Shelling on Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island is a 7 mile stretch of white sandy beaches. AMI is abundant in unique and beautiful shells that have washed up on shore. Shelling is a great way to have fun and enjoy the warm salt air and sunshine on your vacation. People come from all over the world to shell the beaches of Anna Maria. Here are some great tips for Shelling.

Florida has many different types of sea shells.

Cockle

Olive

Jingle

Turkey Wing

Florida State Shell

Horse Conch

Horse Conch   

1.You will need a bucket and shovel. Make sure to apply sunscreen. Stay hydrated.

2. The best times for Shelling:

Get up early and head to the beach. You will find some of the experts out there shelling just before sunrise.

Low tide: Just before low tide, as the tide goes out fresh ocean bottom is exposed. Look on the sandbars created by low tide.

Stormy Weather: Shell after a storm. Many shells are tossed around and pushed onto shore.

High Tide: When the tide comes in sand from miles out is pushed onto shore.

You can check the tides here. http://cannons.com/anna-maria-tides/

3. Locations for finding shells:

One of the best places to find shells on AMI is between The Rod N Reel and Anna Maria Island City Piers.

Coquina Beach

Manatee Public Beach

Bean Point on North Shore Drive

Bay Front Park

You can also take a Ferry to Egmont Key.

4. Some of the best shells are found just under the surface. Dig and keep on digging you will find some beautiful shells.

5. Look in the tangles of sea weed.

6. Please remember not to take any live animals from the beach. Check inside of the shells for sea life before putting them in your bucket. Live Sand Dollars are brown in color. If you find a live sea animal toss it back into the ocean.

7. After you have filled your bucket full of sea shells, you can take them home to display in a large glass jar, lamp or even place them in a basket or display them on shelves. They will need to be rinsed off and left to dry or you can place them in a bucket of water with a little bleach.

8. The most important thing to remember is to have fun!