Best Beaches in Florida with Seashells (Best Shelling Spots from the Beach + Boat Tours)
As a self-proclaimed beach bum, one of my absolute favorite things to do at the beach (besides laying in the sun and reading ; ) is beachcombing!
Whether I’m searching for something specific like the perfect sand dollar (my personal favorite), or the coveted junonia or just picking up whatever catches my eye, shelling provides HOURS of cheap entertainment in the best possible conditions…feet in the sand, gentle waves lapping, and lots of sunshine.
Well, I’ve been to a LOT of beaches around the world and Florida by far has the best shelling I’ve ever seen. And trust me, I’ve pretty much been shelling up and down both coasts so I KNOW what I’m talking about.
Based on YEARS of shelling in different parts of Florida, here’s a round up of my favorite shelling spots in Florida plus everything you need to know about visiting:
Best Beaches in Florida with Seashells
I’m going to break this list up into two types of shelling spots: 1) Places you can shell right from the beach and 2) Places that you can only reach by boat.
Florida Shelling Tours
There is GREAT shelling on Florida beaches, but I won’t lie…I’ve definitely found the best shelling spots on tours to spots that are only accessible by boat.
Here are my STANDOUT spots:
Ten Thousand Islands
Just south of Marco Island on the Gulf Coast, the Ten Thousand Islands are a chain of islands and mangroves that give way to the Everglades. The Ten Thousand Islands are indisputably home to the best shelling in Florida.
Shelling in the Ten Thousand Islands doesn’t even feel like shelling…it’s more like…harvesting.
Shells that you would normally be THRILLED to find on any other beach are a dime a dozen in these islands and after the first hour or so you’ll find yourself getting pickier and pickier about which shells you’ll bend over to pick up.
So what kind of shells can you expect to find? Pretty much everything. Lightning whelks, tulips, alphabet cones, SAND DOLLARS, olives, Scotch bonnets, murex, scallops, fighting conchs, even the super rare junonia! And sooooo many more!
Last time I was in Marco Island, I did a tour with Treasure Seekers and it was AMAZING.
Treasure Seekers is a small company that runs daily four hour tours from the Goodland Boat Ramp (about 15 minutes from most places on Marco Island). Their boats only take six shellers and in addition to the captain, each tour has a first mate who is a pro at finding the best spots on each island and helping you identify shells.
They’re experts at knowing where to go depending on the time of day, time of year, tides, weather, etc. And they’re really good at monitoring how many people are shelling in different spots (including other tour companies) so they’ll always take you to spots where you’ll have the best chance of finding treasures.
My tour departed at 7AM (the start time varies depending on the time of year) and within 10-15 minutes we were at the first spot. We started at Dickmans Island. Our captain let us off the boat at the south end of the island and then he went and anchored at the north end of the island and we were able to make our way up the beach at our own pace. We ended up spending a little over 2 hours on the island and it went by SO FAST.
I have never been to a shelling beach like that in my life. It was completely overwhelming. Usually on a beach, there’s more or less one line of shells up near the high tide line and maybe some in the shallow water. But there were shells EVERYWHERE on this beach so it was impossible just to pick a line and walk it and see most everything. I’m not exaggerating…the area for shelling was probably fifty feet wide all the way down the island!
I was pretty focused on finding sand dollars so I stayed mostly in the shallow water or the first five feet from the water. On Dickmans Island I found probably 30 sand dollars and I eventually stopped picking them up because there were just so many. But I found so many different kinds of shells at this spot and would’ve picked up a lot more if I hadn’t been so focused on the sand dollars. One lady on our boat found a rare junonia at this spot!
After we packed up at Dickmans Island, we headed over to Kice Island for a bit. This island is HUGE and we just saw a tiny piece of it but it’s a really beautiful island and unlike anywhere I’ve ever been. And on the way back to the boat ramp, we found some dolphins that played in our wake!
