Snorkeling & Collecting Discussion Group

[Ron Reefman]

I have not. My wife went there with her mom the week before and said it looked cool. We got out there on the wrong day at the wrong time and I forgot my camera. The surf was heavy and the water was murky. My 2 year old got tired quickly. we stayed for about three hours playing in the waves before picking up and heading home. going to try and go somewhere this weekend and get some pictures.

Yeah, picking the 'right' day is an issue for both snorkeling and shelling or collecting on beach walks. You want as little wind as possible for snorkeling (more comfortable and way better visibility in the water). But you want the day before and/or the day of doing a beach for shelling or collecting to be as windy as possible to wash cool stuff up on the beach!

My wife and I will be out helping with beach clean up along the Sanibel Causeway on July 5th. After the morning cleanup we will either go out on Sanibel and do a beach walk along the Gulf coast or go to the Bailey Matthews Shell Museum. We will try to get some photos.

 

[bobbyM]

We got out to the East coast "Vero Beach" a couple times last year. We are so new we just went to go look and spend the day. My son loved it! He would find a couple favorite shells and hold on to them all day. Beach walks are fun.

 

[rcpalmer1]

When I upgraded to a 120 my wife got my 55gal tank. She loves anemones. She got several rock nems at RAP this year. I was surprised to find out they come from Florida. I have been a diver in Florida for years. I am very curious of where they are collected from. I seen the one post saying around the horse show. Does anyone know of other places?

 

[Elegance Coral]

Just adding a little warning to this conversation.
I'm a Floridian, and have collected from all over the state. I also got caught with things I shouldn't have had. If you collect here, please check local and state laws on what you can and can not collect. The law can vary depending on exactly where you are in the state, and they change often. Florida is VERY serious about this stuff. Especially today. The penalty is severe. I no longer collect because of this.
In the early 90's, before the reefs were completely decimated, and before this ranked very high on law enforcement's radar, my wife and I spent a week in the Fl. Keys collecting for our tank. I had a 4x8 utility trailer full of 5 gallon buckets. I had a small 12 volt air pump feeding airstones in each bucket. On A1A headed out of Key Largo, we got pulled over for tented headlight covers. The officer heard the air pump running and asked if we had anything alive. I knew I was busted. The officer didn't know if what I had was legal or not so he called the game warden. He told us that if I had stuff I shouldn't, they would impound our car, my wife and I would go to jail, and our dog would go to the pound. He said we would never get the car or trailer back. For the next 20 minutes, while waiting for the warden, my wife sat on the guard rail, holding our sheltie, crying, and telling me she can't go to jail. That was a very helpless feeling, I pray I never have to repeat.
When the warden showed up and started going through the buckets, he was pulling things out and saying, "You're not aloud to have this, or this, or this.........." I just knew we were going to jail. I honestly believe it was the sight of my wife and our dog sitting on the guard rail in tears, that caused the warden to give us a break. He said, "I'll make a deal with you. We're right here by the ocean. If you help me put this stuff back, I'll write you a ticket for fishing without a license, and let you go." I've never been so happy to get a ticket in my life.
The moral of my little story, if you aren't completely sure of the laws where you are collecting, just look at the stuff, take pictures, have a good time, and leave things as you found it. IMHO, it isn't worth the risk. Especially when we can buy most things you find in our waters, at any LFS, for 10 bucks.
Peace
EC

 

[Ron Reefman]

When I upgraded to a 120 my wife got my 55gal tank. She loves anemones. She got several rock nems at RAP this year. I was surprised to find out they come from Florida. I have been a diver in Florida for years. I am very curious of where they are collected from. I seen the one post saying around the horse show. Does anyone know of other places?

The RFA come in a wide range of color displays. To the best of my knowledge, and I claim no expertise, the really great colored RFA's come from deeper water, like 30' or deeper. I only snorkel so I don't see these personally. A friend who is an LFS owner and licensed commercial collector told me they get them off a large patch reef that is way out (30 miles) from Key West. My guess is out near the Marquesa Keys on the way out to the Dry Tortugas... but he wouldn't confirm or deny that idea.
P9290013 by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

In shallower water they tend to become less colorful, like the one at the far upper left in this photo. It was collected by a friend of mine in about 8' of water. It does fluorese some, but not like the more colorful ones.
20180622_144452 R1 by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

