I would imagine that this topic has been "done to death" on the list, but I
haven't been here that long, so you'll have to excuse me.  :)    I was
writing to a new sheller friend and decided that others might get a small
chuckle out of this story...  you veterans can likely deduce the outcome
before I finish the tale....



When on my honeymoon in St. Thomas two and a half years ago, my first
encounter with a Strombus (giga? dunno) was a rather memorable one.   It
was not only the first time I had snorkelled, but the first time I had
picked up shells out of the sea at all.  I was fascinated with the life
just in the small lagoon we explored, sea turtles, an eel, thousands of
gorgeous fish...  but I'm getting off track.  :)   My husband was showing
me how I could free dive and how to blow out the water from the snorkel
when I got back to the surface.   I practiced a couple of times and hey,
this was great!   Well we were heading back to the beach, and as I floated
slowly on the surface, still amazed with everything beneath me, I saw
it.  It was beautiful.  The brightest orange conch I could have dreamed
up.  Big too, probably 12 inches or more long.  I had to have it.

Now at this point, it NEVER dawned on me that those yummy conch fritters
we'd had the night before at the resort's restaurant had to come from
somewhere....   so down I go, maybe 15 feet or so to the sandy bottom where
this lovely creature was sitting, just waiting to be packed in my suitcase
and come home with me.  <uh huh>  I made it to the bottom and having only
done a few of these free dives, I was concentrating on getting down and
back up, blowing out the snorkel and breathing again.  <laughing>  I had a
good grip on the shell and once back on the surface I proceeded to shake
"the sand" out of the opening.  Well.  MUCH to my surprise, there was quite
a bit more than sand in there.   The conch (quite alive) was not at all
happy about me disturbing it's nap and lashed it's soft (ugly!!!!!!) body
parts out at my hand and "licked" me!

Don't you let ANYONE tell you that it's impossible to scream underwater, OR
with a snorkel in your mouth, cuz let me tell you, I did.   It took me so
much by surprise, I flung the shell (still underwater!) and stared at it in
shock, as it floated back to the bottom.   I still laugh to this day when I
think of that thing licking my hand....  scared me to death!   Needless to
say, that conch lived to surprise another novice snorkeller, or else to be
on the menu one future evening.  :)

There; that's my most amusing shell story.   I'd love to hear others from
you folks so I won't look quite so silly.  <hahahahaha>

Nancy Smith (who now knows what lives inside most molluscs and is more
prepared)