We finally went boating and luckily it was low tide along the river. This is the best time to search the sand bars for sea life. Today, I found a living sand dollar! I believe this is the first time I have ever come across such a thing.
Live sand dollar!
Because I can’t see in the bright sun when taking my iPhone photos, I take a few hoping that some will be okay. This sand dollar was such a wonderful sight. The color was a purple brown. The bottom had little bristles I could feel. I only held it for a few seconds to get the pictures, then put him back in the same spot.
Later, after I walked away to the deeper water, I saw this sand dollar slowly moving closer to the river. The water was flowing in that direction so maybe he was riding the current. That is good, because if he was beached, he would dry up and die in the hot August sun.
Bottom of live sand dollarSand DollarLocation of living sand dollar sighting.
Former Finds in This Area
This Three Sisters area has been especially good for unique sea life sightings – for me. Low tide is the best time to search the area and it helps if the water is warm and fairly clear.
You can see the difference in my photos of the same area at the islands when the tides change.
High tideLow tide
We visited Three Sisters a few weeks before this and I could barely walk around because there were many stingrays. The water was at just about high tide, which means the sand is covered, but the water is still shallow enough to walk around. I know all about shuffling my feet while walking in the sand here, but sometimes these stingrays are not easily scared off! That was a good day to stay on the boat.
In years past I have found the giant red hermit crab – 2017 (the only one I’ve ever seen), a big living horse conch nearly buried in mud, a big sea star, a tiny sea star, and a friend found an empty, huge horse conch seashell.
Horse conch buried in mudwow.. empty horse conchFound this tiny sea star just like this – upside down in the sand.Lined seastar – a rare sight in this area
Last September I had a good day out on the boat. Low tide offered some interesting sea life finds. I was so excited by getting a really good hermit crab video, that I neglected to write about another aspect of the trip. I took a long walk across the muddy flats to inspect a large object in the distance.
Our day out on the water proved to be one of discovery.
First, at the boat ramp, while my son parked the truck and trailer, I found a bubble shell. It’s the only shell of it’s kind I’ve ever seen.
We stopped at an unnamed island along the Indian River where I’d previously seen some very large Tulip shells. This is where I took the hermit crab video and began to wonder if hermit crabs could oust a mollusk from it’s shell.
After we enjoyed that little island, we went just north a bit to Three Sisters. This is one of my favorite places to beach-comb and take photos when the tide is low. It’s also a good place to get into the water to cool off on a hot day.
Must Identify That Clump
The tide was very low and we could walk a long way. Lots of muddy ground was exposed which meant there would be lots of marine life to see.
Off in the distance, in an area where I’d never walked, there was something large sitting on the mud. Any time something stands out like that it’s worth a look. I figured it might be a big horse conch and hoped it was not a dead animal.
It turned out to be a clump of something I can’t identify. It was hard and jagged, like a piece of coral maybe. I took these photos and then walked back toward the boat.
Truthfully, the walk across the mud to identify the clump was a bit nerve-racking. The mud can be very soft. As you can see in the photo below, it’s easy to simply sink and get sucked in. It’s why I am careful about where I jump out of the boat.
Not only did I have the mud to worry about, but there were bumps just sticking out of the water. Anyone who knows what an alligator in water looks like would agree with me that these bumps look similar. Supposedly there are no gators in this area of the river, but they do live in the river just south of here near Cape Canaveral. I once discovered an alligator skull down there. I’m always on the look out, because you never know in Florida.
Back the way I cameMy footprintsCreepy bumpsShells with hermitsShells in mudA weird find
Seashells and Oysters
I sometimes find interesting seashells among the oyster beds but the mud is especially soft and the oysters are sharp. The hermit crabs like to carry their shells into these beds. The oysters are constantly snapping and gurgling while they feed and filter the water.
Shells in the oyster bed
This area is loaded with oysters which mostly grown in clumps around the base of the mangroves. Oyster shells are sharp and can damage boat bottoms, not to mention feet! This is not an island paradise.
This May has been beautiful for being outdoors and we’ve been getting out on the water as much as possible. The other day we went boating north to Ponce Inlet. It’s a different area where fishing can mean catching the big ocean fish. Beach-combing is not so great, but the sandy islands are hard packed and the water is a beautiful blue.
Here we are pulling up behind an island to dock the boat.
Sitting in a warm tide pool on this “island”
Low Tide Islands Are Popular For Boaters to Gather
After staying at this sandy island for a while my son wanted to fish the inlet. We stopped to fish near the north part of the jetty but didn’t stay long because the water was rough. He also didn’t catch any fish!
Fishing along the north jetty wall
Where is Disappearing Island Now?
This area is popular with boaters and at least one of the islands is called “Disappearing Island”. I say “one of the islands” because we saw a few. It used to be that the one named Disappearing was right across from the end of the Inlet. Now the place looked very different to me, with the boating channel way back behind a sand bar. In fact we got a little lost trying to find that channel.
They do dredging along this area too and I think between that and the natural movement of the sand by the water the place is ever changing. So the islands may move, but there are still a lot of beaches to roam at low tide.
We Stay Away on Weekends
Florida is a busy place and that includes on the water. This area is the place to go to have fun in the sun and water. Weekends must be ridiculously crowded. In fact if you look for pictures of Disappearing Island you will see some of those crowds.
With many island beaches created by the low tide, boats of all kinds can pull up and anchor. If the tide is going out boaters must be vigilant and make sure they don’t get beached! If the boat gets stuck, you have to wait around for the next high tide. Some people stay all day, but we only spent a few hours.
A Place for Dogs
Loads of people also bring their dogs and let them run all over the islands. A big poodle was on the boat next to us and the dog loved swimming in the channel, although the current was strong and his owner had to keep hold of him.
By the time we came back in from fishing at the inlet, we went to this second island near the Lighthouse. I think most of these big sand bars are “disappearing” when the tide comes in, so it really doesn’t matter which island is which.
First island, north of inlet
Sitting in a warm tide pool
Second island
leaving the 2nd island
Rocket launch from Cape Canaveral
This island could be the new Disappearing Island
When my son and I go boating we generally don’t come this far north. It’s a slow ride because of the posted slow zones between Edgewater and the Inlet. In the summer months, when thunderstorms can build quickly, we don’t want to get stuck out on the water.
We did spend a day here when the tide was coming in and the water was wonderful. The whole area is very different from the River backwaters where we mainly spend our time.
My son and I have been camping in our 28 foot long, Grand Design XLS 23LDE camper since 2022. Because we have two cats, and prefer to not have to take them camping, our camping trips are usually only two nights long. For that reason, all of our camping travels have been close to our home,…
