6 Florida shellers share 'spectacular' find stories to celebrate National Seashell Day

Happy National Seashell Day!

Do you celebrate? If you live in Southwest Florida, or on or near any beach in Florida, the chances are pretty good that you do.

Florida is a mecca for seashell hunters. And Southwest Florida takes things to the next level. Did you know that the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau created National Seashell Day in 2016? And did you know Sanibel Island (located in Southwest Florida) is called "Seashell Captal of the World" because of its abundance of shells?

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To celebrate 2023 National Seashell Day, we connected with six "shellers" who posted their amazing finds on social media this spring. These are their photos and their stories:

Jessica Crozier: 'A spectacular find'

"I found my horse conch shell on May 31. We were visiting from Texas. My husband is a journeyman lineman and is here working for a while. We were walking along Nerita Beach on Sanibel with my daughter and I saw the tail end of it sticking out of the sand about 3 inches. I thought for sure it had been broken. No way I could be that lucky. But I pulled it and the whole thing came out. Completely empty and not even a crack in it. In Texas, we live on the Gulf Coast so I have been beach combing pretty much my whole life. But this is definitely the most spectacular of all of my finds. It will absolutely be displayed in my home. I am so proud of it. I am still in shock."

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John Yates: 'I couldn't stop laughing'

"I enjoyed your story about finding a Junonia shell on Sanibel Island. My name is John. I live on Pennsylvania and I am 67. I started shelling 60 years ago. My parents would take us to Florida every summer to Sanibel or St. Pete and I would walk the beach with my dad looking for shells and sand dollars. I would go back to Florida often and shell. I found it relaxing. Listening to the ocean and feel the sea breeze. I have friends on Marco Island and since I retired seven years ago I visit three or four times a year and spend time shelling. A month ago, I visited them and went on several shelling tours. Their son has the Florida Adventures Tours in Marco and I would take that and visit the Ten Thousand Islands and look for shells. I have found many types and cool shells over the years but never found a Junonia.

"After a week of not really finding much I got up early the morning of April 28. It was my last day in Florida so I decided to take a walk on Tigertail Beach in Marco. It was an hour walk. It was a beautiful morning and except for a few joggers, I was alone. The tide was coming in and I didn't find much of anything interesting. I reached the end of the beach and decided to look in the water but the waves were too rough for shelling. I decided to walk back and I  walked about 20 yards and there in front of me a wave rolled a junonia. I started to laugh as I picked up the shell that the ocean decided to give me. I couldn't stop laughing. I didn't expect to find one. It is a beautiful shell and a good size and color. My house is full of shells that I displayed. The junonia is my favorite and I will never forget the day I found it and the memories of the long walk and the gift of the sea."

Kris Murphy: Two rare finds

"Hello! I saw your article on the Junonia shell that was found recently and thought I would share with you the two rare finds that I have had within a month of each other.  My first find was a Scotch Bonnet on the shores of Manasota Beach. The second was a Junonia in about four feet of water off the Gulf side of Cayo Costa Island."

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Torie Terry Costilow: A perfect little 'baby-j'

"I definitely couldn't believe I found not one, but two junonia shells. I am over the moon! I found my first junonia on May 20 near Blind Pass in Sanibel. To be honest, the night before I had a dream about finding a junonia, because honestly it has always been just a dream. I normally do not get in the water past my ankles. But I decided to start snorkeling around a little. I had been wading in the water for quite awhile going under the water maybe 5-10 feet right off the beach finding lots of wonderful shells. I went down and ran my hands over a pile of shells and screamed under the water when I saw the junonia. I just couldn’t believe it. I grabbed it and came out of the water holding it tightly tell me family to look, look what I found. It was perfect and such a nice size I just really was over the moon excited.

"I found my second junonia on May 23 at Tween Waters Resort where I was staying for the week. There were not many shells on the beach and the water was very calm so I decided to grab my goggles and see what I could find in the water. I was going down and just looking and grabbing all the pretty shells I could find. Within an hour or so I went down in the water maybe a couple feet right off the beach and could not believe my eyes when I saw the little junonia shell. I had been finding multiple pieces so honestly I thought it was just another broken piece but it wasn’t . It was a perfect little baby j!!

"I was in Sanibel visiting. This was my third trip there. I was there celebrating my moms 50th birthday. Sanibel is our little slice of heaven. It’s our home away from home, so we go there to celebrate her each year now. I am from Grenada, Mississippi. I definitely call myself a die hard sea shell collector. All thanks to my mom, Jennifer, for the slight obsession with shells. It is also fun sea shell hunting. It’s so therapeutic to me.

"My Mamaw bought me a cute little case for both of my junonia shells. I have them displayed in my living room at my house where I have lots of my wonderful finds displayed. I enjoy hunting for and finding sea shells because it’s normally time spent with my mom and Mamaw Morris. We share the love for shells and it means a lot to me. It’s amazing to me that God created each sea shell to be so different, so unique, and so beautiful in their own special ways."

Lynne Butkiewicz: 'I do it for fun'

Lynne posted about her find on Facebook and said: "This is my eighth season of Sea Turtle patrol and my second junonia shell found."

In a text message with The News-Press, Lynne added: "I found it on West Gulf Beach, access No. 1, in two feet of water. I saw some spots. So many people have found them since Hurricane Ian. I do it for fun. I live here. I am on the board at the Sanibel Community House and I am also the co-chair of the Sanibel Shellcrafters. Things are going slow on Sanibel with a lack of workers showing up. "

Lynn Bowen-Radcliff: 'Thrilled to find such a gem'

"My sister and I were on the island for a week to give support to both Sanibel and Captiva. We have been coming to Sanibel for the last six years with two other cousins − girls trip! We found lots of great shells this trip. My sister found a junonia on Lighthouse Beach just a few days before I found this 12-inch whelk while we were walking the beach close to what was Mitchell's Sand castles on West Gulf Drive. I felt it with my foot while in about calf deep water. I could see the top of it. I had to dig with both hands to get it out of the sand. It was unoccupied. I was thrilled to find such a gem. I paint scenes of Sanibel  and Captiva on whelks. This one, I will paint the path that once was beach access No. 7 before Ian changed it forever. It will be one that I keep for myself.

Amazing shell art: The best way to describe Fort Myers woman's passion for seashells is 'heartwarming'

We live in East Tennessee. We didn't hesitate to come down. My family had a family vacation planned at Blind Pass condos two days after Ian hit. I have several really good friends who live on the Island or own property on it. I've been coming for 11 years as of this week.  So, we have heavy hearts for what our friends have lost. One has already rebuilt. The other is in the rebuilding stage.  We were both very saddened by the destruction we saw eight months out. At the same time,  the people on the islands, restaurants, businesses welcomed us with open arms."

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: National Seashell Day promotes popular pastime on Florida beaches