This was our first experience doing a shelling tour and chose Sand Dollar Shelling because of family members who have taken tours with them. We are so happy that we went with this company because they deliver above and beyond the expectations. Our tour guides were Joey and Taylor Nadotti who were very knowledgeable about the area and what to expect and look for while we were on the boat. I really enjoyed both of them and we will definitely be back to tour again and will definitely be requesting them for our tours. Taylor walked the islands with us and found us all kinds of unique shells, sand dollars, and conch's. Joey turned the boat around so that the dolphins would play in the wake. He also kept us all informed about any weather conditions that might have affected our trip and diverted us to another location while the storm passed by and then finished our excursion. We got to watch the sunset over the Gulf and then a beautiful ride back to the dock. If you're looking for something that is very exciting and informative, then you have to book with them. Our granddaughters fell in love with them both. read more

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I chose this particular boat tour due to the rave reviews. First of all there was no stand or building where they are located, so we walked around the parking lot and shopping center until we could get in touch with the driver. Turns out you just have to look for their truck in the parking lot. That wasn't made clear at the time of booking. It was a fine boat ride, but felt more like a water taxi than a tour. We saw dolphins on the way to go shelling which was neat... but so did every other boat in the vicinity. We only had about 1.5 hours to go shelling which wasn't nearly enough time. Keewaydin Island was beautiful but we didn't have time to enjoy it. After our boat taxi ride was over we tipped the driver $30. Mind you this ride didn't include food, drinks (other than water) or snacks. A day later we got an automated email asking us for a tip (if we hadn't already). Mind you we did NOT take a private tour- it was two groups of 3 people. The email said: "If you have not tipped * Boat captains often rely on tips as a significant part of their income, particularly in the tourism industry where tipping is customary. A 20% gratuity or Minimum of $100 per Captain on Private tours is customary for this type of tour. If the captain was amazing feel free to tip more." Excuse me? We paid $370 for 2 adults and 1 child for a less than 3 hour excursion to Keewaydin Island. They were expecting an additional $50-$75 in tips? This was by far the most expensive boat "tour" we've been on, and we've done many- Italy, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Hawaii, California, Maine, and three others in Florida. I wrote the company an email bc they send out 2-3 emails afterwards asking you to leave a review... and if it's not 5 stars to email them directly. They never responded. Two sets of my in-laws were wanting to go on a tour in the coming weeks and we told them both not to waste their money on Sand Dollar Shelling. So now I'm telling you too. read more

Sand Dollar Shelling - Keewaydin Island, I wish we had more time - Boat Charters Near Me - Goodland, Florida

Capt. Joey was great? Our dolphin encounter was better than could be expected! We would use this company again. read more

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My friends and I took the tour for shelling, etc yesterday. It was fabulous! Captain Jamie was a fun tour guide. She gave us lots of information about wildlife. She also tried to help us get shots of dolphins. It was an informative and delightful tour. She also gave a great restaurant referral! read more

We had a great time on our 3-hour private tour with Captain Jamie! She took us shelling on a couple of islands that aren't easily accessible, which was such a fun experience. One of the highlights was definitely watching the dolphins jump and play in the wake behind the boat -- amazing! Captain Jamie was so nice and very knowledgeable about the area, wildlife, and shelling. We really enjoyed our time with her and would definitely recommend Sand Dollar Shelling! read more

We had such a great time. It was our first time to do this tour and we would absolutely do it again. Jamie was our Captain and she was awesome and we highly recommend her. We found lots of shells and saw the dolphins. It was a fun filled day!!!! read more

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Awesome tour and gorgeous beach! Captain Joe was the best- easy to talk to and full of interesting information along the way! read more

Sand Dollar Shelling - Shell island - Boat Charters Near Me - Goodland, Florida

Captain Paul was awesome! From the moment we got on the boat until we docked, the trip was great. Paul was a great host, very knowledgeable about the shells and other wildlife we saw and tried his best to get us to see some dolphins. He did however get us to the best spot to see a beautiful sunset. read more

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We took two tours with Sand Dollar Shelling. We went to the 10,000 on the first day and did a private tour that left out of Naples the next day. The tour guides were absolutely wonderful. They were very professional and knowledgeable. Everything was smooth from booking to checking in. Top notch. My husband even found the "holy grail" of shells...that's right a Junonia!!!!!! read more

Sand Dollar Shelling - Boat Charters Near Me - Goodland, Florida

captain Jaime was so knowledgeable and took us to prime shelling locations! We also got to have a dolphin show as well! highly recommend!

