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Sanibel Island Beach

Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island beach draws an Array of Seashells and Their Hunters

Hundreds take to the beach near the lighthouse on this hammock-shaped island, hunching over the sand as they dig, lift, inspect and move on. The position is so common it has a name: the Sanibel Stoop.

“We take our shelling very seriously,” said Clark Rambo, who is known as Super Sheller Clark, a moniker used, sometimes admiringly, sometimes grudgingly, by his wife, Pam. “Every day on the beach is a treasure hunt, and that’s what makes it so competitive.”

Stretched out as far as the eye can see, on Sanibel Island beach, are shells – large, tiny, cone-shaped, scalloped, spiraled, white, orange, pink. Sanibel Island, and its neighbor, Captiva Island, just off the state’s southwest coast, are where hunters come for a seashell bonanza. There is no other place like it in the country, and very few places like it in the world. On some days, depending on the wind, shells pour onto the beach in piles, seducing even the most jaded beach-goers.

Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island

“There are days on Sanibel Island beach when you have layers of shells four feet thick,” said José H. Leal, the director of the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum here. “It’s one of the best places in the world for shelling, for sure.”

Sanibel Island & Captiva Island, Florida are the perfect choice for your vacation whether you are looking for a romantic getaway, a family trip or a nature vacation. We have information on Sanibel Island Hotels, Captiva Island Hotels, hotels and resorts deals, local restaurants, local shopping, and lots of fun things to do.