My in-laws watched the boys for us while we went on our own little couple adventure to St. Andrews State Park, Shell Island and Pineapple Willy’s. Before we get into our time at Shell slams make sure you check out our adventures that led up to this. We have a Gulf Coast Overview Article that will show you all about the road trip that led us here.
Shell Island – The beautiful 7 mile long undeveloped Island
Visiting Shell Island is like going to a private beach. Although, the crowds at St. Andrews were much smaller than the hotel. The beach on Shell Island is almost completely private.
It’s only accessible by shuttle and there are no buildings, restrooms, picnic tables, or even trash cans on the island. But don’t let that discourage you. It is a place of stunning natural beauty. We love getting into nature away from it all, check out our experiences below.
Our experiences at Shell Island
When planning our Gulf Coast Road Trip we were unsure if we would visit Shell Island. We kept reading bad reviews online. People were complaining there were no restrooms, no food vendors and that most of the shells get picked over quickly.
After some consideration we figured we’d go check it out. We’d go for part of the day at least. We booked the first shuttle of the day and rented a two person kayak at the store in St. Andrews State Park. Thankfully we didn’t have to drag the kayak it was already ready for us on the shuttle.
We made sure to use the restroom before we left but hey I’m not against peeing in the ocean. If you gotta go then go, but if you have a number 2 that would be a different story. (Unless you are Papa Dan) Haha you don’t want to know that story. Kayla’s Stepdad and our boys Papa is Dan. He’s an awesome guy and we love giving each other a hard time. Dan if you read this you know I love you! Haha All joking aside let me get back to our experience at Shell Island.
Prepping for Kayaking
Once the shuttle landed we grabbed our kayak and the life jackets we were forced to take along. I didn’t bring my big camera (Canon 5D Mk II) because the fear of flipping a kayak or getting it wet from waves. But, I did have my GoPro Fusion and we each brought our cell phones, so we could still get photos and videos.
Shell Island Food options
Before we took off on the Kayak our shuttle captain told us about the refreshments available on the boats. They sold all kinds of snacks and cooked hot dogs so the reviewers complaining about no food or drinks on the island were only half-right in my opinion. We knew we weren’t going to starve at least during our time on the island.
Safety First
Our shuttle captain also informed us we didn’t have to wear our life jackets we just had to have them with us. What a relief, (Kayla was concerned about the awkward tan lines that could have caused). He also recommended which way to kayak to get to some nice areas. Everyone else got off of the boat and ventured by foot. Most people did not get very far from the shuttle boat. We were ready to get away from all the crowds and have our own part of the island. I fastened the jackets to the kayak and we ventured on.
Paddle On
The captain said to paddle along the jetty then turn left following the island. Honestly, I didn’t even know what a jetty was. We paddled in the general direction he recommended. It was pretty wavy and bigger boats were coming and going all around us causing our kayak to shake a bit and Kayla to feel a big nauseous. Once we got around the corner and passed the long line of rocks (the jetty) we continued for a bit longer before attempting to land the kayak.
We weren’t sure the proper angle to be as the waves pushed us to shore. It was my first time in a Kayak and Kayla’s second time. Obviously we didn’t want to be sideways against the waves since it would be easy to knock us out. I looked around to ensure we had our belongings. My GoPro Fusion strapped tightly to my wrist and our waterproof bag with our phones around Kayla’s neck, everything was secure in case we shipwrecked. But wait… where were the life jackets??? Nowhere to be found. I quickly came to the realization we would pay a fee for not returning the life jackets and could possibly be fined by not having them. But despite focusing on the negative I thought to myself it’s not the worst thing that could happen. I’d be out some cash but we’d be alright.
Ashore Shell Island
That’s about the time we came crashing into the shore. It wasn’t the smoothest landing but we had made it in one piece. I pulled the kayak to shore and Kayla laid down trying to relieve her nausea. She let me bury her in the sand which actually helped her relax, cool off and feel much better, and or course I got to play in the sand a make her into my sand mermaid as he relaxed.
While Kayla relaxed, I swam around and looked for shells, snorkeled and enjoyed having an area all to ourselves. The walkers hadn’t made it this far yet and the boats I guess were not allowed on this side. It was our own little paradise.
Shell Hunting
Considering the island is called Shell Island there wasn’t a ton of shells but there were some. I noticed if I swam down with my goggles I could find some laying on the ocean floor. I just had to make sure there were no creatures living within them. They say if you go after a storm or in a slower season you can find tons of shells.
After I did some snorkeling and Kayla had some relaxing we walked along the beach to find a shipwrecked boat. How cool is that, I mean it wasn’t a pirate ship or anything but it was still cool to see.
After some more swimming and more relaxing we decided to venture back to eat our lunches and explore the rest of St. Andrews State Park.
Once we arrived at our shuttle, we told our captain about losing our life jackets. He smiled and said “these life jackets?” as he handed them back to us. They had washed ashore right beside the shuttle. I was relieved I didn’t know at which point we had lost them. I assumed they’d be long gone.
We shuttled back happy from our adventure ready to do more exploring.
Everything you need to know about visiting Shell Island
Hours : Shuttles run every 30 minutes, 7 days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (may vary spring and fall)
Cost: Spring $19.95 Adults – $10.95 Children (12 and under) Infants – Free
$22 Shuttle only
$65 a day for single kayak (includes shuttle)
$75 a day for tandem kayak (includes shuttle)
Where is Shell Island?
Shell Island is located on the western panhandle of Florida just east of Panama City. Check it out on the map below.
More info:
For more information about current conditions, updates and ever else check out the official website for Shell Island Shuttles from St. Andrews State Park.
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What’s Next?
Next, we headed to back to St. Andrews State Park to eat, enjoy more beach time and hike around Gator Lake. for a delicious meal and fun environment. If you haven’t already check out our St. Andrews State Park Article.