2-hour Shelling Boat Tour in the 10,000 Islands

Recommended by 95% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Naples, USA

2 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Learn how and where to hunt for the best seashells during this guided boat tour to the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, departing from Goodland. Led by a certified master naturalist, this shelling excursion takes you to untouched coastlines in the Gulf of Mexico, with chances to spot local wildlife like sea turtles, bottlenosed dolphins, pelicans, and manatees.

A family-friendly shelling excursion to 10,000 Islands Wildlife Refuge
Listen to expert commentary on sea life from your naturalist guide
Escape the crowds and discover remote and untrodden natural landscapes
Tours are capped at 6 travelers for personalized attention ;

What's Included

10,000 Islands Shelling Tour
Playfull dolphins!

Bottled water
Gratuities
Parking Fees

The Goodland Boat Park charges a $10 parking fee. FREE parking is available outside the gate.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Goodland Boat Park
750 Palm Point Dr, Goodland, FL 34140, USA
Please meet your captain under the covered picnic table pavillion. It is to the left of the Marina store as you are face the store from the parking lot.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Marco Island

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 17 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Kathleen_O

Really nice experience! The boat trip was great. We saw dolphins and they even swam with us! The length of time on the island could have been much longer. We really enjoyed the trip! Worth the money! Would love to do again!!!

Reviews

4.8

based on 91 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Do this tour!!!

Carlene_B, Apr 2026

Ed is a walking encyclopedia of fish birds wildlife. He knows things and taught us a lot!! He was the best tour guide. PS. He has eagle eyes.

A Wonderful Experience

Kathleen_O, Mar 2026

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you for the great review!! Glad you all had a great time. There's nothing like the dolphins coming up to play with you! Thank you all for coming out with us!

Shell collecting

Petra_k, Mar 2026

We had a great day on the water and Captain Mike was a informative tour guide and told us a lot about the area. We also found a lot of shells

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you for the great review!! Captain Mike sure knows his stuff and where to find the best shells!!

Great shelling and dolphin excursions

Cindy_D, Nov 2025

We had such a great time on our shelling tour! We arrived early and got extra time since we were all early! Captain Ed was very knowledgeable about the area and knew exactly where to go to find the dolphins! (I would post a video of the dolphins but it only allows me to post pictures here) We found so many sand dollars and really great shells! We lucked out with a negative low tide and were able to find a wide variety of shells and ocean life like horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs, fish of various types, manatee, and live lettered olive snails! The boat ride scenery was so beautiful and we even learned about some of the local birds inhabiting the area as well! Overall 10/10 recommend and we will absolutely be booking another tour!

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Wow! Thank you for the wonderful review, Cindy!!! Captain Ed is one of the best guides you could ask for! He truly loves what he does and it definitely shows! Please come back anytime, we'd love to have you all back!

The best shelling tour!

Ujjwal_S, Dec 2024

Kevin and Jules were awesome. They were very caring towards the whole group, explained everything nicely and gave enough time for Dolphin sighting and Shelling. We would recommend them wholeheartedly.

Fun time

rachel_s, Oct 2023

I would have to say getting to play with the dolphins was my favorite part outside of finding all the cool shells that I found. I highly recommend this company. They did an amazing job telling us about different things that pertain to that area.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Hi Rachel, The dolphins are such a snifty part the Everglades, so glad you got to see and spend time with them. Shelling is always a blast too, I can imagine all the neat ones you found. We're thrilled you had such a good experience and your crew was helpful. It's nice to walk away learning about such an amazing area. Thank you so much for touring with us! It was great having you aboard.

Boat ride with Dolphins !...

Rose_M, Mar 2023

Boat ride with Dolphins ! Very nice crew and captain!! Great weather!!! Not so much shelling left on beach. But had a great time!!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks for the review

Great experience.

Richard_A, Feb 2023

Had an awesome time, captain Jon and Kate were awesome ,very informative. Would definitely do it again.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you!!!

Perfect Day on the Water

Renee_N, May 2022

Dolphins jumping in the wake of the boat and shelling were gifts on the perfect Mother’s Day. Make sure to ask Capt Ed questions. He’s a reservoir of information on native Florida. Thank you both Kim and Capt Ed for a wonderful day with mom.