Overall, I couldn’t have been more impressed with the shelling on this trip and the tour experience itself. It’s definitely something I’ll do again next time I’m in the area. I really want to go sometime when Shell Island is open because it’s supposed to be spectacular (it was closed for nesting season when we went but usually opens Sept 1).
If you’re looking for a Ten Thousand Island shelling tour, I highly recommend Treasure Seekers.
If you want to add a little adventure to your shelling expedition, book a kayak shelling tour with Southwest Florida Shell Guide. Ali launches her tour from a spot that allows you to paddle over to Dickmans Island (it’s not very far).
***Want to save major $$$ on a fancy beach resort? My favorite travel hack is cashing in points to score free nights at some of the island’s most high end resorts. My go to hotel brand is Marriott so I use this Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card to rack up points for a lot of my trips to Florida. If you pay for your monthly expenses on the card and are responsible about paying it off every month, the points add up really fast. Plus, if you sign up through my link, you’ll get THREE bonus free nights to use. In Florida, use your points at some of my favorite Marriott properties like the Swan Reserve at Walt Disney World, the Vinoy in St. Pete, the EDITION Miami Beach, the JW Marriott Marco Island, and the soon to open St. Regis Longboat Key.
Cayo Costa State Park
Cayo Costa is a long, skinny island just north of Captiva (the island north of Sanibel) on the Gulf Coast. It’s a state park with no roads or bridges, and being limited to boat traffic means the shelling is MUCH less picked over than nearby Sanibel and Captiva islands.
Unless you have your own boat, the best way to get to Cayo Costa for shelling is on a shelling tour with Captiva Cruises.
I booked the half day morning trip (9AM-12PM) to Southern Cayo Costa.
Our cruise departed from the marina at the South Seas Island Resort at the north end of Captiva. We got to the marina about 10 minutes early and were treated to a pretty good show by some local manatees so the time flew by.
We boarded right on time and were off pretty quickly. There were probably 12-15 people on our boat and plenty of room to spread out.
It took almost a full hour to motor to Cayo Costa (there wasn’t a good wind for sailing and we were on a different boat than they usually operate these tours on) and it was CHILLY. It was probably 65 degrees at 9AM (beginning of December) but overcast and with the wind it was pretty cool. We had come prepared with sweatshirts and beach blankets and it was still pretty brisk so pack accordingly.
Our captain and first mate gave us a great tour of the surrounding area and let us know what to expect once we got to the island.
Since it’s a smaller catamaran (or boat), they’re actually able to dock at Cayo Costa which is nice instead of landing at the beach and wading in. From the tiny dock, it was a short walk down a boardwalk to the beach.
There are NO facilities at this part of Cayo Costa so you need to bring everything you want with you (but there is a restroom on the boat). Also, they mentioned that they had water and soda available for purchase on the boat, but you’re welcome to bring your own as well.
Once we got to Cayo Costa we had just under two hours until we needed to be back on the boat. Some people in our group had chairs and they set up camp near where we arrived, but most people walked the beach looking for shells. Just keep an eye on the clock because however far down the beach you go, you’ll have to come back. The boat doesn’t move locations on this shelling trip to pick you up somewhere else down the beach.
The crew gave us some tips about which direction to head depending on what we were looking for and I decided to head to the right since it was more common to find sand dollars down that way.
I was really impressed with the shelling! Ever since I did the shelling cruise with Treasure Seekers out of Marco Island to the Ten Thousand Islands (the best shelling in Florida by a landslide), I’ve had pretty low expectations of other shelling spots. Well, this spot wasn’t better, but it was better than I thought it was going to be.
I picked up almost a dozen sand dollars (and I was kind of at the back of the pack of people on our boat who headed the direction where the sand dollars are most often found) and found quite a few lightning whelks, olives, and even some urchins.
I found a lot of sand dollars right on the beach, but our captain mentioned they were mostly found around a little point in shallow water. Well it being December, I wasn’t really prepared to go wading around in cold water, but I’ll do pretty much anything to find sand dollars so in I went!
