Marcus, enjoyed your adventures! Please keep looking for holes in your collection so you can travel to more places, adding more shells to your collections (and our, too).
Look forward to your next adventure!
Phyllis Gray
One of our
methods for
selecting
a collecting
destination
is to check
our photo
gallery for
a country
with few or
no shell images.
We had only
ten species
from Cayman
Islands so
it seemed
a good place
to go. After
checking flights
and a place
to stay for
a few days,
I was able
to get a very
good deal
on a hotel
including
a car rental
- my first
experience
driving a
car on the
left side
of the road.
Since they
did not have
any small
rooms, I was
forced to
take a beachfront
condo for
the same price,
with free
Wi-Fi, two
suites, living
room, dining
room, full
kitchen and
balconies!
The only thing
missing was
a girlfriend.
After passing
customs, I
went to Avis
to get my
car - made
sure to get
insurance,
just in case...
and sprayed
some holy
water on the
car and me
(just kidding).
After trying
to find the
seat belt
behind the
wrong shoulder,
I concentrated
and repeated
one hundred
times "must
stay on the
left, must
stay on the
left."
Pedals and
parking brake
were in the
normal position,
automatic
transmission
(!) and mirrors
too. It was
not bad driving
since I rode
scooters a
few times
in other left
driving places.
But I kept
turning on
the wipers
instead of
the turn signals.
Since the
condo had
a full kitchen,
I brought
food from
Miami to save
money and
time. I only
needed to
purchase water
(and beer)
which was
available
at a small
grocery store
next to the
hotel.
The Wi-Fi
connection
worked fine
and I called
Jose on my
notebook (Skype
is great!).
Although it
was almost
5:00PM, I
wanted to
snorkel and
check out
the area.
The water
was very clear
and warm and
the breakers
were not very
far from the
beach. The
waves and
current seemed
a bit strong,
but that is
usually a
good sign
since shells
prefer highly
oxygenated
waters. And
that looked
very oxygenated!
It was a very
rich place
full of life,
quite different
from other
places I have
been. I even
found a Lion
fish, introduced
from the Pacific
Ocean and
released from
Florida aquarium
shops after
hurricanes
hit their
tanks. I love
taking underwater
pictures,
but resisted
the temptation
so as to concentrate
on looking
for shells.
Upon entering
the water,
I saw a couple
of live Strombus
gigas (did
not collect
them), several
beautiful
Cyphoma gibbosum,
Cypraea acicularis,
Mitra barbadensis
and nodulosa,
Arene, Pisania,
etc. The closest
I got to the
breakers,
the worse
the current
and waves
became. I
persisted
in swimming
towards the
drop-off even
though the
waves were
heavily crashing
on my head;
there was
some nice
small rubble
to turn for
shells, so
I stayed there
until I got
a bit dizzy.
I found a
very nice
Conus mus.
It was getting
dark and I
did not have
a flashlight,
so I returned
to the hotel.
After a shower
and a beer,
I put all
the shells
I found on
a tray, turned
my notebook
on and using
the webcam
via Skype
called Jose
to show him
my discoveries.
I went to
bed early:
it is always
nice to fall
asleep to
the soothing
sound of the
sea.....
Got up early,
ate a cookie
for breakfast
and went straight
to the beach
again. I found
colored Chlamys
ornata, more
Conus mus
and other
shells. Cyphoma
gibbosum are
very variable
there –
ranging from
bright orange
to yellowish
to nearly
white. They
must taste
awful since
they advertise
themselves
with bright
colors on
the gorgonians
and no fish
dare eat them.
I wonder about
that, but
I will leave
this research
to someone
willing to
have more
adventurous
meals.
Later that
day, I went
to my first
hunting expedition
for land shells.
Checking the
satellite
maps, there
were many
isolated roads
branching
from the main
road that
crosses the
island. Isolated?
Outdated pictures
again! The
main road
is very populated
nowadays but
I did manage
to find secondary
roads to explore.
I parked under
trees but
did not find
a single dead
specimen of
Cerion. I
crossed to
the north
shore and
then to the
west toward
Rum Point
(no rum for
sale there,
however).
