Virtual Shell Show Videos

The enduring history of the Sanibel Shell Show comes to life in this video story told with remarkable historic photographs and documents.  We take you back to the early 1900’s when the Shell Show started on the porch of the Matthews House, now the Island Inn, through significant landmarks in time, up to the present.  Narrated by Clay Miller, the familiar NBC-2 Morning Anchor, the story begins and ends with shelling, shells, and Sanibel.

Both instructive and visually stunning, Sanibel Beach-by-Beach was created by the Sanibel Shell Club to become the go-to video reference on the five public beaches on Sanibel.  We’ll guide you with maps, directions, information about parking, fees, accessibility, facilities, beach details, and of course sea shells.  Aerial drone video footage by Nick Adams Photography takes this video to new heights and offers spectacular views that you will want to watch over and over again.

Despite being a coveted shell on Sanibel, very little is known about the habits of the deep-water Junonia.  Join Rebecca Mensch, MS from the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum who shares what they have learned about the behaviors of the Junonia including the physiology, diet, reproduction, and growth.

Get your beach bling on and kill germs at the same time.  With this easy, fun step-by-step tutorial, you can raise the game with your own hand sanitizer while displaying some favorite shells at the same time.

If you’ve ever wanted to make a Sailor’s Valentine, here’s the video for you.  Hear from the professional artist herself, Suzanne Dietsch, as she shares her artistic process beginning with an intricate design followed by shell species selection, color schemes, wooden box styles, and finally adding her special touches which make her mosaic shell art so unique.  Her charming story will lure you into wanting to get started with your own Sailor’s Valentine today. 

See all the photos submitted for the Gastropods category for our Shell Photo Contest as part of the 2021 Virtual Sanibel Shell Show, including 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

Florida Museum director, Roger Portell, takes Sanibel Shell Club volunteers along on a Virtual Fossil Field trip to a SW Florida shell and fill quarry.  The museum scientists explain their methodology to measure the exposed outcrop face and collect samples from multiple layers of Pleistocene marine deposits to aid in their research.  Hear from the Shell Club volunteers about their experience and see their exciting fossil finds.

As a continuation of the Virtual Fossil Field Trip, Roger Portell and Carmi Thompson give us a tour of the amazing behind-the-scenes invertebrate fossil collection department at the Florida Museum.  See their fossil prep lab and equipment, cataloging system, and collection storage areas with specimen drawers and shelves full of surprising shell species, many extinct, some over 600 million years old.

Watch our fun photo slideshow of Stoopers from all over doing our favorite shelling position, The Sanibel Stoop. You’ll see it all: Lone stoopers, couples stooping, group stoopers, partial, prone, and tool-wielding stoopers.

Sanibel is famous for its shell-strewn beaches, but here’s your chance to see the shells before they get washed up.  Follow Jason and Desha’s snorkeling adventure to show us the shells and a few live species found just offshore of Sanibel Island.

This video takes us on a walk on the Sanibel beaches after a storm with northwest winds.  See the multitudes of sea life and shells that are often blown onto the beach.

It’s no surprise that Sanibel Shell Club members have ALOT of shells, so we know what we’re talking about when it comes to displaying them.  Shells in special boxes, on bookshelves, in baskets, filling martini glasses, shells inside of shells.  Watch our fun feature video on 101 Ways to create fabulous shell displays, and leave with some new ideas for your own shell collection.

See the stunning photographs submitted in the Bivalves Category of our Shell Photo Contest as part of the 2021 Virtual Sanibel Shell Show. You’ll see the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners as well as all the bivalve photo entries.

The diverse collections in Florida Museum’s vast Invertebrate Zoology area range from drawers full of colorful purple Janthina to a large tank housing a preserved giant squid, and shelves full of many many species in between.  Hear John Slapcinsky’s interesting stories about some unusual mollusks and their shells.

People with Shells was a popular category in our Shell Photo Contest as part of the 2021 Virtual Sanibel Shell Show. See the top three winning photographs as well as all submitted entries in this fun category.

Our oceans and beaches are home to animals besides mollusks which make those beautiful sea shells.  Have you ever found a squishy thing washed up on the beach and wondered what it was?  Learn great information and see amazing video footage of live sea critters found on the beaches of Sanibel.  You’ll see Gulf Fire Worms, Sand Dollars, Sea Stars, Hermit Crabs, Sea Cucumbers, Marine Worms, and much more.

This is not your everyday beach-themed doll house!  You have to see it to believe it.  Watch as MaryBeth Greenplate of Sanibel Seashells explains how she created this amazing Beach Bungalow shell project that combines so many of her artistic passions. From mermaids in the bathtub to marbles in fishing nets, you’ll see room after room of unbelievable decor and design requiring creativity, talent, and patience.

It began with some small coiled shells collected during a family beach vacation to the Canary Islands and ended with advanced imaging data that advances our understanding of this small coiled and chambered cephalopod.  Dr. Tobias Grun incorporates analytical images into an interactive 3D virtual and augmented reality application that simulates a museum setting, showcasing the internal chambered shell of this very unique squid.

Marine animals called mollusks create those beautiful sea shells you find on the beach, but did you ever wonder what those animals looked like?  Joyce Matthys takes us on an unbelievable beach walk with her famous videography and storytelling to see these live mollusks in their shells and teaches us to appreciate the animal not just the shell.

History of the Shell Show continues as five Sanibelians tell their personal stories about early Sanibel Shell Show memories and what the Shell Show means to them and to the island.  Illustrated with modern and historic photos from early life on Sanibel to the modern Shell Show of today.  Starring Deb McQuade Gleason, Mead Bailey Johnson, Richard Johnson, Chris Davison, and Teresa Riska Hall.

