Top Tips for Shelling on Florida’s Paradise Coast

Looking to bring home more than a tan from your vacation on Florida's Paradise Coast?

Shelling is the fun way to stock up on colorful, natural souvenirs made of calcium carbonate. It’s part treasure hunt, part exercise – but it’s not as easy as you might think. With so many people searching for the best shells, it pays to know what you’re looking for and where to find it – and that’s where a guided excursion can help. Experienced operators will take you to remote spots where the shells haven’t been picked over.

The beaches of Florida’s Paradise Coast are widely known to offer some of the best shelling opportunities in the country. Among the 400 shell species in our destination, you’ll find lion’s paws, moon shells, coquinas, clams, cockles, limpets, cones, murexes, shapely lightning whelks, pointed fighting conchs, ridged scallops and junonias. And that doesn’t include dried starfish, sea urchins, armored horseshoe crab shells and whole sand dollars — all just waiting to be discovered.

Here’s an overview of the many shelling expeditions available on Florida’s Paradise Coast.

SHELLING CRUISES

Sweet Liberty’s 53-foot sailing catamaran leaves mid-morning from the Naples City Dock and takes up to 44 guests on a shelling expedition to eight-mile Keewaydin Island (which, by the way, is only accessible by boat). The three-hour narrated cruise highlights some of the gorgeous waterfront communities in Naples before docking on the island’s undeveloped, white-sand shoreline, where you disembark and spend an hour hunting for shells. After collecting your precious finds, you'll sail back via the Gulf of America.

For another relaxing catamaran cruise, consider Marco Island Water Sports, which runs the 45-foot Calusa Spirit for a two-and-a-half hour Calusa Spirit Eco Tour. Hop aboard on the Marco Island beachfront, glide smoothly across the Gulf, around Cape Romano and into Ten Thousand Islands at the northern edge of the Everglades. The tour lets you off at an uninhabited island for shell hunting — and a dip in the water if you choose. Along the way, an onboard naturalist answers questions about the unique ecosystems of Southwest Florida.

PRIVATE SHELLING EXCURSIONS

Here’s one for you hardcore shelling enthusiasts. Breakwater Adventures on Marco Island offers an Early Bird Shelling Tour. The private trip — accommodating up to six passengers — island hops to the best shelling spots over the course of four hours. An onboard shelling expert helps you search for sand dollars, horse conchs, hard-to-find junonias and other types. The excursion includes a cruise through Ten Thousand Islands. They don’t call it the Early Bird tour for nothing. It departs at 7 a.m.

Day Star Charters, out of Naples, offers Island Shelling and Dolphin Watching Tours that carry up to six people. The company books trips from four to six hours, with three hours being the most popular. Operating since 1998, Day Star promises to go to spots where you’re not likely to find many other boats. That means stops at remote islands, with only your fellow hunters competing for the best shells. The tours are customizable. Groups can choose to spend all of their time shelling, or set aside some time to get up close to dolphins and maybe even manatees. You can add in some swimming and picnicking as well.

To venture more deeply into the wonders of Ten Thousand Islands, Marco Island Boat Tours offers a two-hour shelling expedition leaving from Chokoloskee, a quaint Everglades fishing village an hour’s drive from downtown Naples and 45 minutes from Marco Island. The tours, which explore remote beaches on deserted mangrove islands, are led by a certified master naturalist, who will provide insights into the ecosystem, the tides, the currents and other valuable information as you hunt for shells. You’ll come home with treasured keepsakes and a headful of knowledge. As you go, you’re certain to see majestic birds and may encounter playful dolphins and gentle manatees.

If you have extra time, drive or walk around Chokoloskee. It’s old Florida at its best. Stop in at the Historic Smallwood Store, which opened in 1906 as a pioneer outpost and is now a very rustic combination of museum and antique shop.

Here are some other operators that offer shelling excursions on Florida’s Paradise Coast:

Nautical Life Shelling Tours (Goodland); Florida Island Tours (Marco Island); Treasure Seekers Shell Tours (Marco Island); SWFL Shell Guide (Naples/Marco Island); Marco Island Shelling; Sand Dollar Shelling (Marco Island).

For a broader overview of the many outdoor tours available on Florida’s Paradise Coast, visit our Tours page.