Beach combing on Muizenberg beach from May through till July can yield incredible shell rewards. For me there is not much more rewarding than stumbling upon a washed up delicate Argonaut shell. Washed up in the foam of the surf and deposited on the Capes white sands. You have to collect it before an army of gulls descend on it to peck it apart. You need to collect at 4am in the morning, torch in hand to be assured of unbrokrn ones. Dangerous now as the vagrants hold sway of the early morning beach time. Vagrants empowered by tic and mandrax awaiting the zombie hour to say hello to an unsuspecting beach arganaut comber. They very polite as they frantically stab 40 holes a second into you with a bicycle spoke. Ive actually seen this cape flats greeting in reality. Not on the beach but the other day on the side of the road next to Lavenderhill. It was, can i say, rather traumatic really. Then after saying hello like this; the early morning zombies comb you for your meagre possessions. Not that im at all bitter about the growth of the beach wildlife, i just have a hard dose of reality check to keep me safe. So i beach comb during the day and a pick axe handle in hand. Oh and 2 killer daxies.
It seems this year has yielded a bumper harvest of this incredible specimen along the Muizenberg coast. I really enjoy walking from the area in front of where i live in muizenberg to cemetery some 3 km down the beach. I have done this walk with my 2 noisy, barking mad sausage dogs umpteenth times. And yesterday i found my very first Argonaut shell, these shells are sometimes confused with the chambered Nautilus im told. They are rare to find in tact.
When i returned to the parking area a chap named Carel with chinky tattoos all over his face sold me 2 other Argonaut shells. Much bigger and better specimens than the one i found but nothing can beat the feeling of finding my own shell. As mentioned I know the more experienced collectors walk the beach at night with torches in hand looking for these treasures. So to find one in the day is very rare and satisfying. I am told that it is the female of the species that makes the shell and its very rare to find the little creature in the shell as well. very fortunately my shell was well and truly vacated.
I am very happy with my 3 new shell shelf members. Beach combing is still one of the great past times. After a huge Cape storm not much beats the walk on the beach once the storm has past. On the west coast you find fossils. Shark teeth and elecrocasabretooth bones. Hugely exciting.
I also collect washed up slip slops as well. These i recycle. Wearing 2 different slops to do my part for global warming as the orange spray painter zealots call it. I feel like an empowered activist glueing myself to a rare painting to make an important subtle point. Me and my odd slip slops or thongs as Australians call them. You never find 2 matching pairs of slip slops. I imagine the other slop on another activists foot in Malaysia. Lekker duiderlik my bru. The simple things for the win. The treasures the tide yields is mint.
