Shell, yeah!
Already one of nature’s prettiest works of art, seashells evolve into seahorses, flowers and even a Christmas tree under the hands of shell artists. TOM WILBY PHOTOS
Annual show is perfect spot to take a deep dive into shelling
Beautiful shells, like this giant clam and spider conch, will be on display and for sale at the Space Coast Seashell Festival.
Almost every day, before many of us have yet to gain strength from a morning cup of coffee, Humberto Rivera heads to the seashore, cultivator in hand. His intent is not gardening, but rather shelling.
“‘Early bird gets the worm,’ is my saying,” said the Merritt Island resident.
One of the newest members of the Astronaut Trail Shell Club, Rivera typifies club members’ dogged pursuit of the perfect shell, which can be accomplished by finding a pretty shell at the water’s edge or by purchasing one in air-conditioned comfort at the club’s Space Coast Seashell Festival, slated for Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 17-18, at Wickham Park Community Center.
More than 60 exhibitors and vendors, from as far away as Washington State, will be tempting attendees with shells and fossils collected from around the world.
“The exhibits are a great way to see a wide variety of shells, marine life, sea urchins, sea fans and more, and to learn about the life of the marine animal that left these shells behind,” said group spokesperson Suzy Kedzierski. “These exhibitors are some of the most knowledgeable shell experts in the country.”
NEW LOCALE
Festival co-organizer, BJ Shouppé, holds her favorite type of shell, a horse conch. The conch is Florida’s state shell.
This is the first year at Wickham Park for the festival, which will celebrate its 45th year in 2026, and is expected to attract more than 3,000 visitors. Its longevity speaks to Brevard’s fascination with shells.
Astronaut Trail Shell Club, dedicated to expanding interest in shell collecting and environmental awareness, is also enjoying a milestone next year: its 60th birthday. It was founded in 1966 by a diverse group of beachcombers, educators and marine scientists.
The club’s history includes the membership of “Mr. Seashell,” Dr. R. Tucker Abbott, as one of its legacy members. Author of more than 30 books, the Melbourne resident was the founding director of the Sanibel Island’s Bailey Matthews National Shell Museum, the only museum in the country devoted to shells.
The club attracts seasoned scuba divers, casual beachcombers and individuals interested in the scientific study of shells and artisans, such as crafter extraordinaire and club vice president Lisa Baryschpolec of Melbourne.
“We have found that crafting together has built stronger friendships and, by inspiring and supporting each other, we lift each other’s confidence,” she said.
The club holds monthly crafting events, where participants make everything from classic shell trees to a Nativity scene made exclusively from shells. The sessions are so well attended that members meet even during the summer months, when the rest of the club takes a break.
Shells collected from around the world, like those in this private collection, will be featured at the Space Coast Seashell Festival.
FAVORITE SPOTS
A sea urchin shows off its true colors.
The group has always first and foremost promoted shelling along the Space Coast, which is not that hard a sell. While Brevard does not have a reputation for shelling, the county still offers plenty of treasures from the sea — particularly if you know when and where to look for them. Members of the club each have their own favorite shelling spots. Some won’t divulge the locations, but Rivera doesn’t mind letting the world know that some of his favorite shelling haunts include Pineda Beach, around the Patrick Space Force area; the Banana River Beach entrance off the Pineda Causeway; and Sebastian Inlet. He even has posted YouTube videos of his shelling expeditions. Rivera — or any good beachcomber — will tell you, the best time to shell is after bad weather.
“Always hit the beach for seashells after thunderstorms or hurricanes,” he suggested.
Shells are only the beginning for most members, who also amass sea beans, sea glass, driftwood and pretty much anything else the sea washes ashore. Shells are top dog, though, and every member has a favorite. For festival co-organizer Vicky Reiordan, that would be the conidae family, of conical and vividly colored marine snail shells.
“They have such a variety of patterns, it’s hard to believe they’re not painted,” Reiordan, of Satellite Beach, said.
TREASURE TROVE
A grouping of shells, coral and barnacles shows the wide diversity of nature’s colors.
Her fellow festival co-organizer, BJ Shouppé, has collected shells since almost before she could walk. But the Florida native was still unprepared for the treasure trove of shells she found when first attending the Space Coast Seashell Festival in the early ’90s.
“I was overwhelmed and never could have imagined the variety, colors and shapes of so many seashells,” she said. “That got me hooked.”
As happens to most avid collectors, the Palm Bay resident dedicates a significant amount of real estate at her home to her shells. Many of her shells have been discovered while scuba diving.
“My husband and I have enjoyed shell collecting in the Bahamas and the Florida Keys and along the other coast in Florida,” she said. “It is always more fun to hunt and collect seashells myself, but there are many types of shells that can only be found in other parts of the world. So, fortunately, there are shell festivals like ours where vendors bring in specimens we can purchase to add to our collection.”
For anyone with even a mild interest in collecting, the Space Coast Seashell Festival marks the official opening of the “shell festival season.”
“We’re the very first seashell show on the East Coast show circuit,” explained Kedzierski. “Exhibitors who come to our festival from across the country do a show circuit, starting with us and traveling to Pompano Beach, St. Pete, North Carolina and so on.”
In one way or another, we are all collectors. Like eating and sleeping, collecting is simply part of being human. We collect what attracts us and seashells captivate us: for their connection with nature, for the memories they conjure of carefree beachcombing and, ultimately, for their sheer beauty.
Murex, with their lacey spines, are a shell collector’s favorite.
Astronaut Trail Shell Club
The club meets from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., the first Wednesday of each month [except during the summer] at the Wickham Park Community Center, 2815 Leisure Way, Melbourne. Meetings include a presentation plus several opportunities for attendees to leave with an addition or two to their shell collections through door prizes, raffles and monthly shell auction, proceeds from which help fund scholarships for marine science students. The club also hosts monthly expeditions to collect and learn about shells and to visit museums. A recent trip took members to Hutchinson Island. Upcoming expeditions include a boat ride with the Oceanographic Institute. Shell craft sessions are also held monthly. Membership is $15 annually for an individual or the entire family.
For more information, visit Facebook.com/SpaceCoastSeashells
Maria Sonnenberg
Maria is a prolific writer and proofer for Space Coast Living and an adjunct professor at Florida Institute of Technology’s Nathan M. Bisk College of Business. When not writing, teaching or traveling, she can be found waging a one-woman war against her lawn and futilely attempting to maintain order among the chaos of a pack of extremely clueless wirehair dachshunds and an angst-driven basset hound.
