seashells in barbados

[iluvseashells]

Hello all

Can anyone tell me of any beaches near cruise ship that has a lot of shells.

Thanks

[iluvseashells]

Hi again,

If anyone knows of any seashell stores that would also be great

Thanks

[Sarah T]

Hi Iloveseashells

 

The are not any beaches in Barbados that have tons of shells and to me the one that has the most and sometimes theres not a great lot is Bathsheba which is not close to the port.

 

In terms of Sea shell stores. There is a great little shell gallery in Gibbs there is also a shop at North point that sells shells :)

 

I hope this helps a bit :)

[Aplmac]

There aren't any beaches in Barbados that have tons of shells

and to me the one that has the most..

(and sometimes there's not a great lot)

..is Bathsheba which is not close to the port.

 

In terms of Sea shell stores, there's a great little shell gallery in Gibbs

-there is also a shop at North Point that sells shells :)

 

I hope this helps a bit :)

Sarah's right...

 

Despite the perceptions

and the advertising shots showing pretty girls 'discovering' fabulous molluscan specimens,

Barbados (and most of the other Caribbean islands,too)

don't have shelly beaches as you might like it!

 

A Marine Bio Professor once explained to me

that the reason for this is that our waters are simply too clean!

Seashells and similar small invertebrate marine organisms

thrive best where freshwater meets the salty stuff, i.e. mouths of large rivers,

and these small Caribbean islands are too sunny and lacking in rainfall

to sport even small rivers!

Apologies for the disappointment.

 

Yes, the shell shop up at Gibbes, near Mullins Beach

(but set back from the coastal hiway about 200 yds. inland...up a side road

- and worth the small trek!) does have nice shells,

but few are of truly local origin.

 

Truth is that Atlantic molluscan fauna simply can't compete

with the fabulous material from the Philippines..

and much that's offered locally comes from that Far Eastern source, sorry!

 

Take this from someone who's collected seashells seriously,

over the last 25 years!

[Aplmac]

Your best bet for picking the hi-tide driftline

is along the surf-active East Coast

 

...as Sarah mentioned

Bathsheba, Cattlewash, Barclays Park on the long East Coast beach

that stretches all the way to Morgan Lewis and beyond to Pico Tennerife.

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

NO SWIMMING ALONG THIS STRETCH!

 

It's awfully pretty but dangerous, even if you're a strong swimmer.

Heed the signs you see posted along that coast! :(

 

If it's low tide and rocky tidepools offer themselves,

the tidepools are perfectly okay, but please don't go in the surf

- there are wicked treacherous undertows!

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

The surf is the mechanism by which the seashells are cast ashore

and this simply doesn't happen very much on the calm West Coast beaches.

 

You did say "near the cruise ship"

but the East Coast is clear across the other side of the island!

 

If you decide to lunch at Atlantis, or to do Andromeda Gardens(very close to Atlantis)

then you'll be on the right -and scenic- side of the island.

 

Barclays Park may be best for finding one or two Atlantic Yellow Cowries(Cypraea acicularis)

and other species, since few locals or tourists pick the driftline,there

but again this is NOT close to the cruise-ship and you may need to reconsider your priorities

in return for not a heckuva lot, to be perfectly honest with you!!:)

 

 

Sorry 'bout dat!

 

.............

 

Here's the view from Atlantis' balcony, where I had lunch yesterday

- that's Pico Tennerife off in the far distance.

 

THIS is the strip of coastline I've discussed, above.

 

__________________________________

[jackdiamond]

If you are singnificantly interested in shells, then you might wish to visit Sanibel Island, Florida, the shelling capital of the western hemisphere.

[iluvseashells]

Thank you all for your input.

I recently went to Cape Cod and saw Sailors Valentines in a museum and fell in love with them. I started making them myself. Folklore has it that when lovesick sailors went away in the early 1800's they came back with Wooden Octagon Boxes filled with tiny shells in all intricate designs. They gave their loved ones these boxes and told them that this is what they did when they were away at sea for months at a time. The truth was that

craftsman from Barbados crafted them and the sailors bought them for their loved ones.

I was actually going to go to Sanibel Island but I ended up going on my first cruise to Southern Caribbean instead.

I cannot wait

Thanks again

[Aplmac]

I recently went to Cape Cod and saw Sailors Valentines in a museum and fell in love with them. I started making them myself. Folklore has it that when lovesick sailors went away in the early 1800's they came back with Wooden Octagon Boxes filled with tiny shells in all intricate designs. They gave their loved ones these boxes and told them that this is what they did when they were away at sea for months at a time. The truth was that

craftsman from Barbados crafted them and the sailors bought them for their loved ones.

