Snorkeling Sanibel Island
Plan a Visit to one of the Top Shelling Destinations in the World
If you're considering a trip to Sanibel Island as part of your vacation, don't overlook the opportunity to experience one of the Island's most unique and enjoyable outdoor activities – shelling. Sanibel is among the top three shelling locations in the world.
If you like the beach and love shells, but you're not crazy about forking over a fortune to own them, visit one of Sanibel's premier shelling destinations such as Bowmen's Beach, the Fishing Pier or Tarpon Bay Beach.
If you take your time, plan your shelling adventure and are prepared to do a bit of work, you'll enjoy discovering some of the more than 200 species of shells that flow into Sanibel's beaches from the Gulf of Mexico.
Florida's beautiful fighting conch shells are among the most popular varieties you can enjoy hunting for in Sanibel. In addition to conches, you may find cockle, scallops, tulip, coquina, whelk, junonia and olive shells, to name a few.
To start, plan to visit the Island during prime shelling season, which is between November and April. This is easy for most visitors as Florida is a popular fall to spring vacation destination.
When planning a shelling outing, consider that you'll have the best results around low tide. Shelling after a storm is also likely to provide good results.
Shelling requires very little equipment. You'll need to bring a bucket or net bag and a scoop. You may also want to bring a camera to photograph any live shells you find, but cannot according to law keep!
It's best to prepare to do quite a bit of walking if you're serious about shelling. You have to walk to access many of Sanibel's beaches: they're not necessarily located just off the parking lot. In addition, you'll be walking along the beach, so bring some flip-flops or other suitable beach walking footgear. The best shelling locations may be less busy, more isolated areas that take some time to access
Although you can find shells right along the beach laying in the sand at low tide, you may find even more by wading out into the water. You can search for shells with a snorkeling mask or even with your feet! Just be sure you only collect shells that don't contain live creatures.
One other thing to consider is that insects love warm, humid beaches as much as people do. Hopefully you'll remember your sunscreen; don't forget to bring insect repellant, too.
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