Capt. Kerrick truly made our experience so special! He was full of knowledge and gave us the tips & tricks of the not only the shelling experience but also the history of the Ten Thousand islands! If there were more stars, I'd absolutely give them. To top it all off, we saw dolphins on our way back to the dock & it was the coolest moment that I will forever remember. Capt. Kerrick is the best & if you end up having him as your guide - you're in excellent hands! read more

We had such a great time! Cristina and Paul S were the best guides we could have hoped for.

Our 4-person family was scheduled for a 12/28 excursion, but had a flight issue making it that we had a last minute change necessary. The person who answered the phone explained that there was only 3 spots available from when we needed to go out, so we took those three spots and I was just going to sit it out. About 20 minutes later the company called me back, letting me know they, without me asking, took the initiative to call in a Captain (Paul) who was scheduled to be off so I could join my family. And we enjoyed it thoroughly! read more

The captain did not cancel a tour even though the skies were ready to open up. I had booked a tour for 8 people, including my 10-month-old granddaughter. The captain stated this was the only tour they had booked for the day, and he hoped the rain would move away from the area. The three-hour Eco, shelling, sunset tour turned into a horrific and terrifying hour-and-15-minute rush back to safety. The eco-tour was a long-distance view of two pink spoonbills; the shelling was not on any quality island like they have on their website, and the shelling only lasted 20 minutes because the rain came in! The race back to the mainland was insane. We were pelted with rain, and all I could hear from the two captains was their immediate concern for my granddaughter. Where was that concern when you took us out? read more

We had an amazing day on the water. Saw dolphins and manatees on our way thru the 10,000 islands. Fabulous shelling with a great captain and naturalist. Learned a lot and came home with many treasures. Highly recommend read more

Our captain Megan was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and names of the shells. She helped me find some special shells for my collection. We didn't see any dolphins. read more

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Amazing experience!!! Staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. The boat was comfortable and they used a small step ladder to help people on and off the boat once our shelling (made it very easy to get on/off). The beach they brought us to was covered in shells and was beautiful. I was even lucky enough to find a Junonia shell!! Loved this experience, we even "played" with dolphins and had them jumping in the wake of the boat! Joey and Jamie were amazing, one of our favorite adventures during our vacation in Florida read more

My daughter and I had a wonderful Sunset Shelling and Dolphin experience with Captain Meghan. It was a perfect evening and Meghan was full of interesting information about the 10,000 Islands and the mangroves. Once we arrived at her island of choice, she guided us to the shelling spot and gave us the names of some of the shells. The sunset was ok but she had no control over that. It was a wonderful evening! I highly recommend Sand Dollar Shelling. read more

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This was a great tour. I got clear directions to the marina and parking. Megan, the captain, was fabulous. She was very professional and knowledgeable about the area and boating. Keewaydin was beautiful and just what I wanted for a shelling tour. Beautiful beaches, lots of shells and almost no other people. read more

We had such an incredible time! Lauren, our Captain was amazing and we loved her passion for wildlife. The tour itself was very well planned . The shelling and sunset superior! I highly recommend Sand Dollar Shelling!! read more

Paul was an amazing tour guide and helped us have a great experience for our first island shelling experience. We will definitely be back for another longer trip :) Thanks! read more

The crew was great. They were very knowledgable and friendly. I would definitely recommend this tour.