There were
nice restaurants,
gift shops,
picnic tables,
snorkeling
gear and kayak
rental places
on a very
cozy beach;
a nice place
for regular
tourists.
I drove to
the northeast
side (here
is a video
- ok, poor
filming and
yes, I was
paying attention
to the traffic!).
I found a
small road
going toward
the sea. It
was an abandoned
construction
site where
they had piled
up mounds
of sand and
debris. And
I found Cerion!
All very dead,
near fossil,
but at least
it gave me
hope to look
for live ones.
Despite spending
almost two
hours, I did
not find a
single live
specimen...
maybe all
extinct? I
found some
live juvenile
Thiaridae
on small freshwater
ponds, but
that was it.
I returned
to the hotel
and ate pasta
and then took
a nap so I
could do a
night snorkel
later. I was
hoping to
find more
shells then,
but I did
much better
during the
morning. I
saw many lobsters
and when they
started looking
delicious
it was time
to go back
and sleep.
After waking
up again to
that fabulous
view from
the balcony
I rushed to
the water.
Although the
breakers were
somewhat violent
I decided
to try crossing
to the other
side. The
current was
awful and
uninterrupted
waves made
things harder.
I worked my
way to shallow
water below
the waves
without getting
killed but
when I was
finally in
deeper water,
the waves
and current
got stronger.
I dived to
escape a large
wave and turned
a rock to
find a very
nice Conus
regius. When
I surfaced,
the waves
crushed my
head and pushed
me against
the corals.
I could not
see in front
of me due
to the bubbles
so I stretched
my arms to
prevent cracking
my head against
a coral. After
fighting for
a few minutes
that felt
like hours,
I managed
to return
to the protected
area. Hum...
I guess 300
dollars for
that Conus
regius is
a fair price,
isn't it?
I did not
give up but
stayed a few
meters away
from the breakers.
I was probably
already upset
after almost
drowning,
and every
time I turned
a rock a gazillion
fishes came
to bite anything
that moved,
and irritated
me further.
It was almost
like underwater
mosquitoes!
I swam away
very fast
until I saw
no more fish
around. Then
I went down
to turn another
rock and they
reappeared
like magic!
They were
following
me like remoras
on a shark!
That afternoon,
I drove to
Queen Elizabeth
Botanical
Garden (http://www.botanic-park.ky/).
I am not really
into plants
but I saw
it on the
Internet and
it looked
interesting.
Indeed, the
park is very
well maintained
and clean.
I walked the
Woodland Trail
(almost one
mile long)
and took many
nice pictures.
The path was
made with
coral rubble
and I found
a fossil Conus!
No sign of
land snails,
but of course
I did not
use a machete
to cut my
way through
the trees...
Too bad but
I did not
see a single
blue iguana.
The next day
was my last
before leaving
the island,
so I wanted
to spend most
of the time
in the water.
I am sure
I would have
found many
more shells
if I had had
a scuba tank
- it takes
at least two
or three days
to build up
to a good
bottom time
snorkeling
- the fact
that I stopped
smoking helped
a little (but
not my waistline!).
Before leaving
the water,
I took several
nice pictures,
filmed squids
and saw a
very large
barracuda
resting in
the shade.
After a nice
warm shower,
I went out
for a long
walk on the
beach to look
for Cerion.
I previously
noticed that
not many people
walked next
to the tide
line and I
did not understand
why. I was
wearing flip-flop
sandals and
hit my thumb
on a rock.
Did not bleed
much, the
pain was bearable,
and no one
around understood
the bad words
I yelled.
I saw some
bushes and
trees with
grass which
looked promising.
Then I understood
why people
were not walking
on the beach:
there is a
seedpod with
spikes which
hurts a lot
when it penetrates
the skin,
leaving it
numb later!
After having
to remove
a few from
my feet (which
then perforated
my fingers)
I gave up
and returned
to the hotel
to pack and
prepare for
leaving.
Altogether,
it was a nice
trip and I
was able to
get many nice
shells which
will make
a good presentation
on our photo
gallery for
the Cayman
Islands!