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Southwest Florida |
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Recreation Guide |
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Shelling |
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to shelling heaven! Sanibel Island, in
particular, has been noted as being the
best shelling beach by the travel
channel. Be aware that Florida state law
prohibits the collection of live shells
to preclude the possibility of dwindling
populations. Any shell with a creature
still inside is considered a live shell.
Shellers who find live shells washed up
on the beach (a common occurrence after
storms) are urged to gently return the
shell to deep water. |
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Hot Shelling Spots |
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Big
Hickory Island |
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NW of Little Hickory Island,
accessible only by boat. |
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Accessible only by boat, Big
Hickory Island is a favorite of local boaters and
shellers. |
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La
Costa Island |
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Between North Captiva and Boca
Grande, accessible only by boat. |
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Beause it takes a boat ride
to get there, these sands hold a caches of shells merely
by virtue of their remoteness. North end Johnson Shoals
provides a thin strip of sandbar for good low-tide
pickings. |
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Known for the best shelling
beaches in the western hemisphere, the island even has
its own name for the peculiar, shell-bent stance of the
beach collector: Sanibel Stoop. Unlike the other gulf
coast barrier islands, Sanibel takes an east-west
heading. Its perpendicular position and lack of offshore
reefs allows it to intercept shells that arrive from
southern seas. Its fame as a world-class shelling area
has made Sanibel a prime destination for shell
collectors for decades. one risks shell shock just by
visiting with shell-named streets, stores awash in
shells and shell crafts, an annual shell fair, and a
shell museum. Best gulf-side shelling spot: Bowman's
Beach. |
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Shelling Charters |
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Adventure in Paradise |
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Port Sanibel Marina, east of the
Sanibel toll booth. |
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14341 Port Comfort Rd |
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Fort Myers, Florida |
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239
472-8443 |
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Shelling and snorkeling
excursions to Cayo Costa aboard power catamarans. |
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Captain
Mike Fuery's Shelling Charters |
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P.O.1302 |
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Captiva Island, Florida |
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239
466-3649 |
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A local Shelling expert, who
authors a how-to column for the Sanibel-Captiva
Islander newspaper, takes small groups to Cayo
Costa, Johnson Shoals, and other hot shelling spots. |
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The
Playtime |
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South Seas Resort |
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P.O.
Box 580 |
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Captiva Island, Florida |
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239
472-5300 |
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Three-hour shelling trips to
Cayo Costa, and North Captiva with experienced
instruction. |
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