We did a Ten Thousand Islands Shelling, Dolphin, and Beach Experience at 8AM. Captain Joey was personable, engaging, and very knowledgeable. He was very familiar with the area and operated the Carolina Skiff safely. We thoroughly enjoyed our excursion. We came back with a lot of shells. We would highly recommend Sand Dollar Shelling for tours, excursions, and experiences. read more

Captain Paul and Veronica are awesome. So knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great time. It was our second time and it did not disappoint.

Captain Megan was amazing! We had a wonderful experience! So much fun and very relaxing! We will have to do this again! read more

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My family had an amazing time with Megan yesterday! Megan made sure we were in the best shelling spots, was able to find dolphins for us (even a juvenile) and was patient and so kind! Such an amazing experienc! Highly recommend!! read more

Amazing day on the boat today with Capt Megan. Megan took us to the right place to see dolphins, took us to a great place for shelling. The boat was comfortable, we were a small group too. read more

Captain Paul was great. Boat ride over to Keewaydin Island was beautiful. Shelling was amazing and Captain Paul found some shells for us to take home, he had lots of information about the homes on our ride over to the island. He was awesome. Thanks for a memorable day. read more

Sand Dollar Shelling - End of a great day. - Boat Charters Near Me - Goodland, Florida

Our captain, Jamie, was friendly, knowledgeable and a skilled captain. We saw dolphins feeding and others "playing". We went to Kice Island where we were able to comb through the mangroves for shells. After that, we enjoyed the sunset from the island and took a quick ride back to the marina. read more

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Had a wonderful trip with Captain Joey! He shared info about the area, got the dolphins to swim in our boat's wake and talked about the shells we found-we would happily go again! read more

We had a great time. Lauren was a wonderful captain, knowledgeable about the wildlife, mangroves and as captain, was great. The shelling was fantastic with enough time to gather shells and get to a perfect spot for the sunset! Would highly recommend this for families and even us older "retirees", looking for something fun to do. read more

Everything was good. Captain Dave was really good and very knowledgeable. Shelling was great, saw dolphins. Would do again

Jamie was fabulous and provided my wife and me with an unforgetable experience. Dolphins playing in the wake of the boat and lots of shells to take home. read more

The experience was great! Found so many shells! We would definitely go again. Request Captain Paul S.! He was fanatic and made an already great experience even better! He was super knowledgeable about so much and was great at helping spot fantastic shells and other finds! read more

Sand Dollar Shelling - GREAT shell finds! - Boat Charters Near Me - Goodland, Florida

Wonderfull experience ! Jamie walked us through Dolypin , shell pick up and sunset. Throughly enjoyed ...

We thoroughly enjoyed our dolphin and shelling cruise! Captain Paul S. and Veronica were great guides and very knowledgeable. They know so much about the area, wildlife and even the names of the shells! We found so many beautiful and interesting shells and after shelling we found about 10 dolphin and there was a baby!! They played in the wake of the boat and was definitely the highlight of our trip! The boat was clean and organized. Cooler for our drinks, dry box for our belongings and fun was had for sure!! Perfect amount of time worth every penny! read more

They provided a perfect trip. From the telephone staff who were helpful and polite (even when I called to change my reservation), to the clean pleasant location to the actual cruise. Captain Joey was well informed and polite, never condescending and took us to a beautiful beach with ideal shelling conditions. read more

captain Corey took us on an awesome boat tour with views of playful dolphins, grouchy gators, and white pelicans. awesome tour of the 10,000 Islands area. family friendly and dog friendly. read more

We visited Marco Island in October and scheduled a last minute Shelling excursion. Captain Paul S. was amazing! He took us to two shelling spots, made sure we saw plenty of dolphins and recommended local food spots! Highly recommend! read more

Capt. Jamie couldn't have been a better fit. Left the dock at 8:03 and dropped us off around 8:30 at a remote Island said she'd meet us on the other side of the Island... 2 hours of shelling just after Debby and it was FANTASTIC! Still has time to stop at another Island, slow down to watch a manatee, then Capt Jamie KNEW when she saw the dolphins that they wanted to play in our wake. 2 dolphins jumping 4 feet away in our wake. Great 3 hour tour! Thank you Capt. Jamie! read more

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