I was wearing shorts and strap-on sandals so that helped, but if I went again I would’ve worn some kind of athletic quick drying shorts instead of denim. What actually would’ve helped was having one of those scooper/strainers to grab them up with instead of having to reach down (that’s when I got wet).
I found quite a few sand dollars in knee to mid thigh deep water and probably would’ve found way more if I had stayed out longer but I caught a pretty big wave and called it quits ; ) If the weather is warm though and you’re wearing a swimsuit, you should be able to find tons.
I think this cruise is a BARGAIN and 100% worth the time and money. At $45/adult for 3-3.5 hours, that’s a pretty good value. And I was very happy with the amount and kind of shells I found. You can book it here.
Now, I would NOT want to be on the afternoon shelling trip. There were 20 or so people lined up waiting to get on the boat when we got back to the dock and well, you know what they say about shelling…the early bird gets the worm.
I would definitely do this cruise again or try the full day cruise to Northern Cayo Costa where you get four hours of shelling time (you’d definitely want to pack a cooler for that one). And next time I’m in the area, I’m planning to do another cruise with Captiva Cruises to either Useppa Island or Cabbage Key.
Other Places to Shell by Boat
I haven’t personally been to these spots yet, but here are some other popular shelling spots on the Gulf Coast that are reached by boat. Most of these are pretty close to the mainland so it’s only a short ferry ride and you can come and go as you please:
Keewaydin Island: If you want to shell on a semi deserted island but you’d rather do it on your own, take the Hemingway Water Shuttle from Marco Island over to Keewaydin Island and spend a few hours shelling on the barrier island. The shelling isn’t as good as places in the nearby Ten Thousand Islands, but it’s decent and a more affordable option. I would recommend going on a weekday though as it turns into a bit of a party island on the weekends.
Shell Key & Egmont Key: Both of these barrier islands are on the Gulf Coast side in between St Pete Beach and Anna Maria Island, and they’re both accessible via a ferry from Fort de Soto State Park. You can book a ferry to Shell Key and Egmont Key State Park with Hubbard’s Marina.
Best Beaches in Florida with Seashells
Okay, let’s get to the best shelling beaches in Florida.
Sanibel & Captiva (Blind Pass Beach)
Yeah, you saw this one coming a mile away. Sanibel, a barrier island off the coast of Ft Myers on Florida’s Gulf Coast has long been renowned for having the best shelling in Florida. Well, I think that’s debatable (I’m partial to this spot), BUT Sanibel certainly has some of the most accessible shelling beaches in Florida.
You don’t need a boat or dive gear and you won’t have to hike for miles to find a secluded beach. There are plenty of beaches on Sanibel where you can pull right up, park, and start walking the shoreline looking for treasures.
Sanibel’s location on the Gulf of Mexico AND its orientation (it kind of sticks out to the west instead of running north south) means that it’s in a prime spot to collect the millions and millions of shells that sit offshore along Florida’s continental shelf. And if you’re coming to Sanibel during the winter when storms are out stirring it all up, you’re in for a treat!
I’ve spent a lot of time reading, asking around, and doing my own trial and error and I think the best shelling spot on Sanibel is Blind Pass Beach.
This isn’t the easiest beach to visit on Sanibel (mostly because of the parking), but if shelling is your priority, this is the spot you don’t want to miss.
Blind Pass separates Sanibel from Captiva and the pass tends to be a place where shells collect. There’s a nice sandy beach on the Sanibel and the Captiva side and there’s parking on each side as well as a bridge that connects them.
This spot is popular with shellers and fishermen and there’s pretty limited parking (about 30 spots on either side of the bridge) so arriving early is key!
The earlier the better…come at sunrise if you want the first choice among what’s washed up overnight no matter when low tide is. You’ll also want to be prepared to wade in the water and I would recommend having a scoop/strainer tool. They sell them at a lot of shops on the island.
You’ll want to search around Blind Pass Beach (the Sanibel side) and Turner Beach (the Captiva side) as well as up under the bridge and around.
