Dear Conch-Lers

Where is a good place to go shelling?  This a question I have been asked so
many times over the years especially by new shellers.   And since there
does not seem to be too much activity on Conch-L at the moment, I thought I
would send you fledgling collectors the answer that Tucker Abbott gave me
to that question about 50 years ago.

After several collecting trips along the Atlantic seacoast my first
shelling trip out of the US was to Bimini in the Bahamas back in 1971 when
I was only 52 (so I have had time to gain a lot of experience) and I have
been traveling ever since and loved every minute of it.  The great majority
of these excursions have been to the Indo-Pacific but if you think that
makes it easy to answer the question of the best place to go, it doesn't.

Back in the early 70's the Delaware Museum of Natural History was opened
and R. Tucker Abbott was our first curator. I spent a lot of time
there.  His helpfulness was invaluable.  But my best  memory is of telling
him I was thinking of going to the Cayman Islands and (since he had written
a paper on the shells there) asking him if he would say the shelling was
great.  I will always remember his response - "No one can guarantee shells
anywhere.  A specific place can be good one time and not the next. SHELLS
ARE WHERE YOU FIND THEM." And I have found that to be so very true.

But I know you want more specifics so I will comment on some particular
places.  How about Tahiti and Moorea, the prices at the hotels weren't too
bad?  I have been back several times to French Polynesia since my first
trip, but mostly to the Tuamotus.  My first trip to Rangiroa and  Manihi
was great - went back a couple of years later, shortly after a hurricane
had passed through, and what little remained was mostly crabbed.  Have had
a couple of trips since and the shelling improved, but the hotel costs have
skyrocketed.  Also while there I swam with sharks a couple of times, and I
wasn't comfortable with that. The sharks were considerably bigger than I
was. The natives assured me that species  was not the aggressive kind but I
wasn't sure the sharks knew that.

But let's just hit a few more places I enjoyed, like The Philippines,
although I understand the shelling is not as good as it used to be and
there are some problems.  Have had numerous trips to Fiji and they were all
profitable.  Palau was really great, but shelling is restricted there
now.  The Gilbert Islands trip was only fair, and the same was true of
Borneo..  Had one trip to Bali and Java which was not that good shell-wise
but great in many other respects.  Have had three trips to the Solomon
Islands and they were all good,  We were supposed to go back there this
past summer but it was cancelled because of political problems.  If things
settle down, I would recommend the two islands in that group where we have
stayed - Munda and Giza, but my recommendation is no guarantee.

Now there were two beaches on the island of Langkawi off the west coast of
the Malaysia Peninsula that were fantastic - but that is a long way to go
for just two beaches (although one was right in front of our hotel.)   The
past two summers I have collected in the Vanuatu Islands.  The first time
we found a couple of good places on the island of Efate, and several places
that were only so-so.  This past summer we returned to the very best places
only to find they were now quite poor.  However, we found a couple of new
ones that really great ones.

Regarding the time of year to go, it would depend on where you were going,
although I have never had a trip regardless of when I went, where the
weather was a factor.  And in the beginning don't look for the exotic
shells, look for the common ones.  Of course if you accidentally see a rare
one you can pick it up too.  If you a real  beginner,  why don't you look
for nerites.  I am sure you could easily collect hundreds on intertidal
rocks.

Just remember SHELLS ARE WERE YOU FIND THEM, no one can guarantee anything
even from one day to the next.  But there is always the excitement of
wondering what
may be under the next rock.  Good luck!

Betty Jean, The Tall One