The Best Shelling Beach on Sanibel and Captiva Beaches: 2019 Edition

Find the best location for shelling in Sanibel Island this year! Here’s the best shelling beaches of Sanibel and Captiva beaches!

Somewhere in Lee County, Florida lies every new and experienced shellers dream. A remarkable area with rare shells but few people. The best shelling beach on Sanibel and Captiva islands!

This is Turner Beach at Blind Pass, Captiva Island. Which has a rating of 4.6 stars with almost 600 evaluations on Google Reviews.

In Search of the Best Shelling Beach on Sanibel

Sanibel and Captiva islands have about fifteen miles of jaw-dropping beaches. These have over 250 kinds of seashells from the Gulf of Mexico and Carribean regions.

So it is no surprise that shelling on Sanibel and Captiva islands is on most shellers bucket lists. With so many beaches to choose from, it could be difficult to know which is best for collecting seashells.

Every beach has different characteristics, with shells of different kinds and qualities. But Turner Beach is the clear choice for the best shelling beach on Sanibel and Captiva beaches.

It is usually uncrowded which makes hunting for the best shells easy, with plenty of opportunities to find unique or rare shells that are not already in your collection.

You may be wondering why this beach is so unoccupied if it is wonderful. That is understandable. The beauty with this beach is you need to drive by many other scenic beaches on the way to it.

Thus, most people choose a beach along the way and never reach Turner beach. This leaves the best shelling beach on Sanibel island free of crowds. And as a result, there are plenty of interesting minerals for shellers to pick through and admire.

What Makes Turner Beach So Unforgettable?

Turner Beach is different than Lighthouse beach in Sanibel, Florida, which is also rumored to be the best shelling beach on Sanibel Island. This is because of the difference in tourism. Lighthouse beach is a common area for shells to wash up on the shore, resulting in large quantities.

But the area is very popular with beach go-ers and shellers because the beach is close to the mainland. So the shells remaining on the beach are of common kinds.

Shelling is an exciting hobby, and there’s always something to learn about it. For example, what are the rules or laws in the area for taking shells? Or what is the best time of day to go Sanibel beaches shelling?

But when it comes to Lighthouse beach, there is no time of day where you can avoid bumping into new or long-time shellers.

If you are both a shell enthusiast and a fisher, then Turner beach will be even more appealing. The points of an island are often the best for both fishing and shelling. This stays true for Turner beach which is on the northern tip of the island. The fishing and shelling combination makes the perfect date for beach lovers.

Turner Beach is also wonderful because of its unique rock jetty. This is a structure that reaches from the beach through the ocean to prevent erosion. It stretches far into the water which is great for fishing or taking photos.

Visitors have also said that the jetty makes it easy for shells to pile up. This makes them very accessible to shellers.

Finding Your Way Around

When looking on a Sanibel island shelling map, you may see that Blind Pass beach is right next to Turner beach. Blind Pass Beach is a very close second to Turner beach when it comes to the best shelling spots on Sanibel island.

Due to their close location, they have a lot of the same elements, such as the number of tourists. Blind Pass beach also has an online rating that’s almost as good as Turner beach.

Both Turner beach and Blind Pass beach are popular for fishing, shelling, and jet skiing. Yet, there are warning signs posted 24-7 about swimming because of the severe current.

Although these beaches are the best for shelling, they are not the ideal beaches for swimming. So if you want to go swimming at a Sanibel or Captiva Island beach, it is best to swim with caution or choose a safer beach.

If you are new to shell collecting, you may not know the right protocol for when you take your new seashells home. What you should do depends on what you are using the shells for.

But if they are for display, it is necessary to clean them right away. This prevents any smells or dirt from sticking to the seashells. Remember, maintaining and cleaning your seashells is all part of being a savvy shell hunter!

Being a Considerate Collector

When collecting a shell or animal from a beach, make sure that there is no longer a living creature inside of it. The proper way to determine this depends on the kind of seashell or mineral. For example, if you are taking a sand dollar, make sure it is a bleach white color with no hairs. If it is brown with spikes, it is most likely alive.

When it comes to seashells, remember that an open shell does not mean there is no life. If it is open and then closes after you touch it, it is definitely alive. When unsure, it is best to admire it and then leave it behind so that living animals on the beach are not disturbed.

Collect your seashells, then take a fun trip to the Bailey Matthews National Shell Museum. This museum opened in 1995 with dozens of seashell exhibits. This is one of the most popular tourist spots on Sanibel Island.

You can go to compare your seashells collected to the shells in the museum. Who knows, you may have collected some of the same kinds.

Come Visit Best Shelling Beach on Sanibel

Turner Beach is the best shelling beach on Sanibel and the Captiva islands. Its low amount of tourists and rare variety of seashells makes it a paradise for all shellers.

Whether this will be the start of your collection or furthering your current one, make the trip past all the other astounding beaches. You will find that Turner beach is the best shelling beach around.

Ready to take an unforgettable tour of Sanibel Island beaches? Just visit our website and take a virtual webcam tour right now. See for yourself why Sanibel is one of the best shelling attractions on the planet.