Parking in either lot is $5/hour (cash or card) and the Turner Beach (Captiva) side has restrooms and I’m guessing a shower/foot rinse since there’s water (there wasn’t one on the Sanibel side).
It doesn’t really matter which side you park on though. There’s a bridge that connects them and it’s not very far.
If you’re looking for a good place to stay on Sanibel, the Castaways Beach & Bay Cottages sit right around Blind Pass Beach. They’re really cute, and I will definitely look into renting one of these on my next trip.
Side Note: If you’re looking for a rental car for your trip, I LOVE Discount USA Car Rental. They’re seriously the only company I ever use. I started using their sister company (Discount Hawaii Car Rental) on my Hawaii trips almost 10 years ago and now I use their main site for all of my other trips. They’ll give you the very best prices, you don’t have to reserve with a credit card or pay until you show up, you can cancel and re-book anytime if you find a better rate, and they usually have a special that adds additional drivers for no fee. It’s a no brainer. Click here to check rates for your trip.
Marco Island (Tigertail Beach & Sand Dollar Spit)
Tigertail Beach is by far the most popular beach on Marco Island (although the whole island is really one long stretch of sand) and it’s mostly because of the public access and the phenomenal shelling.
Now I’ll be honest…it’s nowhere on the same level as the Ten Thousand Islands, but it’s a steady shelling spot and if I hadn’t been shelling on a tour, I would have been over the moon impressed (I found three sand dollars which I would consider a pretty big success normally).
It’s $8/car to park and there’s quite a bit of public parking, a cute cafe and rentals for paddle boards and kayaks.
But here’s the deal…at the area where you park your car (where all of the amenities are), there’s a small beach/muddy shore which is technically Tigertail Beach. That little beach sits on some brackish brown water surrounded by some mangroves and you either have to wade through it or walk around it to get to the main beach (on the ocean) also sometimes called Sand Dollar Spit.
See the graphic here to understand what I’m talking about.
The quickest way to get to the beach/ocean (where the shells are) is to wade across the “lagoon” and trek through a brushy trail. The water is usually 2-3 feet deep and I’m not going to lie…it’s pretty gross. It’s a sandy/muddy bottom so you can’t see what’s in the water ; ) but in the shallow parts there were a lot of little jellies. They didn’t bother me, but I would definitely recommend wearing shoes.
Now if the thought of wading through the swamp grosses you out, you can walk around it. From the main parking lot (by the cafe) around the lagoon and to the start of the beach it’s close to a mile and took me a solid 15 minutes (moderately paced walk). There is no shade, it’s VERY hot and I would NOT want to do this with kids.
Tip: When you’re parking, park as far south as possible and take that entrance. It will save you a fair amount of time (it’s still a big walk though!).
Now about the beach itself…it’s a beautiful beach and the farther you go down the “spit” the more remote it gets. The shelling was really good, and it’s pretty picturesque too. I found several sand dollars (at midday), some olives, lightning whelks, and quite a few other types.
And honestly I didn’t spend a super long time here because it was HOT and I was worried I didn’t have enough water to make the long trek back to the car so I think if you go early and you’re prepared to spend some time you’ll be very impressed with the shelling.
Fort De Soto State Park (Sand Dollar Island at North Beach)
If you’re staying in the St Pete Beach/Clearwater Beach area, this is a don’t miss shelling spot.
This popular state park consists of five small islands at the south end of St Pete Beach, and it’s accessible by car ($5 entry fee plus $5 parking fee). In addition to a beautiful beach, you can rent canoes or kayaks (watch out for manatees!), fish from the pier, bike the park’s paved 7 mile trail (regular bike rentals as well as 8 seater Surrey bikes are available), or even visit the historic fort and museum.
But my favorite thing to do here is search for sand dollars. At the far end of North Beach is a point called Sand Dollar Island and as the name implies…it’s a great spot to find sand dollars! It’s a bit sheltered by another island offshore which breaks the waves so it’s easy to find them still completely intact.
