A wooden fishing boat, a handful of islands in Vietnam, and some beaches with nobody on them but monkeys. I went looking for shells and found ones I’d never seen before. A few of these will end up as pieces.
I live in Kailua-Kona, and most of what I gather comes from the shores of Hawaiʻi. But I have been beachcombing for years, and shelling trips are part of it: Florida, Vietnam, other shores. I wrote about that in Our Story. Recently I went shelling on remote islands in Vietnam. These are the photos.
The boat
A private wooden fishing boat took me around. Weathered green planks, a coil of rope on the bow, and islands ahead.
Beaches to myself
Some of the islands I had to myself. Shelling on an island in Vietnam, with the whole beach to myself.
“This is the part of the work nobody sees: walking slowly, looking down.”
Monkeys and a yellow building
One beach was not empty. There were wild monkeys on it: on the sand, on the driftwood, and on the roof of an abandoned yellow building at the back of the beach. The yellow paint is worn and plants are growing up in front of it. I do not know what the building was, so I will not guess.
Between the cliffs
One stop was a strip of sand under grey rock. Another was a cove between two tall cliffs, with clear green water. I walked each one slowly, looking down.
Coconuts with strangers
On one island I was alone until some local fishermen happened to stop there. We worked together to get coconuts down from a tree and open them, and then we drank them together. I did not expect that part of the day, and it is the part I think about most.
There were butterflies everywhere. Massive birds flew over me. It was a special day, connecting with nature.
What I found
I found many beautiful shells that I had never seen before. Every one of them was found. I do not buy shells.
I picked up some coral too. I admired it, and I put it back. No coral came home.
What happens next
I plan to use some of these shells in future pieces. That is a plan, not a promise, and there is no date on it. The shells I work with are most often cleaned, tumbled, polished and wet-drilled by hand on my lapidary wheels, and it starts with sorting. After a Day of Collecting shows that part.
If you want to see the shells I usually work with at home, my guide to Hawaiian shells covers them. The finished pieces are in the collection.
Such a fun adventure.
— Aaron