Incredible Day Shelling at Shackleford Banks!

Today I finally got to check out a shelling destination that has been on my bucket list for years now: Shackleford Banks in the North Carolina Crystal Coast!
This was the only day I was able to get out there, I came in on a totally random date on the first ferry of the day (9AM), and these were the shells I found. I was able to cross off two new shells off my shelling bucket list! This was filmed in December 2022, so the off season may have made it easier to find shells out in the open.
I took the trip with the Island Express Ferry service from Beaufort, North Carolina:
www.islandexpr...
This is the specific trip I booked:
www.islandexpr...

[@lindaleehulsey3167]

OMG I have watched videos shelling but this place DROVE ME CRAZZZzzzzy. Just to B there and hear the ocean see that many shells everywhere would B 4 sure SHELL HEAVEN.😂❤THANK YOU 4 TAKING ME.

[@shellstories]

The piles there are pretty crazy. Thank you so much!

[@marie-sophie4]

This a truly a shelling paradise ! Fantastic shells wow ! Olives are my favourite but love all the shells ! A couple weeks ago I was in Cuba and found the most amazing shell ever a murex ramosus in perfect condition with beautiful spikes ! I couldn’t believe I found it in the water buried in the sand ! I love sea shells they’re like little treasures from the beautiful mother nature ❤️🏖️🐚🐠

[@shellstories]

Thank you very much. It was an awesome day for sure. How exciting to find a murex shell like that, congrats on your find!

[@karenwestbrook2352]

Definitely on my bucket list! Awesome video,

[@shellstories]

Thank you so much!

[@moonlitpearl700]

I have never found a helmet shell and I have been shelling for 55 years. What a day you had!

[@shellstories]

Location is key. I'm sure you can find one on this island if you go on the first ferry, they're all over the place. Happy hunting and thanks so much for commenting!

[@catpeach1825]

i’m going back to shackleford in a week and i’m torturing myself watching these shelling videos 😭😭 i literally can’t wait to go

[@shellstories]

@@catpeach1825 I know the feeling! I hope you find tons of awesome shells :)

[@rickyjones5104]

Nice haul. You really should try Cape Lookout. Welks galore. We found three intact helmets and one scotch. Had 2 backpacks and 2 five gallon buckets of large welks. Get off the ferry and follow the UTV road towards the end. About a 4 mile walk each way. Will not disappoint!

[@shellstories]

I have to get out there some day! Thank you so much for watching and commenting :)

[@brendagroff8478]

I really like your videos. Don't like all the chit chat. Good editing too. Thankyou.

[@shellstories]

Thank you so much! It means a lot :)

[@soule101]

Awesome video

[@shellstories]

Thank you :)

[@kathyjund7212]

I have always hoped you'd find helmets... I was dying each time you did too. Even with the backs broken..what a view! I'd love them just as much in my collection too.. so happy for you! A fabulous day indeed!!!

[@shellstories]

Thank you! I was also hoping to find helmets eventually. They seem to be extremely difficult to find intact (which is not surprising). Thanks for watching and commenting :)

[@douglasstemke2444]

I was there years ago. What I noted was the gigantisms. The Lettered olives, Baby/Sailors Ears, and even loan bubble were WAY bigger than those I ever found in Florida and Texas

[@shellstories]

It's very interesting how it is easier to find larger specimens of some species on those beaches. Getting a whelk larger than 5 inches long in FL can be tricky, yet in NC they are all over the place! I noticed a similar thing with olives and shark eyes in the Holden Beach area too, they are massive and absolutely everywhere! Thank you so much for watching and commenting!

[@tishbass4361]

Shaq is always a fave for shelling. 🐚🪸

[@shellstories]

For sure!

[@saraclark8611]

Wow! What an extraordinary day! Certainly have been enjoying watching your channel! Thank you for taking me along!

[@shellstories]

Thank you so much, it really means a lot! This trip really was all I could have hoped for.

[@soozieq697]

Last summer, I found a really nice large lion's paw at Shackelford. We love that area for shelling.

[@dawnwilkinson8717]

Lovely scenery and great shell finds. Thank you for sharing.😃😃😃

[@shellstories]

Thank you so much! :)

[@moonlitpearl700]

I will have to plan a trip there. Thanks for taking me along. Great haul

[@lauram5195]

Omg!!!! Bucket list destination!!! I am so happy for your amazing trip and amazing finds. That murex and all those helmets, I can’t 😂. Thank you for sharing this experience. 🤗 🐚 🐚 🐚 🐚

[@shellstories]

Thank you very much! I was so happy with that murex, at that point it's been years since I've even found a piece. I was hoping to get one helmet, and to see so many in one day was extraordinary!

[@kristibruns6111]

Wow!! What an awesome day of shelling!!

[@shellstories]

Thanks so much! :)

[@youniverse6841]

Wow the size of those shells are huge!!! Great video!!

[@shellstories]

I was in awe! Thank you so much :)

[@MrsFazz68]

That was shell paradise ❤ Awesome

[@shellstories]

It definitely was!

[@SWFBeachLife]

Oh my goodness! It paid off to be first off the ferry! Those shells were awesome. Those Giant Eastern Murex finds were incredible. How fun to find one on the beach instead of in a shell shop. I can’t believe how many helmets there were. I wonder if being from SWFL helps us appreciate the shells there. Fabulous video! PS - thanks for the pro tip about beating the crowds!

[@shellstories]

I was so psyched with the Giant Eastern Murex, I had hardly even found pieces of those before. I so wish I could have gone again but that was my only day. Highly recommended for helmets and whelks, and the key absolutely is to beat the crowds. Thank you so much for watching! :)

[@lauriewatson2822]

Such awesome shelling...Nice!

[@shellstories]

Thank you! :)

[@heinrichheine6137]

Awesome finds! Love the video!

[@shellstories]

Thank you. It means a lot :)

[@FloridaBeachWalks]

Beautiful helmet shells 😍even though broken. I found a lot of busted ones like that in a dredge pile once on the east coast of Florida, but the inner layers were not broken so I would chip away at the broken layers to revel the inner layer as the entire shell...so it looked like a juvenile whole helmet shell. I did that with a few of them and you can't tell ❤

[@Me-mt8it]

Yep shackleford is the place to go!!! My second home!

[@shellstories]

It was definitely very fruitful for me!

[@andouille9950]

Those creamy whelks are stunning...

[@shellstories]

They're pretty darn cool!

[@Me-mt8it]

I’m very jealous you’re there now!

[@soozieq697]

That whole area is known for helmet shells. I find a nice one every year when we go on vacation. Ft.Macon tends to have some nice ones too.

[@admsk03]

So many helmet shells but broken !!!

[@stk.plantation2912]

Mantap

[@brendagroff8478]

Can you please show us your shell collection?

[@shellstories]

That video is in the works! I have actually made a shell collection video in the past, but by now its pretty old, so my collection has changed a decent bit since then. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWGzpKZroJVjiMk Thanks so much for watching and commenting! :)

[@geraldinesera8915]

Stop walking "ON" THE SHELL PILES, walk around them....

[@heinrichheine6137]

Feel free to correct and educate me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that walking around those huge shell piles would defeat the purpose of finding specimens that might be in the middle of the pile. I don’t get to the seaside very often, so I might be misunderstanding the concept of shelling.

[@Phoenix-LBS]

@@heinrichheine6137yes u are right, every one goes around but it kind of doesn’t break the shells