All these horror stories about chiggers and burrowing mites (not to
mention Sting-Rays and Men-of-War!!) make me rather glad i am fortunate
enough to dwell as far
North as good old Nova Scotia!!   That said,  we sometimes encounter a
few collecting hazzards of our own.  On land, try Black Flies and clouds
of (non-malarial) ravenous mosquitoes - not as bad as Northern Canada,
where these small but multitudinous blood-munchers can drive a bull
moose crazier than a squirrel on acid, but i once gave up after counting
300 bites on just half of my too-vulnerable body! (oops, that WAS in
Northern Canada!!)
        Marine-wise, besides dodging the world's highest tides (Max. is 56 ft.
at Burn Coat Head in the Minas Basin (the inner part of the Bay of
Fundy)- where at full flood, one can watch the tide rising around your
legs at a truly alarming rate, the biggest hazard is FREEZING!!  Even in
August, the water around these parts is just slightly above ice-cube
city (shallow places at high tide can reach 17 C, but who collects
there?), and the best tides are in April and May- think of the phrase
"Labrador Current", and use your imagination.  When collecting chitons
in particular, this factor takes its toll since the best  zone is
SUB-tidal, and most of the stubborn critters have to be pried off using
bare hands.  A wet suit helps some, but one "minus" tide in April a few
years back, my hands became so numb that it took nearly 45 minutes to
pry the thing off my red-going-on-blue hide!!
        Of course, i invite anyone who comes up to my little corner of the
Great White North, to look me up, and if the tides are right we could
have a bit of fun, shelling-wise.
 
        I may not make it to the L-meeting, but here's hoping to see y'all at
my slide show on Labrador, or even better, at the Bourse.
 
                                                                                                        -Cheers,
                                                                                                        Ross M.