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Shell seekers find treasures along The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel
LEE COUNTY, FL – When Anne Morrow Lindbergh visited Captiva Island and penned her famous book, "Gift From the Sea," in 1955, she wrote: "The beach was covered with beautiful shells and I could not let one go by unnoticed. I couldn't even walk head up looking out to sea, for fear of missing something precious at my feet."
It is much that way today as avid collectors come from all over the world to comb The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel to take advantage of the abundant treasures from the sea. A passion for shelling will soon turn into obsession as the success of a vacation for many is often judged by the number of shells collected!
The area’s famous beaches have been ranked as some of the best in the U.S. for shelling. The shell is celebrated each year at the Annual Sanibel Shell Fair & Show that has been going on for 71 years. The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum has the largest collection of shells in North America. Shops such as She Sells Sea Shells on Sanibel Island and the Shell Factory and Nature Park in North Fort Myers cater to shell collectors and sell crafts to do at home.
With more than 100 barrier and coastal islands adjacent to the Lee County, Florida shoreline, this area is home to 50 miles of sandy white beaches that shelter some of the best shelling in the United States. Tourists and residents alike search the beaches for treasures. Some even set out with flashlights before sunrise to find the best specimens washed ashore. In 2007, more than 2 million visitors from around the world flocked to southwest Florida to sample this shelling paradise.
The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel yields some 400 species of multi-colored seashells, from the commonplace scallop and clam to the exotic tulips, olives, fragile paper fig shells and the rarest of them all, the brown speckled junonia. Considered a “one in a lifetime" find, stumbling
across a junonia will get your photo in the local Sanibel newspaper. Shelling is taken seriously here! For information on the types of shells found on the area beaches and how to identify each, visit www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/cms/d/identify_your_shelling_finds.php.
The ideal geography of the area has everything to do with the bounty of shells to be found. Shells from the Caribbean eventually roll up the slightly sloping undersea shelf. The gentle waves keep a majority of shells intact.
Visitors always ask, "Where are the best shelling locations?"
Sanibel Island is widely celebrated for its shelling potential. Even the island’s configuration encourages shelling with its boomerang or shrimp shape that slows down the shells and brings them onto the beach in one piece. While many islands face northwest, Sanibel runs in a more east-west direction, a distinct advantage. A wide plateau of relatively shallow water and sandy bottom adjoins Sanibel on the south side of the island, according to Winston Williams, author of “Florida’s Fabulous Seashells." “This gradual slope of the Gulf of Mexico bottom acts like a ramp where large numbers of shells roll onto the beach, especially when driven by storms from the northwest," says Williams. Such storms are common in December and January when mild cold fronts pass through Florida. He notes that the gentle slope assures that even more shells arrive in undamaged condition.
Often, seashells left behind by sea creatures hide just beneath the surface of the sand where the surf breaks. Many empty shells never make it over this point and can be collected by wading or snorkeling along the surf line or sifting through the bounty of shells regularly deposited by waves. By closely monitoring the feeding habits of shorebirds like terns, one can locate many of the Gulf’s treasures.
More shelling locations: Shelling is actively pursued all along the southwest Florida coastline. It is especially good in less populated areas, like North Captiva and Cayo Costa islands, known for their starfish, conch and sand dollars. Both of these sparsely populated islands are accessible only by private boat or charter. For details on each of the area’s beaches, go to www.FortMyersSanibel.com/cms/d/beaches_illustration.php.
To get to some of the more isolated locations and to go with an expert, many visitors seek the help of a shelling guide or charter captain. The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel is one of the few places in the world where a person can make a living as a shelling charter captain and the area has many local experts with knowledge of the beaches and best shelling locations. Many local marinas and resorts run shelling charters. For a list of shelling charters and tours, visit www.FortMyersSanibel.com.
When is shelling at its best?
Avid shellers say that anytime is a good time for shelling, as one never knows what will wash ashore. The thrill of the search is part of the allure. Peak shelling season in the Fort Myers/Sanibel area is generally considered to be May through September where it is possible to find 50 to 60 different kinds on a given day. Typical winter cold fronts produce great shelling on the southwest side of many barrier islands with changing tides, strong currents and prime weather conditions constantly changing island formations. For information on shelling area beaches visit www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/cms/d/captiva_island_shelling.php.
Shelling tips
Shell early morning. Low tide is best.
Avid shellers say that anytime is a good time for shelling, as one never knows what will wash ashore. The thrill of the search is part of the allure. Peak shelling season in the Fort Myers/Sanibel area is generally considered to be May through September where it is possible to find 50 to 60 different kinds on a given day. Typical winter cold fronts produce great shelling on the southwest side of many barrier islands with changing tides, strong currents and prime weather conditions constantly changing island formations. For information on shelling area beaches visit
Be patient! No one area is good all the time and no collection worth viewing was ever found on one outing. Yet there is something innately appealing about shelling that keeps most people coming back time after time, year after year. Morning, evening or midday, shell seekers throughout the islands and mainland coasts of The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel assume the famous “Sanibel Stoop" or “Captiva Crouch," position to gather gifts from the sea.
Celebrate the shell!
It is no surprise that shelling enthusiasts gather each year for an annual shell fair that
draws visitors from all over the world. One of the most unique events in the country, it began on a porch with just a few islanders and has evolved into today's 71st Annual Sanibel Shell Fair & Showthat will take place March 6-8, 2008 at the Sanibel Community House on Periwinkle Way. The event includes demonstrations, shell displays, crafts, prizes, food and entertainment. Serious shellers compete for prizes while visitors shop and enjoy treasures that include award-winning Sailor's Valentines, popular in the 1800s when sailors brought them home to their sweethearts. For details visit www.sanibelcommunityhouse.com or call 239-472-2155.
Before heading out on a quest for the perfect junonia shell, many shellers visit the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum on Sanibel Island, which is in its twelfth year of mounting exhibits and educating the public about mollusks and the hard exoskeletons they leave behind. With ties to the Smithsonian Institution, it is home to shells of southwest Florida and huge and rare specimens from around the world. The museum has the largest collection of shells in North America, including the intricate Sailor’s Valentines. A comprehensive Web-based system allows malacologists (zoologists who specialize in mollusks) the world over to access the museum's collection online. Shell buffs of every sort may view the museum's holdings as well. A learning lab offers a hands-on area for children and a gift shop filled with unique objects to take home, including a kit to make your own Sailor’s Valentine. For more information visit www.shellmuseum.org or call 1-888-679-6450.
Shellers will not want to miss the Shell Factory & Nature Park in North Fort Myers. A southwest Florida institution, it is billed as the "world's collection of rare shells, corals, sponges and fossils from the seven seas." Part museum, part gift shop, part nature park, it is a great addition to a shelling vacation. For more information visit www.shellfactory.com or call 239-995-2141.
Help preserve this natural resource
Lee County treasures this natural visitor attraction. Shell activists work to preserve this natural resource and protect live shells from being over-harvested and endangered. By signature of the late Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles, the City of Sanibel Island banned all live shelling as of Jan. 1, 1995. As of March 2002, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, at the request of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners, also banned all live shelling throughout the Fort Myers and Sanibel area. However, collection of uninhabited shells, ones where the animals or mollusks are already dead or gone from the shell, is unlimited and encouraged.
For more information on shelling and planning a vacation to The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel visit www.FortMyersSanibel.com.
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