 

Yes, Barbados as it turns out,

is the Sailors Valentine's capital-of-the-World,somehow..

and our local Barbados Museum has some amazing examples

from waaaay back when!

 

I'll try to attach a few pics I have, but I've noticed lately

that attached pics on cruisecritic don't always "stick"

and are strangely absent, a week or two later!

These pics were taken at the Barbados Museum

and you can see them when you visit the island.

 

................................

 

email me

pcdoctor@caribsurf.com

________________________________

[jackdiamond]

If you ever visit Sanibel and acquire some of the beautiful shells, you may wish to follow the following procedure to process same:

1. Dip the shells in boiling water for 10 seconds, and then cool quickly; and,

2. Then immerse in a solution of 1 part lighter fluid and 2 parts baby oil, in a jar, for a period of about 24 hours, turning jar often; and,

3. Then dry on a paper towel for a few hours.

Caveat: $50.00, fine for each live shell taken. For example, you will often see live lightning whelts. They should be returned to the water.

[jackdiamond]

If you ever visit Sanibel and acquire some of the beautiful shells, you may wish to follow the following procedure to process same:

1. Dip the shells in boiling water for 10 seconds, and then cool quickly; and,

2. Then immerse in a solution of 1 part lighter fluid and 2 parts baby oil, in a jar, for a period of about 24 hours, turning jar often; and,

3. Then dry on a paper towel for a few hours.

Caveat: $50.00, fine for each live shell taken. For example, you will often see live lightning whelts. They should be returned to the water.

[Aplmac]

If you ever visit Sanibel and acquire some of the beautiful shells, you may wish to follow the following procedure to process same:

1. Dip the shells in boiling water for 10 seconds, and then cool quickly; and,

2. Then immerse in a solution of 1 part lighter fluid and 2 parts baby oil, in a jar, for a period of about 24 hours, turning jar often; and,

3. Then dry on a paper towel for a few hours.

Caveat: $50.00, fine for each live shell taken. For example, you will often see live lightning whelts. They should be returned to the water.

I don't like the boiling water bit, even if for 'just' 10 seconds.

 

The coloration in a shell in maintained by a protein matrix thru the calcium carbonate

and is maintained by the living mollusc wot made the shell.

The minute the mollusc is removed, that protein matrix starts to die slowly

and the colour starts fading, with any heat accelerating that fading process!

 

I freeze my shells to kill the mollusc, prior to extraction,

but I surmise the process you're describing

is more of a colour preservation technique?

 

I still would avoid the heat bit.

Just stick em in the solution without the boiling water, no?

 

I used to put Johnson's Baby Oil on my shells

to better saturate their colour. Works quite well

but you have to re-do it every so often.

[iluvseashells]

Hi Aplmac

What a great surprise to see these pictures. I will be sure to stop at the museum. If you are ever in Cape Cod MA take the ferry over to Nantucket Island and they also have them in their museum.

Thanks again for the great pics

[jackdiamond]

Alpmac, I am inclined to try your freezing regimen instead of the heat. However, I assume you are referring only to dead shells, since the acquisition of live shells is proscribed by law in Florida.

[Aplmac]

Alpmac, I am inclined to try your freezing regimen instead of the heat.

However, I assume you are referring only to dead shells,

since the acquisition of live shells is proscribed by law in Florida.

 

No I meant living molluscs.

 

You'll notice that I live in Barbados

and so am not governed by the laws of Florida.:)

 

Local laws only apply to the reef corals itself

and even so.. enforcement is laughable - :D

[jackdiamond]

We will be in beautiful Barbados next year. However, we will not harvest any of your shells since we have a plethora thereof on the beaches of Sanibel Island.

Interestingly in this area the enforcement is rather strict. A couple of years ago, a fellow was caught with 50 sand dollars; at $50.00, per sand dollar, a rather expensive day on the beach at beautiful Sanibel Island.

[Aplmac]

We will be in beautiful Barbados next year.

However, we will not harvest any of your shells

Barbados is particularly shell-less as previously explained

- our waters being simply too clean and or picked over by an island population of nearly three hundred thousand!! :eek:

 

For 4 years I ran on offshore deepwater shelling operation

tapping the resources at 450-700 ft. depths, where the real goodies are!

Traps and dredging were the two sampling methodologies utilised.

 

The morning three Noble Wentletraps came up in one trap off Sandy Lane,

along with a Perotrochus quoyanus...was akin to Christmas.:)

 

Alas, such days were few and far between, but it was fun while it lasted,

and if you're ever on the island, do give me a ring at 427-0146

and come up to the house where I'll show you what's left of my collection...

..90% of it being deepwater,of course...

 

 

Regards,

 

David Hunt.