The Shell Nuts - Episode 16 - Southern California Shelling Revisited

Hi fellow beach and shell lovers! In this episode we travel back to Southern California to visit family and also had the opportunity to visit 2 beautiful beaches: Newport Beach and the Del Mar / Torrey Pines state beach area. There weren't any waves or storms before we got there so the shelling was a little slow, but did we find some cute collections of shells and were able to have some beautiful walks and hopefully capture some fun video. Even though my wife Kandie is terrified of public speaking and making recordings, she was kind enough to step away from her Instagram duties and help narrate this video for us. We fumble a bit more than usual with shell identification in this video because we're not overly familiar with shells on the Pacific coast and we had trouble locating some of them in our books and through Google, so if you want to correct us or fill in the gaps for any identities of these shells, we greatly appreciate your help in the Comments section. Hope you enjoy and thanks in advance for watching!

[@tonistephic]

Wow, what amazing colors on the calico scallops and the cohenas are very colorful as well. Thank you for sharing your time at the beaches. I am glad you finally found sand dollars that were not broken. Thank you for taking us along with your shelling video. Have a wonderful day.

[@theshellnuts]

Thank you for stopping by and checking out our video, and also for the kind words here. Really appreciated! You have a wonderful day also. :)

[@glenora1974]

You two are so relaxing to watch! Thank you for the break from the daily grind and stress. 🤗🤗🤗

[@theshellnuts]

Hi Glenora! Thank you for tuning in and for your kind words here. It's really really appreciated! :)

[@dawnwilkinson8717]

The purple clams in the first beach walk may be Varnish Clams. I love all the Coquinas scattered along the second beach. If I were there I would have to collect them all! So many colours and patterns. Thank you for sharing your beach walks.

[@theshellnuts]

Thank you Dawn for helping us identify those purple clams. Really appreciated! We agree with you, the Coquinas were super cute and it was difficult not to collect a lot more. Thank you for the kind words here and checking out our video. Really appreciated!

[@theshellnuts]

Hello Dawn and happy Friday! We recently found out that the coquinas are actually bean clam with hydroid (the hairy stuff) attached to them. The bean clam are related to the coquinas. It's amazing how many different shells are out there. 😊 Take care and have a great weekend!

[@dianerichmond7105]

Hi! I'm always happy when you post a new video! Wow, those coquinas looked big compared to what I see on our beaches! Nice to see somewhat different scallops, too! It's nice when family is nearby, but when they are not nearby, it's nice when they live somewhere interesting (and near beaches)!

[@theshellnuts]

Hey Diane! We hope you're doing well. :) Yes, the coquinas are slightly larger than the ones on our beaches here in Florida so it was fun to grab a small collection. You're absolutely right, it's great when family can live somewhere interesting. They say the same thing about us. :) As always, thank you for your sharing your thoughts here. Really appreciated!

[@theshellnuts]

Hello Diane and happy Friday! We recently found out that the coquinas are actually bean clams with hydroids (the hairy stuff) attached to them. The bean clams are related to the coquinas. 😊

[@dianerichmond7105]

TY, I saw the short you posted, and then I read up on both bean clams and hydroids. Sounds like the bean clams and coquinas are cousins! Thanks for the additional info and the video! Gotta love new stuff! @@theshellnuts

[@kathyjund7212]

Thank you for the ca beach video!...I live out here and so glad yo see the beach I miss getting out to! Great scallops..those moons getting whole ones can be a challenge was hoping for a giant limped or abalone for you!

[@theshellnuts]

Hi Kathy! We're happy to bring a little bit of shelling content to KZbin from your neck of the woods. :) We'll create one in Cali every year when we head out there and hopefully at some point we'll score some of those shells you mentioned. We just received some good advice from another viewer so maybe we can try out a new place(Isla Vista near Santa Barbara) next time and have something cool to show. As always, thanks for stopping by and for your kind feedback. :)

[@isaacc473]

The large auger-like shell in part 1 that was occupied was a California Horn Snail. If you are still in southern california, I've personally had the most success finding shells on the beaches of Isla Vista near Santa Barbara. While it is a bit of a haul to get there from Los Angeles, I've found many murexes, cowries, and turbans while there. There and Pacific Grove (near Monterey) have been some of the only places where I have found shells in abundance within California. Let me know if you'd like some more info on California shelling, I am a local with a lot of experience finding shells and knowledgeable about what can be found.

