Great Information About Shelling on Sanibel Island Florida
Sanibel Island and its world-famous beaches have long been known for fantastic shelling because of their best-known shells that show up; the Alphabet Cone, Junonia, and many more. The real explosion and allure began to ramp up in the 1950s, local legend has it that a couple of women won in which was an editor of a newspaper had purchased a left-handed Junonia. She purchased this from below the equator a guess is somewhere in Australia and laid it on the beach only to pick it back up in front of a group of people. The photographs and story ran in her local newspaper. The AP Wire or associated press had picked up the story and ran it in markets around the United States, shelling was in its infancy and when avid collectors had heard that an opposite twist Junonia had been found on Sanibel, word spread like wildfire. The whole intent was to bring more tourism to an island that was little more than a sand dune.
The Real Reason Sanibel Has an Abundance of Great Shells
Most people don’t realize the reason why Sanibel has such phenomenal shelling. It’s because it’s one of the very few islands that run perpendicular to the state of Florida, whereas most islands run the same way as Florida, which causes the ocean currents to have the beaches primarily flushing water downward.
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Because of its Location, Seashells Can Wash Up Easier
It’s not that shells live and grow more off the beaches in the waters near Sanibel, it’s that they wash up much easier. Sanibel does have a few varieties that some other Florida beaches don’t have, for instance, the large Lions Paw, but pretty much the shells on Sanibel Island can be found in the waters off Marco Island otherwise known as the 10,000 Islands.
The Downsides to Shelling on Sanibel Island
In a nutshell, it’s a drive-up beach. Lovely tourists from all over America can pack up their picnic baskets, drive up, parking in the public parking, and vacuum up the beach. This usually begins just before daylight with flashlights, what a wonderful opportunity for beginner shellers to walk the beach and begin their fantastic hobby of collecting. Although good shells can be found and have been found for decades, with the growth of tourism the common complaint is simply that there are fewer shells to be had because they’re divided up between more and more people every year.
The Alternative for the Real Connoisseur is to Take a Short Trip to Marco Island
We offer shelling tours on Marco Island, so you can visit barren beaches void of people, laden with fantastic shells. Here are a couple of advantages of why Marco Island has become better for shelling on Sanibel Island:
- You’re going to beaches that are accessible only by boat, that fact alone takes out 97% of your shelling competition if that’s what you would call it
- The beaches in the 10,000 Islands are far more pristine and untouched than you would ever find on Sanibel Island, not to discredit its beauty but we at Sand Dollar Shelling takes out the human factor when beachcombing
Simply put, it’s far better to walk a beach and pick up shells that could have been lying there for months.
How Our Tours Can Help You Find The Perfect Shells
SandDollarShelling.com and its sister company, MarcoIslandShelling.com have been chosen by the Travel Channel to film episodes specifically on shelling. This is based on solely the success of the customers. There are a few tour companies that provide a somewhat similar service but are less successful. When making the decision on who to choose, check out the Facebook pages on social media, if a company is showing pictures of shells that are photoshopped or have their guides holding shells that they’ve found, you know that they’re shelling for themselves. Sand Dollar Shelling has long had a company rule that you’ll never see our captains bend down and pick anything up. It wouldn’t be fair. You would not want us picking up valuable sought-after shells just ahead of your beach walk. It’s just not fair. What we do is offer advice, a quick 5-10 minute shelling lesson will increase your success rate. If you see the social media pages and websites of Sand Dollar Shelling and Marco Island Shelling, you’ll see small children with valuable Junonias, why, because basically, the children are the guests that are listening to the words that we say before the trip begins. They’re better listeners. Sometimes the most experienced shelling who have been doing it the most of their life don’t feel the need to take any advice. Which is fine, but then return to the boat disheartened when an 8-year-old finds a grade AAA Junonia because they stuck around for the lesson.
Our trips are for the experienced sheller as well as the first-time beach walker, we give a quick informational segment for those who are careful on the differences between scallops, clams, snails, and the different variety of sea life. We have several boats departing daily, we never over shell any particular beach and would rather let some areas go a few weeks with nobody walking picking up shells to give the best chance on finding your shell. Marco Island is not very far from Sanibel, you can get breakfast and head over to our location, board a boat with no more than 6 people aboard for literally the best shelling you’ve EVER had.
Booking Information About Our Trips
Tickets are 90 dollars per adult and 75 for children, and our trips are 3 and a half hours long. We provide everything that you would need for shelling such as netted bags and buckets, as many as you can fill and keep. We have coolers filled with ice and water, we suggest you bring snacks for your trip or a beach lunch, foot protection, and a smile. Call in advance for depart times and tide tables.
