The shelly winters fan club

I love searching along shell lines in Florida during the winter months, especially after high winds and surf leave thick carpets of shells on the lower beach. 
Although I use a couple of different metal detectors with VDI screens, my twin optical scanners are not often on the screen they are on the sand I am walking over trying to eye ball interesting things. 
Metal detecting over a line of shells is a good way to increase your observational skills at the beach. 
Before I was into metal detecting I loved "Mud hopping" a local shire term to describe searching for bottles and clay pipes along tidal river banks.
I still use many of the things I learned from my old bottle hunting days while searching shell lines today, one of those things is to always be on the look out for anything out of place.
A shape with straight sides or an unusual color that catches your eye, if in doubt always stop and pick anything up that catches your eye as being odd, because not all Bobby Dazzlers are found using a metal detector.
On the Treasure coast of Florida you may have to pick up ninety nine pieces of sea glass before the hundredth one turns out to be a shipwreck emerald.
This large vase full of sea glass represents two shelly winters of sea glass, that is a lot of "Could it be?" moments even for an Oak Island fan.

I do not just see shells on the lower beach, I see opportunities to recover non metal objects that can often be worth more than the metal targets you are searching for using a metal detector.
Many "Eyes only" treasure finds make treasure hunting headlines around the world, from ambergris and precious gems to messages in bottles and fossils. 
Keep your eyes on shell lines and take anything you deem to be unusual home with you, sometimes you do not know what you have until you do some research.
Believe me, there is no better feeling than picking up a fantastic find that was just laying in a shell line waiting for you to come along and pick it up.
I meet many beach combers on my travels and I have heard some amazing stories of top pocket finds and bobby dazzlers being picked up by people searching for nice shells. 
Join the shelly winters fan club, membership is free and the rewards are often fantastic!