[@theshellnuts]

Wow! Isaac, thank you so much for the knowledge and tips! We really can't thank you enough. This is what makes the shelling community so great. We're back in Florida now, but we head out to California about once or twice a year, and now thanks to you, we have a road trip planned the next time we go. Can't wait to check out Isla Vista and hopefully we can create a video out of it. We love road trips so your advice is just perfect. If you ever venture out to Florida and want any guidance at all on beaches, shelling, or fishing, please hit us up! Thanks again!

[@isaacc473]

@@theshellnuts Happy to share the info! I went at low and high tides last April and there were plenty of shells to be found regardless of tide level. I recommend starting at Devereaux beach and heading north for as long as you'd like. Many tide pools full of exotic shells. Parking is a little difficult, I'd recommend finding a spot near the northernmost section of del playa drive. I will also add that the Santa Barbara area is probably the most scenic beach town I have visited across the entire U.S.

[@isaacc473]

@@theshellnuts I have been to the west coast of Florida for shells and had the time of my life. Visited Marco and Sanibel Islands and despite only spending two days there, my dad and I stumbled across a nearly perfect Junonia on Sanibel. I plan on returning to Florida at some point to the east coast and would love some tips on where to visit. I'd really love to add a sundial, cabrit murex, triton, or juvenile helmet to my collection (I do know they are all quite rare, but that's the fun of it).

[@theshellnuts]

@@isaacc473 Hi again Isaac. Wow, that's crazy you were able to find a nearly perfect Junonia. We're totally jealous as we haven't found one yet. If you plan to visit the east coast, I highly recommend Palm Beach county because it's the closest to the Gulf Stream and that tends to bring some of the more rare Caribbean shells to our beaches. Tequesta, Jupiter, and north Palm Beach are all great places to look for shells. It's not as good as the Gulf coast, but on the right days, you can find quite a bit. We find sundials all the time in north Palm Beach. Juvenile helmets and tritons are more rare. We only find those typically after big waves or storms. We've yet to find a Cabrit murex. They might be a little easier to find on the southwest coast. If you make it back to Florida, we wish you great luck! Thank you again for all the great info about shelling in CA. We can't wait to get back and try your recommendations. :)

[@victoriaolsen5726]

At 4:41 the auger type snail you found is a Snakeskin Turrid always reminds me of a chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream cone common name I have heard is Mermaid Tear. The shells you refer to as looking like Coquinas are, like in SWFL, Donax. Here they are Donax gouldii, the common name is known as Gould's beanclam. In SWFL the Coquina is Donax variabilis. The organism attached to the Donax shell here is a hydroid known as Eucheilota bakeri which is a tiny predator related to a jellyfish and have have a symbiotic relationship with each other. You can find them as far north as Pismo Beach down to southern Baja California, Mexico. At low tide when the Donax beds are exposed, is a good place to find sand dollars. My husband and I live in North Coastal San Diego County and sort of are the reverse of you both. We go to SWFL annually in the fall and, until Hurricane Ian, stayed on Sanibel. Since last year we stayed on Marco Island and will be there this year again for most of November. We always laugh when folks ask us why we travel there from SoCal. Yes, we don't go there for the warmth and sunshine 😄 it's all about the shells and fishing. We were divers and actually got married underwater in the Florida keys. Love finding elusive treasures😎

[@theshellnuts]

Thank you Victoria for the identification help. Much appreciated! And thanks for watching! :)

[@debbiedelaney612]

I love shelling too but live in Canada. I have some shells from the south shores but only some. However, does too much shelling cause soil erosion.?

[@cjannellimd]

Where is this? Where in California? What beach? I can never find a shell since I’ve been here. I live in Ventura, Ca

[@theshellnuts]

Newport Beach in the Orange County area and Del Mar in the north San Diego County area.

[@brendagroff8478]

We call them sand crabs in California.

[@theshellnuts]

Hello Brenda, thanks for letting us know you call them sand crabs in California and for tuning in. We really appreciated! 🙂