Alright lockdown has made me go over and tidy up my shell collection.
im sure a lot on here will have a shell collection from all the hours surfing diving walking beaches etc etc etc.
Heres a few of my cowrie specimens to kick off, fire away people
All west oz specimens from Albany to Exmouth
Select to expand quotestamp said..
i leave them on the beach, where they will be used.
I take only one or two at a time and different types.
I also spear fish and eat them, shoot Roos rabbits and feed them to my dogs sometimes even have a roo steak my self.
Have my own chooks and eat their eggs, mate has goats we kill them and eat them too..
The worst part of collecting shells is when their is a hermit crab in them so you have to boil them up and eat the crab before you get to keep the shell
but yes thanks for your positive feedback and input.
Careful stamp, he's one of those gun nuts. You can always tell them cause they always proudly tell you of all the things they kill..... even when you don't ask them. 
Usually followed by them telling you all the weapons they own and how they have modified them......again with out you asking. lol
But he does have a very pretty collection of shells as you said.
Select to expand quotelotofwind said..
Careful stamp, he's one of those gun nuts. You can always tell them cause they always proudly tell you of all the things they kill..... even when you don't ask them.
Usually followed by them telling you all the weapons they own and how they have modified them......again with out you asking. lol
But he does have a very pretty collection of shells as you said.
Sounds vegan
Select to expand quotelog man said..
Well, I like the shells.........whats wrong with shells!!!???
I truely thought as this is a watersport forum that some on here would have epic shell collections, thus far I am wrong???
Im actually quite amazed to be honest, my post/ response tostamp was part troll, I don't actually eat hermit crabs and boil them up, if there is a crab in a shell it gets left alone......
the rest of it was hunter gatherer stuff, I don't understand people get bent out of shape by someone taking a few shells from the beach in a legal and ethical manner than go about with whatever they do in life creating a footprint which is likely far worse than being a casual shell collector.
But serious water sports forum and no shell collectors??
And yes they are quite pretty, the ones in the pic are what they call gem quality a rarity in the shell collecting world
Don't get to stressed about the trolls on seabreeze, they are pretty easy to identify.
I rarely collect shells but have been known to pick up the odd exceptional one to add to my daughters collection, for me they are just clutter that I already have more than enough of.
Select to expand quotesn said..
well.....you said shell collections
Love that you have the fire extinguisher there too given your other posts on things that go boom SN 
Sorry, OP, no shells for me, I have picked up some nice ones over the years but I tend to just leave them. Your collection very impressive though 
Select to expand quoteRazzonater said..
I truely thought as this is a watersport forum that some on here would have epic shell collections, thus far I am wrong???
People start talking about shell collections and I thought you might have a screw loose.
Oh yeah, there it is top left
v
I've got quite a few paper nautilus shells.
As a rule I don't take ones that critters can live in.
I found this one last week....never seen a live even though I dive here.
( I didn't keep it )
I've got an impressive midden
of mussel shells though.
Select to expand quotesn said..
well.....you said shell collections
Well played and quite an impressive collection , fire extinguisher placement really adds to the aesthetic beauty
Select to expand quoteRabbs said..
I've got quite a few paper nautilus shells.
As a rule I don't take ones that critters can live in.
I found this one last week....never seen a live even though I dive here.
( I didn't keep it )
I've got an impressive midden
of mussel shells though.
Lovely paper nautilus shell it is very rare to find them still intact and not all busted up.
I had one years ago in perfect condition I found near Albany of all places, my kid took it to school for show and tell and that was the end of it.......
Select to expand quotesn said..
well.....you said shell collections
Ive got that 20mm vietnam era AA shell sitting the back verandah for you. And something special to go with it
Nice collection of cowries
I found these three today
Though mine seem a bit small and plain compared to yours
Select to expand quoteTonyAbbott said..
Nice collection of cowries
I found these three today
Though mine seem a bit small and plain compared to yours
No wonder our coastline is disappearing so fast!
Select to expand quoteTonyAbbott said..