There are a lot of places to collect the even less colorful RFA's. The Horseshoe has some. The hard surfaces near islands that have good tidal flow around them seem to be logical sites. I've seen them at Little Money Key, Money Key, Molasses Key, Little Bahia Honda Key and the tiny island off the mouth of the marina at Black Fin Resort (a nice mom a & pop motel with a tiny beach, a boat ramp, a small marina and is next to a dive shop and charter operator). There is a tiny island off the tip of Crane Point on the bayside of Vaca Key (the city of Marathon) that has lots of them. But 99% of them are anchored in holes in the mostly vertical rock that extends down 2' to 3' into the water. It makes them next to impossible to remove. I collected this one because it was attached to the outside of a big rock several feet away from the vertical wall of the island. The green still fluoresces well but the face doesn't fluoresce at all. And this was one of the more colorful ones at the island.
Rons rock flower anemone by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

These are a lot more typical of the shallow water RFA's that we see when we go snorkeling in the Keys.
P1010326 by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

That's why the colorful ones are so expensive, for now. However, several reefers here, myself included, have successfully been breeding RFA's. They do not split like RBTA's, the males spawn and the females take it in and fertilize their eggs and weeks later release extremely small babies that are smaller than this... 'o'. I started with 3 and now have about 35. Some that are now about 10 months old are the size of a quarter.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Just adding a little warning to this conversation.
I'm a Floridian, and have collected from all over the state. I also got caught with things I shouldn't have had. If you collect here, please check local and state laws on what you can and can not collect. The law can vary depending on exactly where you are in the state, and they change often. Florida is VERY serious about this stuff. Especially today. The penalty is severe. I no longer collect because of this.
In the early 90's, before the reefs were completely decimated, and before this ranked very high on law enforcement's radar, my wife and I spent a week in the Fl. Keys collecting for our tank. I had a 4x8 utility trailer full of 5 gallon buckets. I had a small 12 volt air pump feeding airstones in each bucket. On A1A headed out of Key Largo, we got pulled over for tented headlight covers. The officer heard the air pump running and asked if we had anything alive. I knew I was busted. The officer didn't know if what I had was legal or not so he called the game warden. He told us that if I had stuff I shouldn't, they would impound our car, my wife and I would go to jail, and our dog would go to the pound. He said we would never get the car or trailer back. For the next 20 minutes, while waiting for the warden, my wife sat on the guard rail, holding our sheltie, crying, and telling me she can't go to jail. That was a very helpless feeling, I pray I never have to repeat.
When the warden showed up and started going through the buckets, he was pulling things out and saying, "You're not aloud to have this, or this, or this.........." I just knew we were going to jail. I honestly believe it was the sight of my wife and our dog sitting on the guard rail in tears, that caused the warden to give us a break. He said, "I'll make a deal with you. We're right here by the ocean. If you help me put this stuff back, I'll write you a ticket for fishing without a license, and let you go." I've never been so happy to get a ticket in my life.
The moral of my little story, if you aren't completely sure of the laws where you are collecting, just look at the stuff, take pictures, have a good time, and leave things as you found it. IMHO, it isn't worth the risk. Especially when we can buy most things you find in our waters, at any LFS, for 10 bucks.
Peace
EC

I completely agree with what EC has to say. And he was stopped back in the early 90's. If this had happened to him today, he'd be in jail for sure and looking at huge fines. And most of the stuff that is easy to collect is also pretty inexpensive when bought online or at an LFS. The laws do change from place to place. At Spanish Harbor Key it is just State law limits, but just 1/2 a mile northeast at Bahia Honda you can't collect ANYTHING! Where I live, Lee County has some rules above and beyond the state regs and out on Sanibel Island, still in Lee County, there are even stricter rules! So you need to pay serious attention.

A common theme at beaches and parks in Florida is "Take only photographs and leave only footprints!" That's a pretty good rule to live by. On the other hand, collecting isn't really any different than fishing. Whether that's somebody fishing with a spear gun while scuba diving or fishing from a boat. You get caught with a couple of grouper out of season and you are looking at serious fines. Collect lobster out of season and without the additional lobster license and you're going to jail.

I've been snorkeling and collecting in the Keys for 15 years now and I can't tell you how many times I've been checked by Florida FWC rangers, and I've never been fined or reprimanded. Like I said, it's just like fishing. Oh, and I've been stopped while actually snorkeling in the water by a ranger on a jet ski, while in our Zodiac by rangers in a boat and at the boat ramp by rangers in an SUV. I don't collect because I'm trying to save a buck! Far from it, the whole process costs money. I'm not a fisherman, but I love to snorkel and play with the wildlife. And occasionally I do collect something legally that I'd like to have in my tank.

 

[bobbyM]

My wife and I almost got popped taking a piece of driftwood (half a tree stump” from a state park in Arkansas. He asked me, “you’re collecting fire wood, right?” I said, yup firewood. As I strapped the trunk lid down over it in the back of a BMW 3 series. lol

No, I’m not going to collect anything from the beach unless I’m 100% sure it’s legal.