Home from the beach with a bucketful of shells?  Learn to clean and bleach them the right way, along with useful tips to remove barnacles. Great tutorial using large horse conchs with before and after photos.

It’s crazy times with the cancelled in-person 2021 Sanibel Shell Show, so we’re glad you’re watching our VIRTUAL  Shell Show! Here’s your chance to see a glimpse of what a “normal” year’s Shell Show and Festival looks like.  Learn about the longest running shell show in the USA, from set up to exhibits, shell sales, live tanks, judging criteria, award winners, and so much more.

Stay up-to-date on relevant research affecting SW Florida water quality from our Shell Club grantees at FGCU’s Water School’s Rink2Reef oyster habitat restoration and Algal Bloom Research using radium isotope tracing to characterize various water sources. 

Turn a brown vintage printer’s tray into a bright colorful shell display to hang on your wall.  Follow along as Rachel Fields shows you how in this easy DIY project.  Complete with before, during, and after footage, the final product will be a centerpiece shell display for your wall.

Famous for his award-winning fossil shell specimens and collections, Ron Bopp shares his early driveway fossil hunts.  His surprising finds in this one parking lot consist of over 50 fossil species from extinct left-handed cones to ancestors of our favorite Junonia.  When there are no collectible shells on the beach, just check your own shell hash driveway for a wide variety of fossil shells.

What’s a photo contest without a “Funny” category. Watch this fun video with all the submitted funny shell photo entries including 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

Take a tour of Andrea Schopf’s beautiful art studios as she describes her early childhood passion for sea shells.  See photos of international shelling trips, seashell decor, seashell sculptures, and how Andrea’s artistic expression leads to so many award-winning exhibits.

Conchologists of America (COA) brings together shell and mollusk enthusiasts from the US and around the world.  COA’s President and Convention Co-Chair discuss the benefits of membership in COA.  Learn about the annual convention to be held in June, Conch-L, American Conchologist bulletin, shell auctions and more.

All submitted photo entries into Your Favorite Shell slideshow are included in the interesting slideshow. Guess which shell photo was submitted more than all the other species? You may be surprised, but you won’t know the answer unless you watch the Virtual 2021 Sanibel Shell Show!

Sanibel Shell Club grant recipients at USF provide updates on their ongoing research on deep water mollusk conservation, comparative growth rates between fossil and modern oyster shells, and detailed chemical measurements of horse conch shell layers to determine age and estimated lifespan of Florida’s state shell.

Wendy the Wentletrap explains beach etiquette rules that will make your trip to the coast more thoughtful and respectful to the animals that make their homes at the beach. Wendy covers rules regarding turtles, dog leashes, shorebirds, sand castles, monofilament line, injured beach animals, and more!

Take a lesson from the famous Sanibel Shell Crafters to learn how to make a shell flower shadow box.  Sherry Purdy is the crafter behind the hands that demonstrate these step-by-step instructions.

Come with us on an armchair tour of shell museums in the United States and around the world.  From large natural history museums to small private collections, there are museums to interest all shell enthusiasts.

If you love the beach and sea shells, then this category in our Shell Photo Contest was for you. See all the entries of lovely Sanibel beaches strewn with one shell or many. See the winning photos taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

Mollusks 101 is full of scientific and entertaining facts about mollusks: what they eat, how they reproduce, why they have so many different shell shapes and the beauty of the live animal as well as the shells.

Is every shell you find on Sanibel beaches originally from Sanibel?  There are some surprising ways that shells find their way to our beaches.  Here are ways to know the difference.

Pay it Forward and Spread Smiles are the goals of the Facebook Group “Sanibel Shells” as they encourage 15,000+ members to paint, hide, find, post, and re-hide the colorfully painted sea shells hidden all over Sanibel and Captiva.  Learn how this fun group got started and see how easy it is to paint shells yourself. Have you found one? 

Sanibel Shell Club grantees at SCCF update us on two on-going research projects to improve water quality in the waters surrounding Sanibel and Captiva:   Monitoring the Health of Oyster Reefs in San Carlos Bay and Hard Clam Restoration in San Carlos Bay.

Sand dollars are a coveted find for beachcombers on Sanibel and Captiva but little is actually known about these spiny-skinned creatures. Sanibel Sea School educators will share in-depth information on sand dollar biology, offer tips on how to tell if they are alive, and delve into other interesting characteristics of our local sand dollars.

Here are some amazing photos of the live mollusks that make those beautiful sea shells. You’ll see surprising examples of live animals in their natural habitat. All submitted entries are included and we’ll reveal the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners as well.

Collecting these special beach finds requires extra care once you get them home.  You shouldn’t just dump these guys into the bleach water!  Excellent information and must-know tips on the right way to clean more fragile beach finds like sand dollars, urchins, and sea stars.

Want a fun, fast, easy DIY Shell Project that upcycles items you probably have around the house?  Watch as we show you how to combine broken jewelry bits and buttons with small seashells to create beautiful bejeweled magnets.  These will quickly become your favorite way to display photos and grocery lists on the refrigerator. 

Sometimes there are just no collectible shells on the beach.  Don’t despair.  Turn your blah shell collecting trip into a challenge. With our Shelling Challenge, you’re bound to find way more species than you thought possible.

Fossil shells were in their own category in the Shell Photo Contest as part of the 2021 Virtual Sanibel Shell Show. See all the entries plus the winners of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

Join two scientists from the National Shell Museum as they take us on a tour behind the new aquarium gallery tanks.  How do you keep all these animals healthy and happy?  What do they eat?  Do they mate?  Is that an octopus toy?  Explore the fascinating world that few people get to visit.