Explosive Device Washes Ashore On Shelly Island at Cape Point
This morning a local fisherman was fishing on the new island (Shelly Island) off Cape Point on Hatteras Island. He came upon washed up on the island some type of unidentified explosive device. It could be an old military device such as an unexploded ordnance. Now multiple agencies are involved. The island was quickly evacuated. Those agencies involved include the Hatteras Island Rescue Squad, Dare County Emergency Management, the National Park Service, the US Coast Guard, and several local fire departments. Now the Navy and Marine Corp Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians out of Virginia are on the way to Buxton. That team is expected sometime to arrive sometime this afternoon. The device on the island is causing a lot of excitement for the Outer Banks. Shelly Island was making the news before but now this explosive device that has been discovered washed ashore on the new island will cause even more headlines in the news!
Shelly Island is the growing sand bar just off Cape Point at Buxton, NC on Hatteras Island at the Outer Banks. The new sand bar, or island was not there just a few months ago. About April the small sandbar was noted just off Cape Point. Over the next few months the sandbar kept growing in size. Now the new island named Shelly Island is over a mile long and about three football fields long. The island is covered in seashells. One end of the new island is close to the beach at Cape Point. At low tide the narrow channel is about 5 ft deep. Many people are swimming over from the beach to the new island. But officials warn that swimming to the island is not recommended. The current can be quite strong not to mention the sharks and stingrays that have been seen swimming in the channel.
Many people are using kayaks, small boats and SUPs to get to the newly formed island. The fishing is great on the ocean side of Shelly Island. Shellhunters are in heaven due to the large numbers of shells being found. Some shellhunters come back with bags and bags of conch shells and other great finds like seaglass and scotch bonnets.
The island has made national news. Ginger Zee from Good Morning America broadcast live from the island a few weeks ago. FOX News has reported about Shelly Island, CNN has also covered the new island. Numerous local TV stations from NC, SC and Virginia as well as others have had stories about the newly formed island. Now this possible unexploded bomb washing ashore on Shelly Island will surly make more news.
