Susan H.

100% the best shelling tour company in southwest Florida! I have been shelling with them numerous times and their shelling tours are top-notch! They make sure you get the most bang for your buck, by getting you there quickly and to the best stops! They checkout the shelling spots daily, and their tours leave at different times because they watch the tides and do their best to go at the optimum times. I appreciate their knowledge and integrity so much. The owners, Jesse and Bonnie, are careful to select kind and knowledgeable Captains for the boats. They are small tours, usually no more than 6, which is nice for when you get to the spots. They let you shell alone if you choose, or walk with you and teach you about the shells you find. I just recently returned to the area and was able to get on a tour this month (March 2025). Captain Ryan was fantastic! This tour company treats you like you are family and not just a customer! (Also, no live shells are ever removed from the islands). The ones we saw we took a photo and returned them to the water!

Liron S.

We are really glad we chose to take a charter with Reel Kind. It started with the phone reservation with Bonnie, who was caring, pleasant, and tailored a suitable trip for us according to our request and budget. I received the reservation details and all the relevant instructions for the trip by email, which were very useful. Our great experience continued with the mighty Captain Colt, who provided the best Shelling and Dolphin tour we could have asked for. Captain Colt was there to welcome us on time, and he was pleasant, environmentally conscious, great with the children, and demonstrated extensive knowledge about nature and the surrounding area. He made sure to give us adequate time to explore the islands. To our delight, the dolphins accepted his invitation to swim alongside the boat, giving us the most wonderful experience ever. I wholeheartedly recommend Reel Kind's service and trips in the ten thousend islands.

Macaslin W.

We went on a Friday during low tide, which was super nice. We did a 4 hour tour. The tour organizer was very kind and helpful, communicated weather changes, and helped arrange for a different time due to weather issues at no charge. They truly had our safety in mind and wanted to make sure everything was okay. Our guide/captain was very nice and open, he talked with us, wanted to get to know us, and helped us find a few shells. The shelling itself wasn't super great, but that's not anything that anyone can control, which we completely understand, and we still found some fun things.

However, the guide took us to islands that other shelling tours were already at, which meant that many things were already picked over. It would have been nice to go to places that didn't have other tours there at the same time, rather than just the typical islands they go to. Despite the lack of really great shells, there was flamingos, crabs, birds, etc., that were super fun to see.

If you are new to shelling or aren't avid shell collectors, I would recommend the 4 hour tour. If you are a big shell collector and are wanting to go farther in the islands, I would do the 6 hour tour.

Jacqueline C.

My family with kids aged 10 & 12 had a fantastic time on our Inshore Backcountry Half Day Private Fishing Charter (4 hours) with Captain Colt. It started at 11am on Sunday January 19, 2025. We met at the Goodland Marina. You pay for parking there and then put the receipt on your vehicles dashboard. The gentleman at the shop in the marina are very kind and helpful.
The captain was “reel” kind and patient with my kids and all of us. He was very knowledgeable and attentive. We caught a ton of fish. Mostly Spotted Seatrout but also 2 kinds of Catfish, Ladyfish, Sheepshead and even a baby Bonnethead shark. We kept 1 large trout which Captain Colt filleted for us and put in a bag of ice. We headed from the marina to a local restaurant, Little Bar and they were more than happy to fry up our fresh caught filets for a bit of a fee.
It was a great experience and we’d be delighted to do it again. We were staying in Everglades City at the River Wilderness Waterfront Cabins which was a 35 minute easy drive and I’d recommend staying there too.

Carolyn L.

We went on the 3 Hour Shelling Tour yesterday and cannot say enough wonderful things about our experience with Captain Jesse and his son! The service was exceptional, and they were so knowledgable about the 10,000 Islands, wildlife and where to find the best shells! We found AMAZING shells, but the most impressive part was how wonderful and patient they were with our son (who's not into shelling like the rest of the family)! They were so accommodating and helped to make it the absolute best trip for the whole family we have ever been on!

Christie C.

Just did a tour with Reel Kind on 7/30/23. It was our first full day in FL, and we wanted to take advantage of the low tide and full moon. We were actually staying in Fort Myers Beach and drove over an hour to Marco Island for this tour. We had tried to do a Ten Thousand Island tour on our last trip several years ago, but we couldn't due to thunderstorms, and my son was devastated at the time. So, we were super excited for this tour! There were only three of us on the boat (plus Capt. Colt), so we had plenty of room to sit. Note - the boat we were on was small and had limited shade and no head. There was a cooler with ice for drinks. Capt. Colt was AWESOME! He took us to Dickmans Island. There were a few other people already there. We had two hours to shell. I've been told that with longer tours, you can sometimes get to multiple places. Next time, we may go that route, so we can get to Kice and maybe other places. Anyway, Colt would give us shells he found and help us identify shells we didn't know. I forgot sunblock like a dummy, and he gave me some. He was very knowledgeable and just a super nice guy. On our tour, we saw someone who found some large (although beat up) Lightning Whelks. I also met a guy from another charter company who was there collecting sand dollars. Honestly, we felt like we didn't find that many shells until we got back to our hotel and laid them all out on a table. Then, we realized we actually did WAY better than we thought! It was definitely the most shells we collected even though we did another tour to North Captiva, went to Lover's Key, and tried to shell on FMB at low tide several times. We hope to return to this area either in Nov/Dec OR May when the shelling is supposed to be better, and we will definitely be booking again with Reel Kind and asking for Capt. Colt. Thanks for the adventure, Reel Kind!

Luis C.

We are a family of 4 and took a shelling tour with Reel Kind Fishing and Tours this week. This is not our first time doing this type of activity however it is our first time with this company and they will be our only choice from now on! From booking, to the customer service, to the unbelievably knowledgeable Captains, I cannot recommend Reel Kind Fishing and Tours more strongly. There are so many shells to find but also so much to see & learn about. We cannot wait to do another tour with them in the coming future!

Cyndi H.

Captain Colt was great! The wind and waves were easy for him to navigate making our trip comfortable. Shell island proved to be a shellers paradise. We had a 4 hour trip and came home with many treasures. Thank you Capt Colt and
Reel Kind!