You can park in the northernmost parking lot at North Beach and walk north along the beach as far as the tide allows (shelling is always best at low tide).
I spent a great afternoon here shelling and found quite a few sand dollars (despite seeing a lot of people walking back towards me with handfuls of them when I got started) so they must be pretty plentiful.
From Fort de Soto State Park, you can also take a ferry to nearby Shell Key and Egmont Key State Park for more shelling and exploring. I haven’t been to either spot yet, but they’re on my list ; )
Honeymoon Island State Park ( & Caladesi Island State Park)
Honeymoon Island State Park is accessible via the Dunedin Causeway and I found pretty decent shelling around the rocky part of Main Beach.
From Honeymoon Island, you can take a ferry over to Caladesi Island. More info about that here.
You can expect to find the same kind of shells on Caladesi as on Honeymoon. Multiple people (the ferry captain, the beach concession attendant, etc.) mentioned that the shelling was best at the north end of the beach.
The very north end of the island is about 1.5 miles from where the chairs are set up, but you don’t need to go all the way down to the end to find shells. They’re just at that general end of the island. I’m not sure if better shells wash up there, or there’s just less picked over because everyone gets dropped off in the middle of the island, but it was definitely worth walking down towards the end.
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Fernandina Beach (Sharks Teeth)
I just got back from my first trip to Amelia Island and I enjoyed beach combing even if it’s nowhere near as good as what I’m used to on the Gulf side.
The real gems here are fossilized shark teeth. You can find them anywhere along Amelia Island and Ponte Vedra, but it’s more likely after a storm.
Tips for Shelling in Florida (& What Gear to Bring)
First things first…No live shells! Like anywhere, make sure your shells aren’t home to any little critters and only take sand dollars that are the fossilized exoskeletons (aka dead).
It’s never a bad idea to have water shoes/sandals that strap onto your feet. Most Florida beaches have pretty soft sand, but when the shells are really dense sometimes you don’t want to be barefoot.
Get some shelling bags before you go. You want ones with small netting/mesh. I got these which are basically a small messenger bag and they were PERFECT. I was very surprised with how much they held (comfortably) and wished I’d ordered a second set.
If you’re looking for sand dollars (or other fragile shells) take tupperware or some kind of container to protect the sand dollars.
Wear a sun shirt because the sun is intense. I HATE stopping to reapply sunscreen plus the sun just gets so hot on your skin so a lightweight sun shirt is essential. And maybe take a second one to change into if it’s cool and the first one gets wet.
If you don’t have pockets (most swim suits or shorts don’t have them), I’d recommend some kind of lanyard or hip pack for your phone/small essentials. I didn’t like having to dig in my backpack for my phone every time I wanted to take a picture.
Pack a cooler and take water. On some tours, they have water and drinks for you. But most encourage you to bring your own snacks. Even if it’s only a four hour tour, after a couple hours of shelling, I always get HUNGRY. Whenever I’m in Florida and need snacks/beach food I always like to stop at Publix. They will make custom sub sandwiches but I love the little premade sliders they have.
Want to Read More Posts about Florida? I’ve got plenty!
Check out these destinations: Miami (Things to Do Besides Party & Where to Stay) // Key Biscayne // Sanibel & Captiva // Longboat Key & Anna Maria Island // Marco Island // 30a // St Augustine // Amelia Island // St Pete Beach // St Petersburg // Fort Myers // Dunedin // Crystal River & Weeki Wachee Springs // Honeymoon Island & Caladesi Island State Parks // Tarpon Springs // Matlacha & Pine Island // Apalachicola
Trying to narrow it down? Siesta Key vs Anna Maria Island // St Pete Beach vs Clearwater Beach // Sanibel vs Marco Island // Destin vs Panama City Beach // Destin vs 30a // Key Biscayne vs South Beach // Seaside vs Rosemary Beach
Best Beaches in Florida with Seashells
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