Nice collection of cowries
I found these three today
Though mine seem a bit small and plain compared to yours
The middle one you have i think is a good specimen it actually might be a very good one, It looks like a Cypraea aurantium which is "golden cowrie but seems a bit dark.
do a quick google of the above scientific name and have a look at the underside of it too..
Good shell hunting
Select to expand quotelog man said..
Well, I like the shells.........whats wrong with shells!!!???
Homelessness is at an all time high for crabs
Select to expand quotecauncy said..log man said..
Well, I like the shells.........whats wrong with shells!!!???
Homelessness is at an all time high for crabs
Not in my pants plenty of room for more
Select to expand quoteHarrow said..TonyAbbott said..
Nice collection of cowries
I found these three today
Though mine seem a bit small and plain compared to yours
No wonder our coastline is disappearing so fast!
It is herecy to blame anything other than co2 for anything
These shells are made of calcium carbonate. By me collecting them I am storing carbon. And therefore saving the planet.
I am like an environmental warrior. I am not just saving lives, I am saving humanity.
Select to expand quoteTonyAbbott said..
It is herecy to blame anything other than co2 for anything
These shells are made of calcium carbonate. By me collecting them I am storing carbon. And therefore saving the planet.
I am like an environmental warrior. I am not just saving lives, I am saving humanity.
I was talking about the yellow Lego block.
As for CO2, my kombucha brew is still not producing enough gas. Now I know why.... you've sequestered it all in that shell collection! 
Select to expand quoteRazzonater said..TonyAbbott said..
Nice collection of cowries
I found these three today
Though mine seem a bit small and plain compared to yours
The middle one you have i think is a good specimen it actually might be a very good one, It looks like a Cypraea aurantium which is "golden cowrie but seems a bit dark.
do a quick google of the above scientific name and have a look at the underside of it too..
Good shell hunting
It does look like a golden cowry, only smaller. Also I thought they lived in tropical climate, not temperate
I am curious now. I'll ask a molluscologist.
Select to expand quoteHarrow said..TonyAbbott said..
It is herecy to blame anything other than co2 for anything
These shells are made of calcium carbonate. By me collecting them I am storing carbon. And therefore saving the planet.
I am like an environmental warrior. I am not just saving lives, I am saving humanity.
I was talking about the yellow Lego block.
As for CO2, my kombucha brew is still not producing enough gas. Now I know why.... you've sequestered it all in that shell collection!
Hunters and collectors! We've been at it forever. But when they are no longer polished and on display where do you recycle them? Green bin or the nearest rock pool? Maybe get a mini engraver before recycling. "Foo was here" The crabs won't mind.
I had a pretty impressive collection before a relationship break up saw it disappear.
When I was a kid I used to collect them on the reef outside Tanga in Tanzania. A Danish chick who was very attractive and who I think the old man may have been bonking taught me how to classify them.
We collected them live which is not something I'm proud of but in those days of ignorance nearly everyone had mementos of something they'd killed.
The cleaning process was absolutely vile. We'd submerge them in a paraffin container for two weeks before washing them out with a hose. The smell will live with me forever.
I had a couple of Dark Zig Zag Cowries which were extremely rare.
Looking at that reef on Google Earth now you can see how badly denuded it is. Back in those days it was a haven of wild life.
There was an island not far south offshore from Pangani, Mziwe Island. The locals took to using dynamite for fishing. In the days when we used to visit it it there were she oaks on it and it was a turtle nesting site. They destroyed the coral and in heavy seas all the sand and trees were washed away.
They'd been fishing off dugouts there for centuries. Desert now!
Select to expand quoteRazzonater said..TonyAbbott said..
Nice collection of cowries
I found these three today
Though mine seem a bit small and plain compared to yours
The middle one you have i think is a good specimen it actually might be a very good one, It looks like a Cypraea aurantium which is "golden cowrie but seems a bit dark.
do a quick google of the above scientific name and have a look at the underside of it too..
Good shell hunting
I have had the species confirmed
It is a Notocypraea comptonii or Brown Cowry
It is not uncommon though still a interesting find
collections.museumvictoria.com.au/species/8724
