Three Hour Shelling Cruise to Shell Key Preserve from John's Pass
Recommended by 96% of travellers
St Petersburg, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
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Overview
What's Included
- Toilets on boardRestroom on board
- Gratuities
- Snacks
- Parking Fees
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 170 Boardwalk Pl E, Madeira Beach, FL 33708, USA
Located inside beautiful Johns Pass, directly below Hooters on the water, closest to the Johns Pass Bridge.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.10:00
Itinerary
1
Tierra Verde
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
John's Pass Village & Boardwalk (Pass By)
Madeira Beach (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travellers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 45 travellers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveller Photos
Featured review
Kathy_D
The captain was very knowledgeable, friendly and had a good sense of humor. We saw lots of dolphins on the way to the island and he made sure to slow down and let everyone get the chance to see them. And once we got to the island, the shells did not disappoint! I found several intact conch shells. The water was a beautiful blue/green and the little island was peaceful. I would definitely take a tour with Hubbard’s Marina again!!
Reviews
4.8
based on 430 reviews
Connie_M, May 2026
Very informative. We saw a couple of manatees too. Shell Island wasn’t what I thought it would be. I expected more.
Amanda_H, May 2026
Friendly, got to see sime dolphins and a manatee. Good music vibes, overall great experience. Highly recommend trying it out.
Gina_G, May 2026
Beautiful ride sprinkled with dolphin & manatee sightings and a great time on the beach! We love Captn. Mike!
Greg_H, May 2026
Captain Mike and Elle were friendly and helpful. The shelling was better there than on Treasure Island, and there was plenty of time to look.
Kathleen_G, Apr 2026
It was fantastic. Capt and his first mate were awesome!! Very informative and educated staff about the whole experience.
Elizabeth_S, Apr 2026
The whole experience from booking to departure was easy and pleasant. We took our grandkids and they made happy memories. The two crew members, Mike and Dan were very attentive, knowledgeable and fun. Highly recommend the experience.
Lynn_B, Apr 2026
Our tour guides were top notch!
They were knowledgeable and friendly and went out of their way to make sure we had a great time even including a view of some playful dolphins! The shelling experience was fun and we plan to come back again!
Ginger_M, Apr 2026
The Boat was way too crowded and the amount of time on island felt rushed. There seem to be lots of trash on island
Tiffaney_L, Apr 2026
We went out in a windy day. The captain did his best to make the trip comfortable and keep us dry. We ended up at a closer part of shell key preserve than expected. It was a little disappointing to not see the remote portion of the key. I wish we would have been told of the change in plans ahead of time. We would have chosen to wait a day and hope for smoother water.
JUDITH_L, Apr 2026
Great trip out to the Shell Key Preserve! Fun boat trip and lots of shells to collect. The crew was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend!
Rod_T, Apr 2026
Very professional and entertaining crew. It was the first time I had seen an all-female crew. They were great. At one point, they circled for a few minutes so everyone could see the dolphins. The island had plenty of small shells to pick from.
reble_h, Apr 2026
Really fun day. If you want a sand dollar bring mask and bathing suit. We collected sand dollars and great shells. Super fun. Ellie and Mike collected shark teeth for us too. Also, saw a dolphin.
Wendy_K, Apr 2026
The Captain Mike made fun! He is friendly and knowledgeable! He made sure we got the most out of our tour. And his first Mate was sweet and made necklaces out of some of the shells we collected at no extra charge. What a nice way and touch to end the tour. Will definitely book again!
Sarah_M, Apr 2026
This was a highlight of our trip. Captain Mike and Ellie were very friendly and knowledgeable! They found sharks teeth and shared them with our kids. We also loved the complementary necklaces Ellie made with the shells we found. Captain Mike had a great playlist for our ride and was happy to answer all of our questions. Highly recommend, just make sure you park in the parking garage with their deal, parking in the main lot got pricey (our fault for not following the instructions with the booking!)
Cassidy_S, Apr 2026
The captains Robin and Brandi were amazing. Told jokes and were very knowledgeable about shells and the beaches heading to Shell key. Brandi made necklaces with shells on the way back from the island. Overall a great experience for my family and my daughters loved it!
MELISSA_B, Apr 2026
Spent three hours out at Shell Key and honestly lost track of time in the best way. The guide knew exactly where to take us, the shells were incredible, and the pace was relaxed without feeling aimless. Came back sandy, sun-tired, and weirdly proud of my shell collection like I personally sourced inventory for a beach boutique. Would go again without hesitation.
Della_C, Mar 2026
Don’t waste your time, the beach is crappy
there are cut off bush stumps, you constantly need to watch where your going. The shells on the beach are mostly all crushed!
Jennifer_H, Mar 2026
Our captain Robin and first mate Braelyn were great! Braelyn made my day by sharing the sand dollars she found with guests who hadn't found any. We loved getting to see Shell Key Preserve. Wish we would have had a diving mask or goggles along as the sand dollars were mostly located in chest deep water.
Lindsey_C, Mar 2026
We had such a great experience! Came away with over 20 sand dollars. Crew was amazing and had the kids make necklaces with shells they found. Highly recommended!
katie_s, Mar 2026
It says you can walk ‘around the island and explore’ but you really can’t you can only stay on a small area on either side of the island shore. I think advertising should be adjusted. Our two captains were lovely and enjoyable. This was just the right amount of time for this excursion.
Shannon_W, Mar 2026
Thought it would be on a island. Not really good shell options. The staff was amazing. If your expectations aren't high then you'll enjoy this
Lisa_G, Mar 2026
This whole excursion was wonderful!! It was so easy to book, got information emails and friendly reminders about the excursion. So much great information for checking in and it was so easy to do. Boat was wonderful, captain was funny and informational. Plenty of time to look for shells around the island and just an overall wonderful little excursion!
THOMAS_H, Mar 2026
Silly me for thinking we would find beautiful large collectible shells. Definitely a lot of small stuff like in the photo but I could get them on our beach staff was great and boat was also Nice boat ride
Kimberly_V, Mar 2026
Boat, water, beach, dolphins, sun…..perfect morning!!!! Would recommend to everyone, the price is right!
Melanie_M, Mar 2026
Loved the crew! So knowledgeable, and the captain had some good jokes. They were able to answer a lot of questions my daughter had about shells.
Stephanie_K, Mar 2026
Captain Mike and the first mate Braylin were so funny and awesome! My son wanted nothing more than to find a shark tooth. When we got back to the boat Braylin had actually found one and ended up giving it to my kiddo! Couldn’t say enough positives about this excursion!
Katie_M, Mar 2026
Our shell cruise was great. It was very cold but our guides made the best of it. An hour seemed to be perfect for finding good shells and getting back to the boat. Saw lots of dolphins on the way
Amanda_M, Mar 2026
A short but beautiful boat ride to shell island with a little history of the area mixed in. Shell island and our guides didn’t disappoint!
CONSTANCE_M, Mar 2026
We had a good time with a good captain and first mate. The weather was awesome, and we found lot of shells. We had a good time spotting dolphins, too.
Ramona_G, Mar 2026
The ladies were awesome and the shelling was good! Shells were everywhere and the water was gorgeous!
From US$44.95
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Three Hour Shelling Cruise to Shell Key Preserve from John's Pass
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