Learn how to navigate safely around Shell Key Florida. Boating in Shell Key Preserve is carefully regulated to protect sea beds and marine estuaries. Please observe all posted boundaries and no-wake zones…
Before you go:The north and south ends of the island are divided by several navigational barriers and shallow areas. Consider your boating route carefully, based on which side of the island you plan to visit. Examine the other navigational maps on this page to avoid shallow areas where you can run aground. Check the tide predictions for the date and time you intend to visit. Low tides can make some areas more difficult to access and can expose other navigational hazards. See the diagrams below for details. |
 Getting to the North Public Use Area:
The north public use area of Shell Key is most easily accessed from the Pass-A-Grill channel just north of the island or from the Gulf. |
Getting From the North end to the South End:Warning!! There are many ways to run aground while traveling from the north public use area to the south public use area. Essentially, you have 2 choices. Either travel out of Pass-a-grille Pass into the gulf and return into Bunces Pass on the South – or you can come from the Skyway Bridge Channel in Tampa Bay. Never try to travel south on the east side of Tierra Verde – these waters are not passable! Notice that both Pass-a-grille and Bunces Pass have sand bars flanking them along their channels. The bars extend extend well out into the gulf and are a major navigation hazard. when navigating in our out of the pass. See the green lines below for the best route. Always use a depth finder. |
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From Fort Desoto Boat Docks – or the Skyway Bridge Channel:
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Boating Guidelines
- Motor boats are restricted to idle speed in permitted areas only.
- Be observant of other vessels and always give way to large vessels which have limited maneuverability.
- All the rules of the County preserve apply to boaters within the preserve’s aquatic boundaries. So you are not technically allowed to have alcohol or pets in your boat while you are within the preserve boundaries.
Anchoring at Shell Key
- Always be aware of the current tides when choosing an anchoring location. If you arrive at high tide, you may find your boat “high and dry” when you want to leave at low tide. Many boaters have been stranded overnight because they did not watch the tides.
- Do not anchor in channels or a fairway.
- Keep a safe distance from other boats that are already anchored. Allow for a margin of error that takes into account changing wind and tides.
- Double Anchoring: Larger boats should use a bow and a stern anchor to keep their boat in place near the beach. Here is a video showing one method for double anchoring. We recommend pointing the bow of the boat away from the island when double anchoring – to keep the waves from coming over the back of the boat.
Browse the area with google maps…
Hello there, I really liked your great info here.
I’m a new member of Carefree boat club and boat out of Tarpon Springs where I’ve been boating around Anclote Key for 20 years.
But I’ll be in St-Pete Beach for a day and I’d like to try the club’s Maximo marina location and go to Shell Key from there. Unless there a sanbar closer to anchor down safely???
So I’ll be heading out south through Boca Ciega Bay and make my way to Pass-a-grill channel and follow that to the north side of Shell Key.
Are the waters calm in this area to get to the sandbar up close with a 21 ft Stingray bowrider?
Thanks.
Hi LG,
I guess it will depend on the weather, but you should typically have no trouble anywhere in this area in a 21ft boat. I drive a 21ft boat and travel all over Tampa Bay without any problems. The calmest sides of Shell Key are the north and south ends of the island. The Gulf Side (west) is a little rougher and shallower with more sandbars.
Hope this helps!
Hi- very informative. Would you happen to know how long of a boat ride it would be from Apollo beach? And there are areas to dock and get off to explore?? Thank you!
Hi Mishelle,
Apollo beach is about 16-18 miles away as the crow flies – so timing would depend on your speed. At 16 knots, it would take about an hour to get to Shell Key. There are no docks on Shell Key. You should be prepared to anchor your boat off the beach (best spot is along the south side of the island at Bunces Pass) and wade to shore. If you have a very small boat you can beach it, but keep an eye on the tides.
Hope this helps!
Hello Jack, I have a 40 foot Sea Ray with inboards and 2.5ft draft. I am planning to overnight around Thanksgiving 2021 in Bunces Pass and was wondering what is the current condition of the gulf pass and is it accurately marked? I am ok with timing at high tide to get me a reliable 5 feet at any time. I have 2 depth finders being a North Pinellas boater! And do you recommend bow and stern anchors in Bunces overnight? Thanks for your advice.
Philip
Hi Philip,
Yep – Since the Bunces Pass channel is so close to the south shore of the island, that area remains consistently deep – right up close to the shore. With a 2.5ft draft, you should be fine just about anywhere along that shore. The current Google Satellite view is a pretty good representation of the current conditions – with lighter areas being potentially shallow. The concave shoreline in this area seems to be the sweet spot – since it’s plenty deep – and also somewhat protected from wind and waves coming from the Gulf. The Bunces Pass channel itself is well marked. The makers on the north side might be a bit close to the shallow preserve waters, but you should have no problem staying out of trouble because the channel is very wide. The only place to be careful is on the gulf side of the pass. If you are coming into the pass from the gulf, there are sandbars to the north and south of the the pass which are not thoroughly marked (see the images above on this page marked with red exclamations). Just be carefull to spot the markers in the gulf and keep them in sight on your way in. Once you get near the island everything is clear and well marked.
