Nautilus Retrieval
We were cruising around Baie de St Vincent and Pam spotted a nautilus shell bobbing in the water. Allan yelled “I’m turning around! Get something to collect it – these are rare and valuable”.
Turning around a 48 foot yacht is not that easy but Allan executed it expertly. Retrieving the shell, however, was not that easy and it necessitated several maneuvers and the three of us working in tandem to get it. Eventually Pam (with me leaving over the lifelines using the boat hook to gently push it towards her) she managed to scoop the old shell safely onto the boat. It’s a precious and rare find.
News to me, but nautilus are fascinating creatures (part of the mollusk family) unchanged for more than 100 million years. The shells grow to around 30cm (the one we scooped up is about 15cm across), is lined with mother of pearl.
Its shell is divided into 36 chambers which are formed one after the other over years. Before developing a new chamber, the old one is closed off. The chambers are filled with a mixture of water gas and air which it adjusts for buoyancy as it plumbs depths of up to 500 metres on the edge of the barrier reef. I found this truly amazing and made the find even more special.
Photo: Nautilus shell on the after deck.
We were cruising around Baie de St Vincent and Pam spotted a nautilus shell bobbing in the water. Allan yelled “I’m turning around! Get something to collect it – these are rare and valuable”.
Turning around a 48 foot yacht is not that easy but Allan executed it expertly. Retrieving the shell, however, was not that easy and it necessitated several maneuvers and the three of us working in tandem to get it. Eventually Pam (with me leaving over the lifelines using the boat hook to gently push it towards her) she managed to scoop the old shell safely onto the boat. It’s a precious and rare find.
News to me, but nautilus are fascinating creatures (part of the mollusk family) unchanged for more than 100 million years. The shells grow to around 30cm (the one we scooped up is about 15cm across), is lined with mother of pearl.
Its shell is divided into 36 chambers which are formed one after the other over years. Before developing a new chamber, the old one is closed off. The chambers are filled with a mixture of water gas and air which it adjusts for buoyancy as it plumbs depths of up to 500 metres on the edge of the barrier reef. I found this truly amazing and made the find even more special.
Photo: Nautilus shell on the after deck.
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