Shell Island White Sand Beach

After all the hype I was seriously disappointed. We spent $ 8/​person to get into St. Andrews Park (which is a rip off because they have nothing to offer compared to other state parks) then $ 18/​person to ride the shuttles (bus then pontoon) to shell island. Then the tips for the shuttle driver to and from and tips for the Captain and Mate to and from. Total we spent more than $ 100 to see ZERO shells that were any different than our resort beach. (If not less shells) They had a few tiny shells not even enough to bend over and pick up. Then you count the amount of stuff you have to carry for the day at Shell Island… you will need garbage bags for your trash as there is not one garbage can on the island. You will need beach shoes or flip flops to walk around all the diapers, baby wipes, chip bags, water & beer bottles, broken Styrofoam cooler pieces, cigarette butts, broken beach chairs, broken flip flops, boogie boards, empty sunblock bottles, broken umbrellas, and the remains of a boat cushions and all etc. because people are to lazy to clean up after themselves. Yes the coves are pretty (not worth $ 100 pretty)… But very crowded with people, boats, and jet skis. WATCH YOUR KIDS! Take your cooler with water and food as they do not have anything on the island except a small concession stand on the end of a pontoon that sells water and a few things. Take SUN BLOCK there is not one spot of shade on the island not one tree. It is a long walk, thru the sugary sand dragging your cooler, umbrella, chairs, towels, beach bag, etc and it is HOT so you expect amazing when you get there right? Nope The gulf side of the island is exactly like the beach at your resort so in my opinion it isn’t worth the walk down the long path in the sand to get to it. So would I spend the money again? Nope. Do I regret spending the money? Yes my family was ready to go after about 30 mins of being there. If you go PLEASE do not litter. It is just not right.

We visited Shell Island today and were not impressed. There were TONS of people, but what bothered me the most were all of the boats and jet ski/​waverunners that were constantly zipping by the shore. Not only did this make for awful waves, but I didn’t want to let my kids get too far from shore. I can imagine swimmers and snorkelers getting hit by these vessels on occasion. I can’t believe the boats are allowed to get so close to the shore :(Very dangerous and they were everywhere! Also, no shells! I found dozens of sand dollars off the shore where we have rented a beach house, but nothing on «shell» island.
The water is beautiful and we did enjoy the little cove near the rocks and were able to snorkel and see some fish, but it got pretty crowded as people got tired of the craziness on the ocean side of the island.
The price for adults to shuttle out to shell island is $ 17 and the price for kids is $ 9. Plus the bus driver who takes you to the shuttle wants tips as do the «captain» and «mate» of the shuttle. They said that they took 1,000 folks out yesterday! Seems like with that type of cash flowing in, they could have some trash receptacles or something on the island. We stepped off the shuttle to a dirty diaper thrown in the sand.
A lot of folks that were leaving seemed disappointed as well. Definitely would not spend the money to return.

We took a pontoon here from a local company and loved the island. It was easy to get to and was beautiful, quiet and relaxing. Staying at a condo right on PCB can be pretty stressful with the spring break crowd, so it was nice to visit a quiet and beautiful beach for a few hours.
We anchored and Swam for a little bit, the water is a bit warmer on the intercostal side. Just relaxing on the boat and the shallow water in a tube was fun. We walked over to the beach side and it was gorgeous. Powdery white sand, much more white than pcb beaches. There were tons of shells to collect and lots of areas to sit and relax. I loved this beach, definitely worth boating to or I believe they have a ferry that goes here.
Just beware that there are no restrooms or restaurants. It’s a natural uninhabited island, so treat it well and don’t litter.

beautiful but shold be cheaper to go here on the boat ride me my fiancé and our daughter took, was her first boat ride which was cool to experience with her when she was only about 15 months old she loved eery min of it, but the shells were all broken, we found bigger shells over in the park and in panama city beach that were unbroken. but since we had each other it was the best time ever, was our 2^nd time in pcb and blast like always my fiancé knows how to make me and Madison happy always that’s why he treats us so good cuz we love each other so much

This is a very beautiful place to take the family. We didn’t see any shells but I guess that’s hit or miss. there are two parts to this island, there is the Bay side and the Gulf side. The Bay side is very shallow and calm hardly any wave unless you were near the end of the rocks, the wave that did come in were very calm & water was warm. the water is pretty clear and perfect to snorkel near the rocks. The waves are not very strong and excellent for children. The Gulf side is just a nice but there wasn’t any shells or rocks. I would walk the length of the Bay and get to the Gulf that way as it seems easier because of the sand can be difficult to walk in. You can take coolers and I highly suggest that you do so you can refresh with something cold to drink. We didn’t take food with us because we figured it would somehow get sand in it & then our lunch would be ruined. We did how ever take some cut up fruit because we could eat that and refresh so there would be no reason to move too much to stir up the sand. When we were arrived there was a man selling drinks and later by boat came an ice cream man. Don’t forget your sunscreen. It isn’t as packed as most beaches.

cheap way to get out of the condo and spend a day but not really anything special

Boat only access. You have shuttle options and you can also rent boats. We took the St. Andrews shuttle, which was expensive. It’s a beautiful beach. Shallow, clear waters. But… Where are the shells?! I had no luck finding shells whatsoever. I enjoyed the few hours I spent there, but in my opinion, it wasn’t worth the money you spend getting there and the beaches everywhere else are just as beautiful. You also have better luck finding shells on public access beaches.

Boat only access. Can take the shuttle from St Andrews Park. We didn’t find many whole shells (which was our main purpose for going). Lots of big pieces. Great beach for body boarding. Kids loved it.
If you don’t have a boat, you can use the Shell Island Shuttle in St Andrews State Park. Be prepared to pay $ 8 entry fee and $ 16/​$ 11 for the shuttle for adults/​children.

Gorgeous… White sands, clear water, empty, boat only access!