Beachcombing an Island Made of Shells!

Today we're going on a shell tour! Shell island is an island that is filled to the brim with sea shells! It is located in the 10,000 islands in Florida, and is a location that is frequented by shelling tours, as it can only be reached by boat.
For this trip I went out with Sand Dollar shelling. While I am not sure if they are doing tours following the hurricane, you can check out their website here: sanddollarshel...
This video was filmed before hurricane Ian, however the island has survived the storm, although it has a much different shape now, and I imagine feels much more different than before. You can check it out here, on satellite post-Ian imagery: storms.ngs.noa...
Enjoy the video!
My thoughts are with the people of Southwest Florida.

[@NN-of6vl]

That was the best shelling video I’ve ever seen!! Great finds!

[@shellstories]

That's quite the compliment! Thank you so much!

[@carmenshanks3930]

How Awesome!!! ❤

[@shellstories]

Thanks! :)

[@io_55]

Beautiful video!🙂👍

[@shellstories]

Thank you!

[@brandonsmith1198]

That really awesome hill to climb and go through all the shelves you could find if you find some you ship them and you know where I really like all the shells there a lot

[@TheAdventurousRealtor]

I probably have 2 dozen junonias but no big true tulip lol I'm surprised you didn't find any angel wings in this video.. when I was there I found a bunch and they were huge!

[@TheAdventurousRealtor]

Ooooh this was shot before hurricane ian

[@shellstories]

Yup!

[@jolynnburns4306]

I was there in March, SO FUN!! So much sadness right now. Do you live in Sanibel. I see your videos there a lot?

[@shellstories]

Agreed, it is a sheller's dream! I don't live in Sanibel. I film my videos there during trips I take there for vacay. Thanks for watching! :)

[@mitzimorris4746]

My family and I were there in June and did the shelling tour/ dome houses. We are so glad we got to see them before they sunk. Thank you so much for showing such awesome shells and one more look at The dome houses ❤️

[@shellstories]

They were definitely a staple landmark of the 10k, and it's sad to see them gone. Thanks for watching! :)

[@arthurmorrisiii6703]

I noticed a lot of your videos are made in the OBX. I'm coming to Hatteras for a week in July. Where's the best areas for shells & fossils?

[@shellstories]

The south facing beaches around Cape Hatteras can be great for shells! I didn't really find any fossils, but that might be because I didn't look. Shelling can be hit or miss, but it's always worth a shot. Happy hunting!

[@kit2130]

Huh. When I went to shell island in 2014 for shells, there were no shells at all.

[@shellstories]

Now that's interesting. Do you mean no keepers or just literally no shells at all? Was it the shell island in southwest Florida? I know there are a few other islands that go by this name as well, but those are located elsewhere in the country. Thanks for watching!

[@kit2130]

@@shellstories yes by Panama Beach if that’s the same one. In 2014 my kids & I made the trip to FL. I specifically wanted to go to Shell Island. We got there 1st thing for the best shells but at the entrance we realized we had forgot our bags to collect them in, so went back. It was that important to us! Then we headed right out. I remember a bus & a boat to get us there. I couldn’t believe it. Zero shells. We snorkeled & enjoyed the shallow waters then went back.

[@shellstories]

@@kit2130 OK, gotcha. The one you were at is a different island. Shell island in PCB is more hit and miss, while the shell island in southwest Florida seems to be more fruitful. I've shelled the mainland area of PCB and found a good variety of shells that I never see in Southwest Florida, but they were mostly tinies.

[@kit2130]

@@shellstories oh! Thank you for the clarification. Wish I had known before the trip but we did find a cool jellyfish & had a good time.

[@wendyking4014]

Can you go there now?

[@shellstories]

I have no idea. I think I heard some tours are restarting service now, however you would probably have to check with them to know for sure.

[@wendyking4014]

@@shellstories Thank you.

[@SWFBeachLife]

Your double find was awesome! I managed to find a big lightning whelk the first time I visited too. Thanks for sharing the image of what the island looks like now. So many things are going to be different from now on. Hopefully nature can repair itself quickly! I hope you are well and safe!

[@shellstories]

Thanks so much! This was actually filmed before the hurricane, hence the dome homes being present (as you know they got wiped out). Shell island does still exist though, you can see it on post Ian satellite imagery here: storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/ian/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0Bzln4e0XKduSfpLO4vWTBWMBXTuJAhXHtFmtRmx4I7No_RcHV1z1o5xk#12/25.8805/-81.6576 Thanks so much for watching! :)

[@allenterrell5954]

A lot of those shells have living creatures in them they will die and stink believe me I know

[@joycegraves9894]

I want some kitten paws. Can you send me some?

