Spend extended beach time shelling on boat-only Cayo Costa Island
Private beach time and shelling beside Sanibel Lighthouse
Shell the shores of a boat-only barrier island
Reach boat-only North Captiva for beach shelling and dolphin watching
The boat-only islands hold the freshest shell lines; the drive-up parks hold the restrooms. Either way, timing beats location: low tide after a winter front.
Clarity is geology, not luck: quartz sand, seagrass filtration, and how close the Gulf Stream runs. Thirteen beaches, and the trade-off each one asks of you.