Shelling Tour in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota Bay is the most overlooked shelling spot in the area. The Gulf beaches get the crowds, but the calm bay flats off City Island hold more whelks, conchs and sand dollars than any stretch of sand on Lido or Siesta. Here is how to shell Sarasota, and the guided tour that makes it easy.
Where the shells are, what you will find, and when to go.
Where to shell in Sarasota
City Island on Ken Thompson Parkway is the launch for our tour and the best wade-in flat in town. For beach shelling, try North Lido Beach (fewer people, less picked over), the shell piles at the south end of South Lido, and the north end of Longboat Key at Whitney Beach. Sand Dollar Island on Big Pass is boat-only, but you do not need a boat to find sand dollars on the bay side.
What you will find
Lightning whelks, fighting conchs, crown conchs, banded tulips, lettered olives, bay scallops, slipper shells and sand dollars are the regulars on Sarasota Bay. The grass flats also hide sea urchins, horseshoe crabs, seahorses and small fish, which is why a night tour with a light turns up so much more than a daytime walk.
When to go
On the beaches, shelling is best at low tide after a winter cold front stirs up the Gulf. On the bay flats it is good year round because the shells never wash away; the water is simply calmer and clearer on a light-wind evening. Our tour runs nightly at 8:30 PM so you shell after the daytime boat traffic has gone home.
Before you head to the beach.
Yes. The bay flats at City Island are shallow enough to wade, under 4 feet deep, and hold the same whelks, conchs and sand dollars that the sandbar boat charters take you to. The difference is you can search for a full hour on foot instead of a short stop.
North Lido Beach and the north end of Longboat Key (Whitney Beach, 100 Broadway) are the top picks for beach shelling because they get fewer visitors. South Lido has big shell piles along the waterline after a blow. For live sea life and larger shells, the bay side beats all of them.
Yes, and it is the best time. Whelks, crabs and seahorses come out onto the sand after dark, and a 10,000-lumen LED light pod makes the bottom easy to read. Our guided tour handles the light, the gear and the safety briefing.
City Island Park, 1799 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, FL 34236, at the roundabout. Parking is free. Arrive 20 minutes before the 8:30 PM start to gear up.
Night shelling & snorkeling tour in Sarasota.
Our guided night shelling and snorkeling tour launches from City Island on Sarasota Bay, a wide, current-sheltered flat that regularly turns up whelks, scallops and sand dollars once the LED pod hits the bottom. You wade in from shore with a guide, the water stays under 4 feet, and no strong swimming is needed.
1 hour 15 minutes
About 60 minutes in the water, then a 15-minute show-and-tell on the sand where your guide names every treasure the group found.
All gear included
Snorkel mask and gear, aqua socks to keep, glow stick, safety noodle, whistle, mesh collection bag and a net. Just bring your swimsuit.
$60 adults · $45 ages 6–11
Kids 5 and under join free with a parent (book by text). Nightly at 8:30 PM, weather permitting. Arrive 20 minutes early.
Where we meet
City Island Park, 1799 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, FL 34236 (at the roundabout). Free parking. Look for the guide with the LED light pod.
Keep what's empty
Empty shells go in your bag to keep. Anything alive is observed briefly, then returned to the water. We protect the marine life we came to see.
No experience needed
Most of our guests have never snorkeled at night. You can wade and shell without ever putting your face in the water.