I definitely recommend a bow and stern anchor for shoreline camping. I like to be at a slight angle to the shore (not perfectly perpendicular) to accommodate incoming and outgoing tides – which can be strong in that area. I drop my bow anchor on the way in and then back up toward shore and bring my stern anchor to the beach.
Hope this helps!
I read that you can swim or wade to Shell Key from the mainland…is this true?
Hi Tarie,
It is true that it’s possible to wade or even walk onto the island from the mainland. However, it is technically forbidden to get to the island this way. The fact that the island has recently connected to the mainland is a highly contentious issue with some people blaming mismanagement of the tidal areas and channels. There is currently an argument being made that the landbridge must be dredged out in order for the county to be in compliance with the state lease of the land. Here is a very detailed analysis of the situation.
Thank you for the information. I remember, as a kid back in the late 80s, my parents taking their trawler through the North end to anchor on the east side. It was a very popular spot and offered decent protection for an overnighter. I also remember a research station or house with a dock on one of the islands. Wonder if it is still there?
Hello!
Indeed, I remember anchoring inside the north end as well. That was before the north pass closed up with sand. As far as I know, all of the small privately owned islands have been bought out and incorporated into the aquatic preserve. I don’t believe there are any inhabited structures left in the preserve.
Clear Skies!
Interesting. I checked historic aerials from 2017 and you can see the research station and dock on “Panama Island” in Shell Key. I believe a fire destroyed it a few years ago.
Are paddle boards with trolling motors allowed within Shell Key?
Hi JP,
The signs in the protected parts of the aquatic preserves say “No Internal Combustion Engines” – so a battery powered trolling motor should be fine.
Hope this helps!
Hello – can you anchor on the north end in the public use area right out of the PAG channel? Is it better to make the trip to the south end Public Use area?
First time going out there, thanks for any suggestions!
Hi Dan,
You can indeed anchor directly off the north end. Personally, I find the north end to be a little busier/crowded, so I prefer the south end (mainly because the south end is bigger).
Hope this helps!
Where do we buy camping permits and are the camp spots assigned or is it first come first serve?
Hi Kym,
Here is the link to our camping info page … This is wilderness camping – so there are no assigned spots.
Hope this helps!
We are wanting to kayak and camp on Shell key. Where would be a good place to park my truck for the night.
Hi Joe,
The only place that I know of to legally park overnight is the Ft. Desoto Boat Ramps.
Hello! I’m looking to bringing my own paddle board and going to Shell Key Preserve. My question is, where do I park? And what path would I take while paddling to make it to the island?
Hi Brittany,
A lot of people park at the Pinellas Bayway Kayak launch for day trips. From there it’s a straight shot west to Shell Key. You would be within the shallow preserve waters the whole way so you would avoid most boating channels with that route.
Hope this helps!
i am new to the area and keep my boat the tierra Verde Marina, i would like to visit shell key. is there an area for a beginner to go to
Hi Scott,
From Tierra Verde Marina, your most direct route would be to head south and exit through ‘Dents’ channel. That will put you right on the north end of Shell Key. I prefer to use a double anchor setup when anchoring near the beach. Once you get about 30 or 40 yards from shore, turn your bow away from the beach and drop the larger bow anchor. Then carefully back up toward shore while letting out the bow line (give it a few tugs to set it in the sand). When you get close to shore, kill the engine (make sure to tilt it up), tie off the bow line – and then toss your smaller stern anchor toward the beach. Then get out of the boat and grab the stern anchor and pull it closer to shore before setting it in the sand. This makes it easier to get in and out of the boat and also allows you to adjust the position of the boat when the tide changes.
If you want to go to the south end of the island, you have 2 choices. The short route is to go out into the gulf through Pass-a-grille – and head south before turning back in through Bunces Pass. Be warned that the entrance to Bunces Pass from the gulf has significant sandbars on either side and I have seen countless boats run aground there. This is probably the most perilous route to the south end. The alternative is to exit Tierra Verde to the north – and then head east until you reach the Highway 275 bridge that leads to the Skyway. Then turn south toward the Skyway until you get to the Bunces channel which heads west toward the gulf. Follow this channel until you go under the 2nd Tierra Verde Bridge – and you then pass by the Ft. Desoto boat ramps on your way to the south end of Shell Key. This is a much safer (and much longer) route to the south end. Unfortunately, you cant just head south on the east side of Tierra Verde because the waters are not passable. You have to go out to 275 near the Skyway to go south before heading back out toward the gulf.
Hope this makes sense!
Planning on Kayaking out there this weekend to camp. What is the best way to transport firewood? Thanks for all the great info!
Hi Robert,
We usually stack it on the bow of the boat – and then beach the front of the boat temporarily while we toss the firewood onto shore. I usually enlist a couple of guys to be the beasts of burden for hauling it to the campsite. A wagon with big tires can help too. For light camping, we sometimes bring along some wax logs from the grocery store. Not good for cooking, but they do last a long time per unit of carried weight.
Hope this helps!
I am looking to boat out to Shell next week…November 9th, I have an inboard need at least 4 feet of water… Where would the best place to anchor?, swim and potentially overnight be? We would be staying on our boat.
Also do we need a permit during the week? thank you.
Hi Kim,
Camping is only allowed on the south end of the island – So your best bet for anchoring in on Bunces Pass (south shore). This will give you a safe place to anchor and is also a short walk to the gulf side for swimming.
Hope this helps!