Conch shells

[kona_wahine]

I've read about the conch shells down the beach. I've bought them at other ports. Are they worth picking up? Do you shine them up? They don't come with critters? I assume they are cleaned out for the conch dishes.

[pghsteelerfan]

I've read about the conch shells down the beach. I've bought them at other ports. Are they worth picking up? Do you shine them up? They don't come with critters? I assume they are cleaned out for the conch dishes.

 

We were there in May 2010 and we got a couple that were definitely worth picking up and brought three home with us. I would guess that most of the conch shells on the beach in that area are empty because they've already had the animal cleaned out, or harvested, for their meat (the animal inside) and dumped. The area is nicknamed the "Conch Graveyard". If you're on the ship facing the island and look to the right, you will see a "point". The "graveyard" is right between the small pier and the point. The condition of the shells ranges from decent to poor. All harvested shells should have a "harvest hole" at the top. The "harvest hole" is drilled into the shell to get the animal out. For a better selection of nicer ones, walk around the point. You will see them all over the beach and a lot of those haven't been picked over. Many of them are bleached white and some are gray. I don't remember seeing any with the bright pink inside. There are also some nicer empties down near the water. I'd recommend checking for animals, just to be sure. Also a good idea to rinse them out in the water to get all the sand out. You'd be surprised how much sand is in them. I brought 2 gallon zip lock freezer bags to store them in while on the ship, just in case, but never had any smell. When we got back, I just washed them out really well and soaked them in 50/50 bleach/water mixture for about a half hour just in case, then let them dry out in the sink.

 

I'll attach a couple of pictures for you so you can see whether it's worth a walk down there or not. It's about a 15 minute walk to the "graveyard" and about a 20 minute walk to get around the "point". They are definitely not the quality of the shells you'll find for sale, but because they are faded, worn and naturally bleached white, really makes them unique. I really like them because we found them and they are great "free" souvenirs from Grand Turk.

 

The outsides of my Grand Turk conch shells

 

Still a little fade pink on the insides of two of them

Edited October 22, 2013 by pghsteelerfan
add pictures

[kona_wahine]

They are still very pretty. I like the idea of finding my own instead of buying one. Thanks for the advice!

[Kelsey D]

It's about a 15 minute walk to the "graveyard" and about a 20 minute walk to get around the "point".

 

Thank you for the detailed description of these. I was wondering myself if it was worth the effort when I visit next May. My kids love shells, so the answer is YES! These are a lot more impressive than the dinky ones we find on the beaches of North Carolina.

 

When you say 20 minutes to the better shells, do you mean 20 minutes from the pier or 20 minutes from the graveyard?

[pghsteelerfan]

Thank you for the detailed description of these. I was wondering myself if it was worth the effort when I visit next May. My kids love shells, so the answer is YES! These are a lot more impressive than the dinky ones we find on the beaches of North Carolina.

 

When you say 20 minutes to the better shells, do you mean 20 minutes from the pier or 20 minutes from the graveyard?

 

Oh yes, definitely worth it! :) It's about 20 minutes from the pier. Part of that 20 minutes is that once you get off the ship and go down the pier, you need to go through the Dufry shop since there is no direct access to the beach. From there, just head the right and you'll see the paths to the beach. It took us longer because we weren't really in a hurry and stopped at the graveyard first and spent about 15 minutes there. I found two that I thought were keepers but once I got around the point, wow, huge selection. The hardest part was deciding on which ones to keep since there were so many nice ones. I did end up keeping one of the shells from the "graveyard", the one in the lower right on both pictures. There are some decent ones there, but that area really gets picked over so there are a lot that aren't in the best shape. Most people just stop there and don't go any further.

 

We have been to Nags Head, NC, quite often and have never found any really decent shells there. I've heard that Ocracoke Island and some of the beaches around Emerald Isle have some real beauties, kinds that aren't your typical east coast shells, so we'd love to get down in that area sometime.

 

Here are a few pictures so you can "see" these areas:

 

The "graveyard"

 

Close up of the "graveyard"

 

The beach around the point on the other side

 

Some of the shells near the water around the point

[pghsteelerfan]

They are still very pretty. I like the idea of finding my own instead of buying one. Thanks for the advice!

 

You are quite welcome. I just added some pictures to answer another post that you might also find helpful.

[Kelsey D]

Thank you pghsteelerfan!

[kona_wahine]

Yes, thank you!

[pghsteelerfan]

You are both welcome and I hope you find some really nice ones too. :)

[kac13090]

How cool! Thanks!

[RACexplore]

Neat! I got my own conch out of the ocean in grand Cayman. It is shiny pink. Just for the record, you can tell if the animal is fine by whether or not there is a home in the shell. The animal make s the hole and then escaped through it.

 

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[cruisemama1]

I would love to bring a shell home. This was prohibited in Cozumel. Is anyone sure that it is okay to bring one home now? September 2014 cruise

 

Thanks.

[1kaper]

I was wondering if these were legal/allowed or not. I thought someone mentioned not being allowed to bring them on the ship so I decided not to pay for one. I know people have gotten them back on the ship without being checked, but I was wondering if they were actually allowed.

 

My husband found me two on a dive he did in St Thomas. Unfortunately, as we were pulling up to the port, he remembered he had left them in the dive vest on the other side of the island. :(

 

We also have to fly back to Canada, I also wondered if that was an issue.

[islandhop2009]

I would love to bring a shell home. This was prohibited in Cozumel. Is anyone sure that it is okay to bring one home now? September 2014 cruise

 

Thanks.

 

Presently, in the Turks and Caicos Islands under the Fisheries Protection Ordinance Regulation 17, conch meat and bi-products, such as shells, jewellery and pearls, may NOT be exported during the closed season, which runs from July until October each year. This legislation fulfils part of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ (TCI) mandate under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)- an global agreement to protect wildlife.

[cruisemama1]

Presently, in the Turks and Caicos Islands under the Fisheries Protection Ordinance Regulation 17, conch meat and bi-products, such as shells, jewellery and pearls, may NOT be exported during the closed season, which runs from July until October each year. This legislation fulfils part of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ (TCI) mandate under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)- an global agreement to protect wildlife.

 

Thanks for the info.:o

[kac13090]

I went last November and brought 2 huge ones home with me. Bring a garbage bag to put them in unless you want sand in your suitcase. They didn't smell at all and are in great shape.

 

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[kmarie10531]

Looks like this girl is getting some pretty awesome souvenirs for her nieces in June :-)

 

 

 

 

 

"someone told me I will one day get sick of cruising ... I just smiled and said only when I'm dead "

[kona_wahine]

Hi, OP here. I ended up buying one on the beach from a guy for $15. It's simply gorgeous. All. Perfect and polished up. We also went to the graveyard and found one to bring back. Wanted one natural that we found on the beach. It's not near as nice as the one I bought but very cool.

[klaner64]

I got a nice conch from an excursion we went on in Freeport. I took it home and soaked it in bleach water for a few days and it is all nice and white on the outside and pink on the inside. On our excursion the tour guide took out the fresh conch and made a salad out of it to taste.