 

[evilchef70]

I just love this thread. It makes me want to go though my photos of all the marine pics I have taken while snorkeling and diving. Caymans, St john, costa rica, florida. Wreck diving in the Carolinas. I even seen schools of sharks in less than knee deep water,. Thank you all for the pics. I hope to be able to post some of my finds.

 

[evilchef70]

Thanks tripdad, I'm glad to be here. I was a landlocked midwesterner as well, Columbus, Ohio. But with 18 years in Florida I'm close to feeling like a native! Snorkeling is great fun, but even beach walks on the Gulf of Mexico can bring new tank pals. I'll get into that later unless somebody is here and needs a quick answer.


Thanks, and please feel free to jump in for any reason... but especially if I say something stupid! LOL!


I never knew tropical critters go pushed that far north. I have a inlaws who live outside of Boston and have a cottage on Martha's Vineyard! They enjoy their beach as much as I enjoy ours. In fact my wife and I are now doing volunteer work for the Bailey Matthews National Shell Museum. We been trained about local mollusks and other beach related stuff and when we roam the beach on Sanibel or Captiva we wear special shirts that identify us as Shell Ambassadors for the museum. On the back of the shirt in huge block letters it says,

I KNOW SHELLS.
ASK ME!​

That way snowbirds and tourists can know they can ask us questions and we try to help them out. It's been great fun teaching people about the beach. You'd be surprised at how many people don't know that shells were made by live animals! Seriously.

This is me doing my thing on a cold day in February. The best shelling days are after a winter cold front go through. And that only happens about 3 to 5 times a year, always in the winter. It's also the best days to collect critters like porcelain crabs, pistol shrimp and even some other strange critters.
Shell Ambassador Ron by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

just love what you do and the shirt Rocks!!

 

[Ron Reefman]

I just love this thread. It makes me want to go though my photos of all the marine pics I have taken while snorkeling and diving. Caymans, St john, costa rica, florida. Wreck diving in the Carolinas. I even seen schools of sharks in less than knee deep water,. Thank you all for the pics. I hope to be able to post some of my finds.

just love what you do and the shirt Rocks!!

Glad you enjoy the thread and you are more than welcome to post photos here. I do want to try and keep this more about snorkeling (especially off the beach) and beach walks as it's so much less expensive. But I'm open to some scuba stuff as well. Don't be a stranger, I really want to see this thread survive and try to get R2R to set up a forum for Scuba, snorkeling and collecting!

You mean the Shell Ambassador shirt? There are about 150 of us now in SW Florida and about 50 to 75 of us are pretty active. But many are snowbirds and they go north for the summer. We'll see how many show up on Thursday morning to do volunteer cleanup on the Sanibel Causeway. I'll post photos.

 

[Bracka345]

Grand Cayman is a favorite for snorkeling reefs. Lived there for a couple years and was amazed by the reefs.

Did you ever make it over to the sister Islands?

 

[evilchef70]

Did you ever make it over to the sister Islands?

We never did. So enthralled with the main island and all it had to offer.

 

[evilchef70]

Glad you enjoy the thread and you are more than welcome to post photos here. I do want to try and keep this more about snorkeling (especially off the beach) and beach walks as it's so much less expensive. But I'm open to some scuba stuff as well. Don't be a stranger, I really want to see this thread survive and try to get R2R to set up a forum for Scuba, snorkeling and collecting!

You mean the Shell Ambassador shirt? There are about 150 of us now in SW Florida and about 50 to 75 of us are pretty active. But many are snowbirds and they go north for the summer. We'll see how many show up on Thursday morning to do volunteer cleanup on the Sanibel Causeway. I'll post photos.

We love snorkeling as it is effortless. We had a very special time in St. John snorkeling with the sea turtles every day. It was a special trip. So many corals and each beach offered a different environment. I hope I can collect my pictures and post. Beautiful schools of damsels and schools of jacks.

 

[Ron Reefman]

We love snorkeling as it is effortless. We had a very special time in St. John snorkeling with the sea turtles every day. It was a special trip. So many corals and each beach offered a different environment. I hope I can collect my pictures and post. Beautiful schools of damsels and schools of jacks.

Even without pictures, please, share some details. How long were you there? How many times did you snorkel while you were there? How many different beaches? Shallow water or deep water? Do you remember the names or locations of any of the places you snorkeled? If we were to go there, any recommendations about where to stay? Inquiring minds want to know.;Woot

Was St Johns hit by Irma? I don't remember as we were to busy preparing the house and getting out of the way of Irma... oh, and doing repairs after Irma (nothing too serious). And were you there before or after Irma?

