Tag: Ponce Inlet

Scallop Shells Collected on the East Coast

While photographing my newly collected shells the other day, I decided to re-photograph my pretty scallop shells. Florida waters can contain a variety of types of scallops, but the shells I find over here on the east coast are mainly the Atlantic Calico Scallop.

Ponce Inlet, Florida’s central east coast

While beachcombing in my area of Florida, the best shells are often found around Ponce Inlet and the jetty area. Because of the rough surf and strong currents many of the shells are broken, worn, or have turned black. When I say “best shells” I mean the most unusual or rarely seen while I search the sand. I sometimes find olive shells here, big angel wings, scallops, and bits of coral. On this day, I found a pretty little pink scallop and a couple that were blackened from being buried in the sediment for a long time.

Pink and Black Scallop Shells

gray scallop shell
gray scallop shell
little black scallop shell
Pink calico scallop shell
found new scallop shells
Jetty rocks and barnacles
Ponce Inlet jetty rocks
Rock Jetty at Ponce Inlet in New Smyrna Beach
Barnacle and rock
Ribbed barnacle and jetty rock

Photographing Scallop Shells

Sometimes photos can show a clearer picture of the intricate details of a seashell. The calico scallop, when found before it’s colors fade or turn black or orange, is quite pretty. I have a few of those and you can see the color variety in my photo below. Colors tend to be off-white, cream and yellow with blotches of maroon and pink.

Notice that some of the “ears”, or protrusions at the front of the shell, have worn down or off completely on some shells.

calico scallops

I’ve taken some macro photos to show the ribs on the shells a bit better. Other types of scallops that can be found in Florida waters are the Zig Zag and Round Ribbed, Rough Scallop, Scaly Scallop and famous Lion Paw (very rare). The Bailey-Matthews Museum on Sanibel Island has come good photos Florida’s scallops.

The Round Ribbed and Zig Zag scallop have flat tops so as a bivalve each side looks different. You may find the colorful flat piece or the bottom, less colorful part. The Scaly scallop is more elongated and one of it’s “ears” is much longer than the other.

Bay scallops are now rarely found, according to the Living Beaches book (affiliate link to Amazon, new book version). Their ribs are more squared, but when I look at photos I can’t really see much difference between the Bay and Calico as far as shape. Because the Bay Scallop is now rare, I assume my shells are all Calico varieties.

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Boating North to Ponce Inlet and Disappearing Island

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.

tide pool sandy beach boating Florida island hopping
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!

jetty Ponce Inlet
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.

  • low tide island saltwater
    First island, north of inlet
  • tide pool sandy beach boating Florida island hopping
    Sitting in a warm tide pool
  • Docked at a sandy beach boating Florida
    Second island
  • low tide Ponce Inlet
  • leaving the 2nd island
  • rocket launch boating Ponce Inlet island
    Rocket launch from Cape Canaveral
  • boat at island inlet saltwater boating Hewes Redfisher
  • Ponce Inlet lighthouse island boating florida saltwater
    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.

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Back Out On the Water – Soon

Getting the boat ready for some river trips. It’s been a while, and the Redfisher needs some fixing up first.

Boating Around The River Islands in May

This week my son and I went boating around the river islands. May is a very good time to go boating in Florida. The water temp has warmed to 80 (or close) and the afternoon thunderstorms are not yet a thing.

I try to get a lot of text into most of my posts, but after being out on the boat for two days, I have so many photos to share. All those photos convert to specific posts about my beach-combing finds, but getting the pictures sized and ready also takes time.

Because I end up with many photos of the landscape, like the ones below, I’m sharing a big block of scenes from the Indian River backwater area. Soon I’ll write more in depth about these boating trips because there is a lot to report. For one thing I found more tulip shells in one place than ever before.

Discovered a New Island to Explore

  • Three Sisters island low tide boating docked
    Three Sisters
  • crown conch, low tide, mud, beach, florida, mud flats, beach combing
    Some hermit crabs tip their shells up like this crown conch shell in the sand.
  • driftwood, island, beach, low tide, florida, nature, tropical beach, island boating,
  • lightning whelk, live, living, whelk shell, in the wild, habitat, marine snail, big shell
  • blue-green water, lagoon, Indian River boating
  • shallow water seashells mud flats
  • Three Sisters mud island docked Hewes boat shipwreck low tide
    Three Sisters
  • sea star, starfish , tiny sea star, sea life, echinoderm
    Tiny sea star

The water temp was between 75 and 80 depending on where we went. The first day out we stayed in Edgewater and Oak Hill and found a new, low tide “new island” to explore. I found some really awesome marine life here, which I will be writing about!

Then we headed over to Three Sisters where I found more to photograph. That tiny sea star was a fun discovery!

  • mangroves oyster beds shallows mud flats low tide Three Sisters Florida lagoon
  • boating docked, low tide, island beach, beach combing, saltwater
    A new island to explore
  • island beach, mud flats, beach combing, boating, flats boat
  • oysters mud, low tide, mud flats, saltwater beach
  • ship wreck three sisters saltwater boating

After a while my photos all begin to look the same… mud, water, and mangroves! But each area holds wildlife that is interesting and beautiful. I never know what I’ll find out there.

Day Two and Boating North to Ponce Inlet

On our second boating day we headed north to Ponce Inlet to explore the sandy islands left exposed at low tide. It just happened to be a day when a rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral and we could watch.

Unlike our first day of boating, there were more boats and people. Also, there were fewer seashells and lots less marine life. But the water was a beautiful blue and the islands were hard packed sand instead of mud.

  • Docked at a sandy beach boating Florida
  • low tide island saltwater
  • jetty Ponce Inlet
    Fishing along the north jetty wall
  • rocket launch boating Ponce Inlet island
    Rocket launch from Cape Canaveral
  • Ponce Inlet lighthouse