Know before you go
A little care.
A better day out.
Public access
Use the signed public park entrance on Bowman’s Beach Road. Check Sanibel’s current parking fees and access notices after storms.
Keep the coast wild
Check swell and beach hazards as well as the tide. Leave occupied shells and living sand dollars in place.
Planning to bring a dog? Check the land manager’s current pet rules for this exact route and beach.
Shells along this shore
A well-known shelling beach on Sanibel.
Look along the strand line as the tide recedes, when access is safe. High-water marks can hold empty shells too; finds are never guaranteed.
Take only genuinely empty shells where current local rules permit. Live shelling is prohibited.
Current shell-collection rules ↗