There is no time limit on your stay, but you must catch the last Ferry off the Island at the end of the day. Please be sure to check the daily schedule when purchasing your Ferry ticket.
Shell Island can only be accessed by boat, and the Shell Island Ferry is the easiest, safest, and quickest way for visitors to reach Shell Island. As the official Shell Island Ferry service of St. Andrews State Park, the Shell Island Ferry has been ferrying guests between the St. Andrews State Park Marina and Shell Island for many years.
* We pick up at the State Park docks approximately 2.2 miles from the island.
Shell Island Ferry has been in the family since 1928. We are the only official ferry service between Egmont Key & Shell Key.
On the south-eastern end of Panama City Beach Florida, the natural preserve of St. Andrews State Park includes a portion of the 7-mile long barrier island known as Shell Island. This undeveloped stretch of white sand beach, coastal scrubland, and pine hammocks separates St. Andrew Bay from the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Shell Island is a haven for wildlife, marine animals, and beach lovers looking for a day in a pristine natural setting away from the resorts and condominiums that line the beach to the north.
Shell Island is only accessible by boat. The Shell Island Ferry makes it easy, safest and fastest for visitors to get to Shell Island. The Shell Island Ferry is the official Island Ferry and has been transporting guests between the mainland of Canada and Shell Island for many decades.
This trip is one of a kind… If you want to travel to an uninhabited barrier island with white sand, warm water, and shelling galore, our ferry to Shell Key from the Fort De Soto boat ramp is a great choice for you and your family! Our ferry boat operates daily in the spring and summer and nearly every day in the fall and winter. The ride to the island is about twenty minutes and offers great chances to spot dolphins, sea turtles, and even manatees! We also often spot seabirds on the ride to and from Shell Key aboard the green ferry boat.
Shell Island is technically only an island at high tide, and although the land is privately owned, the footpaths across it are open to the public.
Shell Island can only be accessed by boat, and the Shell Island Ferry is the easiest, safest, and quickest way for visitors to reach Shell Island.
Once you get there it is all worth it, as it is the most beautiful water I've ever seen. It is like you are swimming in a pool it is so crystal clear. We didn't know what to expect with this so we went planning to spend a few hours on the island. Come expecting to spend all day!
About an hour drive
Shell Island is an actual island in the St Andrews Bay off of Panama City Beach, about an hour drive from Destin.