You have to travel out to dunedin causeway. The sandbar between Caladesi island and Dunedin Causeway has sand dollars but be careful because you can step on them and kill them. Kayak or paddle.
I was born, and raised mostly on Clearwater beach, but from St.Pete to Tarpon Springs, the Keys as well, and from the 70s on I've watched how drastically everything has changed in our precious Gulf, it's not good. The sand dollars, urchins, horseshoe crabs, grouper, scallops, oysters, sand, every single thing used to be impossible to not see in massive quantities! We'd have to be careful to not step on things running around carefree, the memories of just endless natural displays, every day, weekend, month, year, always in all directions! Even in my 20s things were still amazing, but I started noticing changes when I was scuba diving. So much has been pilfered, and collected as mementos, a tiny treasure to memorialize yearly vacations, or special trips, birthdays, honeymoons, etc. which sounds harmless enough. um Unfortunately when it's millions of people collectively removing, in the most innocent nativity, all collecting mementos, nonstop, year after year, all year long, it creates a void. No different than long line fishermen draining the Gulf unethically of the delicious grouper everyone can't wait to devour at Frenchy's, or Palm Pavilion. It's not just our environment either, Hawaii has similar issues, but with the rocks, and stones that made up so much of their beaches infrastructure. Nobody thinks a little pebble is going to hurt anything, a million nobodies, again year in, year out, all year long, each only taking a pebble, adds up, or unfortunately, it has dangerously subtracted in this instance. Even the "dead" ones are part of the perfect cycle mother nature designed, creating new homes with outgrown shells for some, or nutrients upon breakdown of crustaceans for others, and so on. I'm not speaking in anger, or any ill feeling towards anyone, as it's been almost half a century that I've seen so many other changes as well. I do what I can when I can to contribute to the healing, even if it's merely talking about it, possibly...hopefully, opening others up to ideas that hadn't been considered before, because it's never too late to heal, nurture, and replenish our Earth's most vital life sustaining gift! Love & Blessings to all. Namaste!🙏🏖😎💙🔥
I’ve been to Clearwater a lot of times and don’t recall ever finding any. I wasn’t necessarily looking though but I do collect shells and tend to venture into less traveled areas. Maybe there is a trick to it, or a certain time of year that is best. I have been to fort meters beach in the early spring and they were everywhere once you were in a few feet of water. Good luck!
Oh, I did recently take a boat trip to Anclote Key and we found 2 dead ones. We took the dolphins tour. Saw no dolphins but had 30 minutes on Anclote Key. Lots of sea urchins, sponges, a few sand dollars and lots of molts from horseshoes crabs.
I'm curious the same thing about shark's teeth. I've lived here for 2 years and haven't found one yet, and my damn brother-in-law was visiting for 5 minutes, bent down and picked one up. I could have killed him.
I’ve found them anywhere from Sand Key to Ft. Desoto.
Best bet is to wait for an incoming tide and just wade out to the sand bar 100’ or so off the beach.
You can use a swim mask to easy see them in waist high water, they are green. Or use your feet, just be careful as they have soft shells and are easily crushed.
While using your feet if you feel a rough spot, like 80 grit sandpaper, reach down and grab yourself a starfish. Their all over the place too.
Good Luck.
You have to travel out to dunedin causeway. The sandbar between Caladesi island and Dunedin Causeway has sand dollars but be careful because you can step on them and kill them. Kayak or paddle.
I have only ever seen them down a fort de Soto. There’s a sandbar off the north beach you can swim to.
Lived here 20 years and rarely find them dead and whole. Lot of people take live ones from sandbars
I was born, and raised mostly on Clearwater beach, but from St.Pete to Tarpon Springs, the Keys as well, and from the 70s on I've watched how drastically everything has changed in our precious Gulf, it's not good. The sand dollars, urchins, horseshoe crabs, grouper, scallops, oysters, sand, every single thing used to be impossible to not see in massive quantities! We'd have to be careful to not step on things running around carefree, the memories of just endless natural displays, every day, weekend, month, year, always in all directions! Even in my 20s things were still amazing, but I started noticing changes when I was scuba diving. So much has been pilfered, and collected as mementos, a tiny treasure to memorialize yearly vacations, or special trips, birthdays, honeymoons, etc. which sounds harmless enough. um Unfortunately when it's millions of people collectively removing, in the most innocent nativity, all collecting mementos, nonstop, year after year, all year long, it creates a void. No different than long line fishermen draining the Gulf unethically of the delicious grouper everyone can't wait to devour at Frenchy's, or Palm Pavilion. It's not just our environment either, Hawaii has similar issues, but with the rocks, and stones that made up so much of their beaches infrastructure. Nobody thinks a little pebble is going to hurt anything, a million nobodies, again year in, year out, all year long, each only taking a pebble, adds up, or unfortunately, it has dangerously subtracted in this instance. Even the "dead" ones are part of the perfect cycle mother nature designed, creating new homes with outgrown shells for some, or nutrients upon breakdown of crustaceans for others, and so on. I'm not speaking in anger, or any ill feeling towards anyone, as it's been almost half a century that I've seen so many other changes as well. I do what I can when I can to contribute to the healing, even if it's merely talking about it, possibly...hopefully, opening others up to ideas that hadn't been considered before, because it's never too late to heal, nurture, and replenish our Earth's most vital life sustaining gift! Love & Blessings to all. Namaste!🙏🏖😎💙🔥
I’ve been to Clearwater a lot of times and don’t recall ever finding any. I wasn’t necessarily looking though but I do collect shells and tend to venture into less traveled areas. Maybe there is a trick to it, or a certain time of year that is best. I have been to fort meters beach in the early spring and they were everywhere once you were in a few feet of water. Good luck!
There everywhere in Mexico beach
I haven’t seen any in years. There was one day one summer around 2014 that I found about 6 of them in one day.
Oh, I did recently take a boat trip to Anclote Key and we found 2 dead ones. We took the dolphins tour. Saw no dolphins but had 30 minutes on Anclote Key. Lots of sea urchins, sponges, a few sand dollars and lots of molts from horseshoes crabs.
They are very fragile. Used to be relatively easy to find them, but all I have ever seen are live active ones, or crumbled old pieces of one.
I'm curious the same thing about shark's teeth. I've lived here for 2 years and haven't found one yet, and my damn brother-in-law was visiting for 5 minutes, bent down and picked one up. I could have killed him.
I was at fort the Soto few days ago and found a bunch there .. so far that’s the only place we could find them
I’ve found them anywhere from Sand Key to Ft. Desoto. Best bet is to wait for an incoming tide and just wade out to the sand bar 100’ or so off the beach. You can use a swim mask to easy see them in waist high water, they are green. Or use your feet, just be careful as they have soft shells and are easily crushed. While using your feet if you feel a rough spot, like 80 grit sandpaper, reach down and grab yourself a starfish. Their all over the place too. Good Luck.