Halve dag Shelling Dolphin Eco Tour in 10 000 Island en Marco

Captain Paul is truly something special. He was a former teacher and was great with kids. He was able to also make the experience amazing for the adults as well. He took us to beautiful spots and pulled dolphins which was a magical experience.

We visit southwest Florida quite frequently, but generally stay in the Bonita Springs area. Due to hurricane damage, this year we decided to stay on Marco Island. We love to collect shells, and were disappointed with how few shells we were finding on South Beach. So we decided to do a shelling trip so we could get our shell fix. We don’t like to do tours with large groups, so this looked like a great option. There were only two others on this tour in addition to the three of us, so it was perfect. When we first headed out, the captain asked if we wanted to stop and see if there were any dolphins in the area, or did we want to go straight to shelling. We all voted for dolphins, so we idled around and were lucky to find a few dolphins in the area that we followed around for a bit. We then headed to Dickman’s island to do our shelling. When we pulled in, there were a couple other boats on the island with people looking for shells. The other shelters were pretty much staying in the area of the boats, so our captain recommended that we headed in a specific direction to get ahead of them so we would have better luck. We were each given a shell bag to use while on the island, which was really great. We all seemed to have good luck, each bringing back a nice bag full of lightning whelks, fighting conchs, and other shells. The tide was coming in quickly, so we were not able to go out on nearby sand bars to look for sand dollars or other shells. Once back on the boat, as we headed back to the marina, we came across a mother dolphin and her calf that wanted to play. We sped up causing a wake, and the dolphins followed our boat jumping in and out of the waves. It was so cool! Overall, I would say this was a great tour. We all had fun, we all had shells, so we got what we came for! My only advice is this – cell reception in the area of the marina is very spotty, so GPS can have difficulty. We couldn’t find the marina, and had trouble calling for directions. So make sure you know where you are going before arriving that morning as it can be tricky to find.

Paul S. was absolutely amazing! He included my kids and was very informative of all the wildlife. We got to see the dolphins, which was amazing! Highly recommend! My kids said it was the best part of their trip!!