For our 10th anniversary, Mallory and I decided we wanted to go on a big beach trip. For years I had wanted to go to the Dominican. So I pushed for it and won. So we booked the trip. We went in early November 2024.
My “dream” has always been to find a conch shell, a BIG one. I researched and didn’t find much good news about finding good shells in the Dominican. So I was just going to get any small shells I could get and be happy with it.
We booked two excursions. We went on a snorkeling trip on the 2nd or 3rd day there. We went out on the ocean and it was super wavy that day. We finally got to an area to snorkel and they let us out but the water was really too rough to do much with. It was also pretty deep where we anchored. We did stop in another area but there was nothing.
Well, we booked the second excursion a day after that. This excursion was a trip out on the ocean to an area where we could swim with rays, nurse sharks, and swim around. When we were on the boat we asked some of the guys working about shells. They didn’t sound positive about it. At one area, Mallory and I got in the water where there weren’t many people. I had barely gone underwater and I saw a huge conch shell. I started to dive and realized it was deeper than I could go. I shot over to the ladder, climbed up the dock, and caught some of the workers. I told them I had seen a conch but it was too deep. One of the workers instantly dove in where I showed him, swam down about 20 ft and grabbed it. They brought it up to me and we got out of the water.
This is where it got me nervous. When we climbed on the dock we went in this little area where there were some closets or storage. We made sure first that the shell was empty and it was. About that time, one of the workers basically told me to hide with the shell. The boss or supervisor was on a boat headed past us. They told me that we weren’t really supposed to take the shell. So we went in the storage and found several plastic bags. Then we hid it in the storage room. They told me to come get it right before we were to leave. So a few minutes before that I went down for one last swim and to grab it. I held it in the most inconspicuous way possible. I boarded the boat and without anyone noticing emptied our bag, hid the shell, and then covered it back up.
At the resort I left it in the shower and everytime I would shower I would try to clean it out. For the flight home, I used some towels from the resort that made it back to TN, some clothes, and anything I could to cushion this shell. I had to put it in my checked bag and hope it didn’t get checked or even worse, damaged.
We made it back to Tennessee with the shell in perfect condition. To anyone else, it might just look like a big conch shell. But to me, it’s ten years of marriage, a trip I’d dreamed about, and a moment with Mallory I’ll never forget. A dream sitting twenty feet below the surface—and now one of my most prized possessions