw hat. Shells were transformed to magnets, hair clips, bracelets, pendants, pins, lapel pins, and hat pins. The miniature shells became floating gems in clear liquid bubble bath displayed in a decorator bottle, with glitter added for fun. The bottle top was corked, and then dipped in wax to cover the cork and top of the bottle. Then a lovely gold-wired ribbon was added along with a coordinated cord with medium/small shells hot glued on to the ends. This project was used as a bathroom accent. Using a heart shaped bottle we added colored sand until 1/3 full, then added small shells to create a miniature terrarium. To finish this project, we tied on a coordinated ribbon and topped the bottle with a cork. Occasionally the bottle can be tipped to see different shells in the sand. Small shells evenly matched became earings. To add shine we painted the shells' surface with clear fingernail polish. We still have many shells left and more ideas to discover. Whether the treasures you experience are memories or shells or crafts that have come into being as the result of visiting Sanibel.... our trip was well worth it... and the treasures sublime.