Keewaydin Low Tide Shelling vs. Keewaydin Snorkeling – What’s the Difference?

If you’ve been browsing the SWFL Shell Guide tour options, you may have noticed two different Keewaydin trips on the calendar: the Keewaydin Low Tide Shelling Tour and the Keewaydin Snorkel Tour. Both are incredible ways to explore this beautiful barrier island - but they happen under very different conditions!

Low Tide Shelling Tours

Our Low Tide Shelling Tours are timed around negative low tides - those rare moments when the water level drops lower than the normal low tide mark. These extreme tides usually happen:

• Around sunrise in the winter months, and

• Around sunset in the summer months

Because these low tides don’t happen often, the windows for this tour are limited - and that’s what makes them so special! During these events, the tidal coefficient (the difference between high and low tide) is very high, which means the current is incredibly strong. The water pulls away fast, revealing vast stretches of sandbars and seafloor that are normally underwater - prime territory for finding beautiful shells.

It’s important to note: this is not the time for swimming or snorkeling! The current on these days can be powerful enough to carry you away before you could grab a shell, and in most spots, there’s barely even enough water to snorkel anyway. But that’s the beauty of it - the shells are sitting right there, freshly uncovered by the tide.

Snorkel Tours

On the other hand, our Keewaydin Snorkel Tours are offered only on a few select dates from March through October - when the conditions are perfect for exploring underwater.

For snorkeling, we look for the opposite of low-tide conditions:

• Mild currents (a small difference between high and low tide)

• Clear, calm waters for good visibility

• And of course, warm water temperatures!

These are the days when the Gulf is calm, the water is crystal-clear, and it’s safe and enjoyable to float, explore, and spot shells and marine life just below the surface.

Two Totally Different Shellventures

Both Keewaydin trips are incredible - just in very different ways.

• Low Tide Shelling is for those who love scouring the exposed seafloor for rare finds.

• Snorkel Tours are for those confident swimmers who want to see what’s hidden under the surface when the Gulf is calm and welcoming.

So whether you’re wading across a freshly exposed sandbar at sunrise or floating over a patch of slightly buried shells at noon, Keewaydin always has something amazing to offer - you just have to catch it at the right time on the right day!

And don’t worry about keeping track of tides or conditions - if you see a Keewaydin tour offered on my booking calendar, you can trust it’s the right time and tide for that particular shellventure!