A south side beach offers thousands of tiny little shells lying on the sand in a large pile.
A beach walk on one of the south side beaches and a beautiful discovery………….thousands of tiny shells deposited in a large pile on the sand by the ocean.
Here's a closeup of the shells that were different colours and shapes and sizes.
Loads of shells washed up in a large pile on the beach.
Happy shelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands!
Marta
Late afternoon and the gentle waves had thrown up a shell on the beach
An afternoon trip to “my beach” just down the road from Harbour Club Villas and there I found a beautiful shell just laying there on the smooth sand. The sun was getting low and the water was shimmering and dancing as gentle waves rolled in. Everywhere I go, there seems to be a perfect photo just waiting to be snapped.
See you on the beach!
Marta
A close look at shells attached to the rocks along the rocky shoreline
Yesterday’s boat trip to South West Harbour Bluff at low tide gave me an opportunity to explore the rocky shore line close to the pirates cave and Osprey Rock. I took photos of these tiny shells clinging onto the rocks but it was difficult with the water flowing over.
Beautiful shells on the rocks revealed interesting critters (check out the blue colour) that I discovered once I had put them up on my computer.
Can you pick out the small three coloured hermit crabs peeking out from the shells? These tiny crabs called Clibanarius Tricolor are found in tidal pools and on intertidal and subtidal rocks. They have blue legs with red stripes and I didn’t even notice this when I was taking the photos. These shells were very pretty and in the close up you can see the blue striped legs coming out of two of the shells.
Tidal rocks had clusters of shells and to my surprise, small tricoloured blue hermit crabs in them.
Blue legs with red stripes of the very small TriColoured Hermit Crab
More neat and interesting things that I found along the undercut shore line at low tide will be posted in days to come. There are so many wonderful things to see here in the Turks and Caicos Islands…..every time you turn around there’s something new to photograph.
Marta
In Blue Hills, a local cleans a King Helmet shell so that it's ready for sale.
Piles of conch shells lie in the waters by Da Conch Shack in Blue Hills. In amongst them there were a few King Helmet Shells which seem to be much rarer than the Queen Conchs. I’m noticing more and more of these shells and Triton shells being harvested and sold in various places on Providenciales.
Low tide had exposed the piles of conch shells lying in the waters
It was low tide at the beach in Blue Hills where piles of conch shells lay in the water. I guess they get cleaned and sold by beach vendors. Behind the shells, you can see the pen containing live conch that supplies Da Conch Shack.
Taste some conch while in Blue Hills………right on the water!
Marta
These two young local boys in Blue Hills were showing off a beautiful conch shell that they wanted to sell.
Blue Hills is another of my favourite areas where there’s always something great to photograph. These guys were on the beach by Da Conch Shack selling conch shells that they had cleaned.
Marta
In years gone by, the beautiful richly brown and mottled shell of the Hawksbill turtle’s shell was prized for tortoiseshell used for decorative purposes.
The Hawksbill turtle is easy to identify as it has a very distinctive sharp curving beak much like a hawk. The boney plates of the shell are streaked with amber, yellow and brown.
To the Taino Indians in the Turks and Caicos Islands, turtles were an important food item. Nowadays turtles are more often promoted as a tourist attraction.
The Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands has adopted new conservation plans for sea turtles that will protect mature adults so they can breed, and reverse population declines.
Restrictions have been put into place and it is illegal for fishermen to kill turtles with shells over 60 cm or under 45 cm.
The distinctive “hawk” like beak of the Hawksbill turtle
In some countries the shell is still used to make hair ornaments, jewelry, and other decorative items and therefore they are on the critically endangered list.
Look at the wonderful colours in the shell of the Hawksbill turtle
Look for the Hawksbill turtle as you snorkel the coral reefs and waters of the Turks and Caicos on your next island vacation.
Marta
We just had to stop and take photos of this unique conch inlaid island stone wall.
A row of conch adorns the top of the wall surrounding these houses in The Bight
Snorkeling along the shoreline looking for shells
Malcolm Roads beach is a spectacular stretch of sand with some pretty good snorkeling. Tina found all kinds of tiny shells and bits of coral right close to the shoreline.
A handful of treasures from the sea
Tiny shells and bits of coral are found just under the water in the sand along the waters edge.
The beautiful pink shell of a Queen conch is often crafted into decorative pieces
