Find shells glowing on the sea floor after dark.
Most shelling happens at sunrise. The real magic happens after the sun goes down. Wade into shallow, calm water behind a 10,000-lumen LED light pod and find shells, seahorses and crabs that daylight never shows you.
The Gulf shelling trip nobody else is running.
Small guided groups share one LED light pod that turns the sea floor into a lit stage, so every step stays safe, together, and close to shore.
Shells the daylight hides
Whelks, scallops, sand dollars and crabs stand out when the LED pod hits the bottom. Fish and seahorses come out in the dark too.
Calm, shallow, guided
The whole tour stays in water under 4 feet deep. Every guest wears a safety noodle, whistle and glow stick, and your guide stays with the group.
Keep what’s empty
Empty shells go in your bag to keep. Anything alive is observed briefly, then returned to the water. We protect the marine life we came to see.
75 minutes, start to shell-covered finish.
No experience needed. Most of our guests have never shelled at night.
Check-in & gear up
Meet your guide at the location’s listed address. We fit aqua socks, a glow stick, noodle and whistle, and run a short safety briefing.
Wade in
Walk into shallow water, never more than 4 feet deep, together as a group guided by your tour leader.
Search & discover
Use the group’s LED pod to search the sand for shells, crabs, seahorses and fish drawn out by the dark.
Keep what’s empty
Empty shells go in your bag to keep. Anything alive is observed briefly, then returned to the water.
Wrap up
Back on shore after about 75 minutes with a full bag of shells and a new favorite Florida story.
Just bring your swimsuit. We’ll handle the rest.
Aqua socksfree to keep
Snorkel mask & gear
Glow stickfor visibility
Safety noodle & whistle
Mesh collection bag
10,000-lumen LED light podone per group
Net for scooping shells
Friendly local guidestays with your group
Pick your shoreline.
Every tour runs the same guided format at 8:30 PM nightly, weather permitting. The shells, current and shoreline are what make each spot different.
Sarasota
Launches from City Island on Sarasota Bay, a wide, current-sheltered flat that regularly turns up whelks, scallops and sand dollars once the LED pod hits the bottom.
Siesta Key
Home to some of the Gulf Coast’s finest quartz sand. The same fine, calm-water flats that make Siesta Key famous by day get quietly spectacular after dark.
Anna Maria Island
A barrier-island flat off Holmes Beach with warm, shallow water year-round. A favorite for first-timers and for couples looking for an easy night out on the water.
One flat rate, every location.
All gear included. Book online or by text.
Traveling with a child 5 or under? They join free with a parent, but must book ahead by texting 941-229-8372 and bring their own properly fitted life jacket and water shoes. We don’t provide swim gear for guests this young, since they need hands-on supervision rather than shelling equipment.
Straight off the sand tonight.
Shelling together by LED light
Whelk and cone shells from a night tourA young guest with her sea urchin findYour guide lights the wayQuestions before you text us.
$60 per adult (ages 12+) and $45 for ages 6-11. Children 5 and under are free with a parent, but they must be booked in advance by text at 941-229-8372.
75 minutes: about 60 minutes in the water, then a 15-minute show-and-tell on the beach where our guides help identify what you found. Bring only what you will use in that time. Arrive 20 minutes before your start time.
Tours start nightly at 8:30 PM, weather permitting. Please arrive 20 minutes early to check in and get fitted with gear. See each location's booking calendar for live availability.
Just your swimsuit. We provide aqua socks (yours to keep), snorkel mask and gear, a glow stick, a safety noodle and whistle, a mesh collection bag, a net, and a 10,000-lumen LED light pod for each group. Guests 5 and under should bring their own life jacket and water shoes.
All ages are welcome. Children 5 and under join free with a parent and need hands-on supervision. They must bring their own properly fitted life jacket and water shoes, because we don't provide swim gear for guests this young.
Tours run rain or shine as long as conditions are safe. Only Fun Florida Tours can cancel a tour. We cancel before the start time for heavy sustained rain, nearby lightning or unsafe high winds, and you can then choose a full refund, a reschedule or a raincheck. For safety we may move the meeting location or change the start time. We will notify you by text and email beforehand, and no refund or reschedule applies for a location or time change. If a tour starts and is cut short by weather, it counts as completed with no refund or raincheck. If you do not hear from us, your tour is on as scheduled.