 

[Bracka345]

We never did. So enthralled with the main island and all it had to offer.

Glad you enjoyed it. The sisters islands offers more reef scene and is unique especially in Little Cayman where you can snorkel and free dive down 20' and you are right by the edge of the drop off.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Well a few posts back I said I'd let you know how the Shell Ambassadors clean up of the Sanibel Causeway went on Thursday. It was less than a stellar turnout of 10 people. But it was a nice sunny morning and my wife and I did 3 garbage bags of trash. And after a couple of hours the islands were all very well cleaned up. So we went to the south end of Sanibel and walked Lighthouse Beach. The weather has been fairly nice here, so the beachwalk was a nice walk for exercise and chatting about shells with some of the vacationer, but not a great day for shelling. In fact we didn't bring anything home. We had collected a few nice shells but the last family we ended up talking to had found nothing and it was their last day on the beach, so we gave them the shells we had.

OK, so how about a story from back in the winter, aka dry season to us in SW Florida. In fact it was January and a strong cold front had just passed through. I think the early morning temps were about 45 degrees. The beach was fairly littered with fun stuff and shelling for the vacationers and snowbirds was very good. But you can see how cold I thought it was. I have wet suit bottoms under my jeans, long underwear top under the flannel shirt and my collar turned up to keep the cold wind off my neck. Now understand, there were vacationers from all over the US and many of them were out on the beach in bathing suits or shorts and a t-shirt!

P1180029 by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

So I was having fun collecting porcelain crabs and pistol shrimp as well as explaining what I was doing with the sponges and the bucket to every 10 person who walked by me! And then I saw something swimming, really struggling in the very shallow was of the waves up the beach. I got close and to my huge surprise it was a small sharpnose shark! I hung back for a bit guessing it would get it's bearings and end up swimming away. But it didn't. So I approached it from behind as best I could and grabbed it's tail. I lifted it slightly and left the front of the shark on the sand. I was concerned it might be able to twist and turn enough to get back around to me hand. But it couldn't. So I slide my other hand underneath and picked it up so my wife could get a photo. How often does anyone get to catch and pick up a live shark in the wild???

P1180455 by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

I saw no obvious damage, no hook or cuts, so I carried it out into the surf until I was about waist deep and let it go. It swam off at light speed for deeper water!

If you had told me on our drive out to the beach that morning that I was going to pick up a small shark, carry it out to deeper water and let it go; I'd have told you that you were completely out of your mind! Sometimes events come around and you just have to make the beast of them.

 

[Rispa]

Man stories like that really make me miss living there

 

[Ron Reefman]

Man stories like that really make me miss living there

Ha! I was born in Michigan and lived there for 30 years, then got transferred to Ohio and lived there for 20 years. A friend of mine moved to Florida and I helped with the move. They lived 2 blocks off the beach in Naples and I said to myself, "I'm single (again), own and live in rental property (a very nice duplex) and I'm self employed in a job that I can do in any well populated area, why the heck am I living in Ohio?" The truth is, before I helped with the friend's move I considered Florida to be a giant old folks rest home. Of course now I am one (), but I love the dry, comfortable winters and even the hot, wet summers. The snorkeling in 80F or warmer water and beach walks are too nice to leave. And there are so many other things to do here if you want to be active!

 

[Ron Reefman]

I'm already starting to look at the long range weather forecast for the Keys at the end of July. This is the time of year that it can change from 5mph wind and almost flat seas to a hurricane. I want another weekend like the one in the photo. The water was so calm you could clearly see the bottom from inside the boat!

P6210101R1 by Ron Lindensmith, on Flickr

 

[dbraun15]

Got back from Perdido Key yesterday from a quick family trip as my daughter played in a beach volleyball tournament(Lost in finals). We didn't have a lot of time to walk the beach or snorkel etc...the jellyfish were out in full force this weekend and prevented us from really enjoying the surf. Wanted to share a funny story. Condo we were staying in overlooked the ocean. While sitting on the patio Fri morning having a cup of coffee, my daughter says that she sees a fish flopping around near the surf...look closer and she's right. We run down to the beach and there is a ray struggling to get back to the surf...I attempt to move it and I get shocked(like I stuck my hand in bucket with a defective pump...been there before). I look at the ray and can't believe it came from it, but I attempt to move it again and get shocked again(I know...you can't fix stupid)...so I use my foot and create a channel in the sand leading back to the water and am able to rescue the ray...off he swims. I looked up rays in FL and was surprised that there is a lesser electric ray that will send off low voltage shocks if it feels threatened...learn something new at the beach every day!!