SHELLING ADVENTURES
Seek Shells, Find Memories
From Common Finds to Rare Marco Island Treasures
Explore secluded islands, uncover beautiful shells, and experience the natural wonders of Southwest Florida with expert guides by your side
GAUDY NAUTICA
Naticarius canrena
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Shallow sand flats, barrier island beaches
Description:
Distinctive and eye-catching moon snails featuring striking patterns of brownish-purple bands and zigzag eyespots. Glossy and smooth, they are a delightful surprise for collectors hunting along the tide line.
Uncommon
1–2 in
SEAHORSE
Hippocampus
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Seagrass beds, shallow bays
Description:
Delicate, upright swimmers of the grass flats. Finding a dried one washes up on the wrack line is a treat, but remember they are protected marine life when alive.
Uncommon
2–6 in
JUNONIA
Scaphella junonia
Best Season:
Post-storms / winter fronts
Where to Find:
Outer barrier islands, deep passes
Description:
A rare find, prized by Marco Island’s most avid shell collectors. Creamy white with rows of deep brown rectangular spots, discovering a whole Junonia is the ultimate Southwest Florida shelling milestone.
Rare
4–6 in
Lettered Olive
Oliva sayana
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Wet sand at low tide, sandbars
Description:
Glossy, cylindrical shells marked with zig-zag patterns that look like ancient writing. They glide just beneath the wet sand, leaving small tracks for sharp-eyed shellers to follow.
Common
1.5–3 in
Lightning Whelk
Sinistrofulgur sinistrum
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
All shelling beaches
Description:
Texas state shell. Famous for opening to the LEFT — the only large whelk in the world that does. Big ones look like ancient artifacts. Kids’ favorite to take home.
Common
4–16 in
Atlantic Kitten Paw
Plicatula gibbosa
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Shell rakes, pass lines
Description:
Small, rugged bivalves shaped vaguely like a tiny cat’s paw. Often found attached to larger shells or washed up whole in shell gravel.
Common
0.5–1 in
Common American Auger
Terebridae
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Tide line
Description:
Long, twisting cones — like tiny unicorn horns. Easy to spot, easy to collect. Kids end every tour with a bucket of them. Perfect for shadow boxes.
Common
1–3 in
Penshell
Atrina rigida
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Seagrass edges, sandy mud flats
Description:
Large, fragile, wedge-shaped dark shells that stand upright anchored in the sand by tiny threads. Whole ones require a gentle touch to extract intact.
Common
5–10 in
Shark’s Eye (Moon Snail)
Macrocallista nimbosa
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Sandbars, outer surf lines
Description:
Large, sleek, oval clams adorned with soft lavender and pinkish-brown rays. Finding a matching pair is a prized beachcombing accomplishment.
Medium
3–5 in
Alphabet Cone
Conus spurius atlanticus
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Shallow water sand flats
Description:
Marked with neat rows of square dashes resembling ancient type. Beautiful and geometric, though live cones must always be admired from a distance due to their venomous dart.
Uncommon
1.5–3 in
Florida Spiny Jewelbox
Arcinella cornuta
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Shell piles, offshore bars
Description:
Covered in delicate, curved spines that make it look like a tiny crown. Sturdy and ornate, they are a favorite micro-shell treasure.
Uncommon
1–2 in
Atlantic Calico Scallop
Argopecten gibbus
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Everywhere
Description:
The confetti of Florida shelling. Tiny, vivid, every color in the rainbow. Great for crafts. Kids fill mesh bags with hundreds in a single beach stop.
Common
1–2 in
Zigzag Scallop
Euvola ziczac
Best Season:
Post-storms
Where to Find:
Passes, deeper wrack lines
Description:
Flatter and smoother than other local scallops, featuring distinct zig-zag reddish-brown patterns over a pale background.
Uncommon
2–3 in
Short Spined Sea Urchin
Arbacia punctulata
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Shallow grass flats, hard bottom
Description:
When stripped of their spines, their chalky purple or greenish shells (tests) reveal gorgeous star-like patterns. Handle with care as they are exceptionally fragile.
Common
1–2 in
Florida Fighting Conch
Strombus alatus
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Sandbars at low tide
Description:
Sandbars at low tide
Description: Named for its strong, sharp claw — they ‘hop’ across the sand. Heavy, chunky shells with reddish-orange interiors. Bring home empty ones only; live conchs go back.
Common
3–5 in
Sand Dollar
Mellita quinquiesperforata
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Sandbars, low tide
Description:
A favorite find for shellers of all ages! Sand dollars are living animals when alive and should always be returned gently to the water. A live sand dollar is typically darker in color and covered with tiny, moving spines that can give it a fuzzy appearance. If it’s completely white, has no spines, and is no longer living, it may be collected where regulations allow.
Sand dollars are very fragile once dry. To help protect your beach treasure, pick up Sand Dollar Hardener at Shore Goods Coastal Mercantile on Marco Island.
Common
2–4 in
Lined Sea Star
Astropecten articulatus
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Sandy flats, shallow passes
Description:
Flexible, margined sea stars often found resting in shallow waters or washed near sandbars. Like all echinoderms, live ones stay in the water.
Common
3–6 in
Atlantic Fig Snail
Ficus communis
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Pass channels, lower tide lines
Description:
Thin, lightweight, and shaped just like a fresh fig with a wide opening and delicate cross-hatching. Because of their paper-thin walls, finding an intact one is a special reward.
Uncommon
3–4 in
Banded Tulip
Cinctura hunteria
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
All shelling beaches
Description:
Smooth, elegant shells with brown spiral bands. The interiors are creamy with a touch of pink — and the patterns are like fingerprints, no two alike.
Common
2–4 in
Horseshoe Crab
Limulus polyphemus
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Shallow mud flats, sandy shores
Description:
Ancient living fossils of the estuary. Often seen cruising shallow waters or leaving empty molted shells along the mangrove line.
Common
6–18 in
Juvenile Horse Conch
Triplofusus giganteus
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Tidal flats, shallow bars
Description:
Bright salmon-orange juveniles before they grow into giant adults. They add a vibrant flash of color to your mesh bag.
Medium
2–5 in
nine-armed sea star
Luidia senegalensis
Best Season:
Year-round
Where to Find:
Sandy, muddy, or shelly shallow water
Description:
We have the Nine-armed sea star in south-west Florida scientific name is Luidia senegalensis. They prefer sandy, muddy, or shelly shallow water. You can find them buried in the sand or moving along lagoons and nearshore areas in Southwest Florida. They have nine long, thin arms and grow up to 16 inches.
They east small worms, clams, and bottom debris.
Medium
12-16 in
Ready When You Are
Let’s Plan Your Perfect Shelling Adventure
Book your tour today or contact our team to find the experience that’s right for you.