Response from Host, May 2022

Thank You

Loved it all- dolphins,...

Barbara_P, Apr 2022

Loved it all- dolphins, eagle, osprey, manatees, beautiful shelling beach. Fun time for all ages. Captain was very knowledgable, crew very helpful

Response from Host, Apr 2022

thank you

Best shelling day ever!

Alicia_B, Mar 2022

Captain Ed and Kim were so informative and the trip so fun and exciting. They took us to areas where we saw so many dolphin pods playing and they even came up to our boat! Then, we went to an island that had so many shells, I could have stayed there all day! It was a fantastic 2 hours and would highly recommend this to anyone of any age!

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thank You

Fun trip!

Gkrn52, Feb 2022

Shelling was fun and seeing the dolphins was great. Wish we would have had a little more shelling time. Captain Joyce was knowledgeable and interesting. Her mate, Maddie, was great too!

Response from Host, Feb 2022

Thank You

Captain Knowledgeable and...

Lynda_B, Dec 2021

Captain Knowledgeable and fun. Would love to go again next time we visit Florida! Very welcoming staff.

Response from Host, Dec 2021

Thank You

So so

Dians_K, Aug 2021

Little respect for natural wildlife. Bad jokes. Not a great value for the money but Beautiful scenery.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Thanks for taking time for the review. Can you please contact me about the "respect" comment? All our guides are Florida Master Naturalist or at least Coastal Master Naturalist and must operate in accordance with the certifications standards set forth by the Florida Society for Ethical Ecotourism. Hopefully, you did enjoy the dolphins, manatees and shelling.

Great

Erica_L, Jul 2021

The boat ride and Seeing the dolphins ended up being the best part of the day! The seashell’s were pretty, but it went by so quickly by the time you get to the sandbar. The captain was very knowledgeable about animals and the landscape around us. I honestly just wish we had longer.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Time flies when you are enjoying yourself. Next time, you may want to consider the 3.5 hour 10,000 Island Excursion ... lots more time for both shelling, dolphins and other wildlife. Thank you for your review.

Signed up for shelling and only got 40 minutes to look for shells

Teresa, Jul 2021

The most memorable part of the trip was the shelling trip was not really a shelling trip. We spent more time catching dolphins and looking at birds. Then the boat got stuck in the sand on the way to the shelling spot. For a 2 hour trip , we only got to spend 40 minutes looking for shells. Very disappointing. We spent our money to look for shells. It took 1 hour to get to the shelling spot and 15 minutes to get back from the shelling trip. Wish I could have my money back. Plus captain was not helpful when getting on and off the boat.

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Teresa, I am sorry that you were disappointed and certainly wish that you had contact us about your concerns. It is not too late to contact us directly. When we are around playful dolphins, it is very hard to leave them when other on the boat are really engaged with them. Please contact us and we will get you on SHELLING tour. As a note, the 10,000 Islands Excursion is 3.5 hours long versus 2 hours. This tour give much time for watching dolphins play AND much more time for shelling.

Fantastic family experience

Jackie_H, Jun 2021

Wonderful family experience. Terrific hosts that are so welcoming and knowledgeable. A must to do when in the area. Thank you all for a great time with my daughters.

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Thanks Jackie

Boating through the FL 10,000 islands

Raymond_B, Apr 2021

Captain Ed was great. He has been working in this area for decades and knows everything you would want to know. For example, he told us a lot about dolphins and other sea life that frequents the islands and found a dolphin that was happy to swim in our wake and continually jump near our boat. His assistant Kim was also very good. She was helpful when we explored a sand bar to find nice shells.

Response from Host, May 2021

Thank you

Fun for the whole family!

Marie_C, Mar 2021

Amazing shells, fun boat ride. Got to see dolphins & other wildlife. Captain Ed was fun & informative. Great experience with a family of toddlers, teenagers, parents & grandparents. Thank you we will definitely do again next time we are here! Everyone is glad we did it!

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Thank you

Comments

Robert_R, Jul 2020

the boat didn't gave a sunroof . Were under the sun 2 hours and had headache . Guide was excellent .....vvvvvcccccccccccccccccccccccvvvvvvvcccvvvvvvvvvvcvcc.