[@lisaloy2011]

Get a small shovel or even a weeder implement

[@al2207]

the same can be said to Sanibel island

[@judyfarmer2962]

This was an awesome shelling day. I would have loved to have been there.

[@shellstories]

Thank you so much! I'm sure you would have loved it :) Thanks for the support!

[@lauram5195]

Great video! I’ve been to shell island and it is a sheller paradise. Those tulips were amazing and that horse conch, wow! Can’t wait for part 2. I’m so sad about my beloved southwest Florida. Hoping things get back to a new normal soon and I wonder if that shell island will even still be there. Thank you for sharing! 🤗🐚🐚🐚🐚

[@shellstories]

Thanks so much! Shell island is still there. You can see it on NOAA's post-Ian satellite imagery. I have it linked in the description of this video.

[@TheAdventurousRealtor]

I haven't found a big true tulip yet! Lucky!

[@shellstories]

They are super hard to find. This was the only time I found one when it wasn't post-storm in the middle of the night on Sanibel. Be persistent, and you'll get one eventually!

[@TheAdventurousRealtor]

I filled a 5 gallon bucket in 3 hours there lol I definitely need all day there!

[@shellstories]

Oh yeah, a few hours is definitely not enough. I and a few other shellers filled our buckets completely as well. It is amazing how many shells are there! I wonder how many there were after the hurricane (although that is something we'll probably never know).

[@victoriaolsen5726]

Yes, Shell Island is our fav - was definitely worth the drive during morning hours driving thru the Florida Panther corridor to go shelling there from Sanibel. Will be there in a few weeks and can hardly contain myself. Thanks for the update!

[@shellstories]

Yeah, it is just incredible shelling. It's sad to see the dome homes gone but at least the island is still there, and I can only imagine what the shelling must be like there right now. Thanks so much for watching!

[@jgzbaby777]

Someone should be metal detecting here

[@shellstories]

Now that would be interesting!

[@fredamoore1743]

Loved the video. All those banded tulips and horse conchs!!! Wow especially that big slightly worn horse conch. Still beautiful! My favorites were the alphabet cones and Bay scallops. They are amazing. Looks like you need a digging tool on shell island. Didn't get there on my trip but would love to go there next time. You think it will be there after Ian?

[@shellstories]

Thank you! All those shells were amazing! And you definitely need something to dig there. The island is still there after the hurricane. You can see it on NOAA's website in post-Ian satellite imagery. I have it linked in the description of this video.

[@fredamoore1743]

Thanks so much for the link to NOAAs satellite imagery. That is amazing!

[@kathyjund7212]

Thank you for sharing.. will await part 2!

[@shellstories]

Thank you for watching!

[@aleciagrant4114]

When was this recorded 😳

[@shellstories]

Pre-Ian, a fairly long time ago actually. I never got around to editing this as I had other videos to catch up on.

[@dawnwilkinson8717]

Great video. Thank you for sharing and I look forward to part 2 and more lovely shells. I wonder if Shell Island is still there after Hurricane Ian and how the hurricane has changed the swf coastline?

[@shellstories]

Thank you so much! Shell island is still there. You can check it out on post-Ian satellite imagery on NOAA's website. I have it linked in the description of this video. Otherwise it hasn't changed the shape of barrier islands (as far as I'm aware) asides from smaller changes (like the new pass the storm created at Bowman's beach).

[@roblundy1701]

When you upturn living seashells partially buried in wet sand above water line you should return them to shallow water where they can properly re-secure moisture under their shell.

[@marietteoepkes2584]

My dream beach!!!!

[@shellstories]

It really is amazing!

[@yomama8873]

Thank you 🤩🤩💖

[@shellstories]

No problem!

[@lauriewatson2822]

Wow, what great shelling!

[@shellstories]

It was such a fun day. Thanks for watching!

[@user-uv3ej8nb2o]

Can I keep shells inside the house?

[@angelacarl0814]

Awesome video, I didn't want it to end !!

[@shellstories]

Thank you! :)

[@solaceinshelling6552]

Awesome video my friend - one of my favorites of yours. Also, love the wrestling match with the Alphabet Cone! 🤣

[@shellstories]

Thank you so much! Yeah that hard packed sand did not make it easy. Hope you're doing well!