Shelling on North Captiva and Cayo Costa

My friend and I were eager to spend the better part of a day shelling – enchanted by the beautiful pieces of sculpture created by nature and nurtured by the sea. This enchantment, coupled with curiosity about what we might find, led us to book a trip with Captiva Cruises.

Captiva Cruises

Ospreys swoop on the morning breeze as we wait on the wooden dock for the pontoon boat to pick us up. We and 20 other shelling enthusiasts climb aboard for the 25-minute journey. As we cross Pine Island Sound, our informative guide, Capt. Brian, gives a short history of the area. Approaching North (or Upper) Captiva, we are treated to an unspoiled vista – a wide, white sandy beach backed by wind-buffeted vegetation.

Shell Selection

Stepping onto the sand, we marvel at the swaths of pinks, purples and all shades of brown laid out before us. I found myself choosing olives, tubular shapes with soft spots on a chamois-colored ground, and scallops. My friend, Jacquelyn, chooses starfish, sand dollars and shiny rose petal tellins.

I brought home various shells, including a calico scallop, a lion's paw and a whelk. I also collected a couple of shark's eyes and some corkscrew-shaped augers and prickly tritons.

The Ideal Environment

Many people come to the area for one reason only – the incredible shelling. Fort Myers-Sanibel produces spectacular specimens because the currents bring shells from the Caribbean to local shores. The wide continental shelf provides a gently sloping incline that allows many shells to arrive unscathed. And warm Gulf waters provide ample opportunity for the creatures to reproduce.

You'll find some of the most sought-after shells, such as the crown conch, in the sound, where the different salinity levels mean the mollusk population differs from that found in the Gulf. But, cautions Anne Joffe, owner of She Sells Sea Shells and head of the Sanibel Shell Fair and Show, those who come looking for a particular shell often find everything but that shell. "I always tell people, ‘Don't close your mind – be open to finding everything.’”

Charter Shelling Trips

For the serious shell collector, consider taking a charter shelling cruise. There are 40 to 50 shelling guides on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel. We spoke to Capt. Mike Fuery, who's been taking folks out to the best shelling places for about 30 years.

Fuery says that even for his die-hard collectors, gathering shells is the sideline; it's going on the trip that's interesting. Whether he's cruising the inside flats or barreling out into the Gulf, Fuery peppers his commentary with ecology and biology lessons.

Fuery says the most desired beach treasure isn’t a shell at all, but the sand dollar. One of the rarest finds is the junonia. As for the most common, expect to find lettered olives, lightning whelks, Florida fighting conchs, nutmegs, nauticas – and all manner of scallops and other bivalves.

Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum

While there are maybe 50 easily recognizable shells in the area, it’s actually home to 300 shell species. Before you head out, stop in at Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, which educates the public about mollusks and their shells. You'll see two movies on mollusks and about 30 exhibits.

The shell museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is the only museum in North America dedicated entirely to shells and has a comprehensive web-based system that allows people the world over to access the museum's collection online.