Best Shelling Tripin Fort Myers Beach

Shell, yeah! I had the best shelling experience in Southwest Florida earlier this year and it was with Sun-N-Fun Charters Shelling Tours in Fort Myers Beach.

The June 2021 trip was to Big Hickory Island. Within the three hours or so of beachcombing, I found dozens, and dozens of beautiful seashells. It was an outgoing tide which meant more gorgeous treasures from the sea were exposed.
The shell piles probably contained millions of seashells and honestly, it was a little overwhelming and I wasn’t sure where to start.

This part of Southwest Florida is a good place to find an elusive Junonia shell. It’s a white cone with dark chocolate spots. Finding a whole one is rare because unlike some of the other shells, like Florida fighting conchs or Banded Tulips, the Junonig sea shell lives in deeper water.

Along the shoreline were rows of dead trees and their roots serve as hideouts for sea critters and they distracted me from gathering shells. An important note about collecting seashells, if there’s something living in it, either the mollusk, snail, or hermit crab, leave it.
I found a gorgeous red Banded Tulip and it was alive so after a photo, I carefully placed it back. Speaking of banded tulip shells, atop a Florida fighting conch were tulip egg casings with each casing holding a baby tulip! I spotted several hermit crabs including one stuck in the stand and other occupied shells. Seeing numerous nine-armed sea stars, brittle stars, and sea stars in the shell beds was fascinating, too.

When I had questions about the beach or a shell, Capt. Dan was Fort Myers Beach shelling tours able to answer them. As he pointed out, each day shelling is different. Tide, time of year, and weather conditions impact the shelling opportunities.

What to bring on a Shelling trip with Sun-N-Fun Charters and recommend:
* Bucket or bag for collecting shells
* Sunscreen
* Hat
* Sturdy water shoes (flip-flops and sandals won’t cut it)
* Hand rake (to comb through shell piles)
* Clothing you don’t mind getting wet.
* Backpack to carry any items with you.
* Sense of adventure
* Cash to tip your guide