Keewaydin Island: The Complete Visitor's Guide

Keewaydin Island runs eight miles from Gordon Pass south to Big Marco Pass, separating Rookery Bay from the Gulf. It is almost entirely undeveloped, mostly protected as part of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and reachable only by water.

On a Tuesday in November you can walk a mile of it and see four people. On a Saturday in March a hundred boats raft up on the bay-side bar and it becomes the loudest sandbar in Southwest Florida. Both versions are Keewaydin; the difference is entirely which day and which side you're on.

Getting there

1. 1

   Private charter

   From Naples Bay

   Flexible timing, you choose how long you stay and whether to add the bay-side bar. A half-day out of the bay typically pairs the island with the sandbars and a dolphin run through the pass on the way.

2. 2

   Gulf side or bay side

   Ask when you book

   The Gulf side is for shelling and quiet; the bay-side bar is for standing in warm shallow water. Say which you want and the captain plans the anchor accordingly.

3. 3

   Timing

   Tide, not clock

   A falling or low tide exposes the shell line and the bars. Departures get built around the day's tide rather than a timetable.

The two sides

The Gulf side is a classic open beach: fine sand, clean surf, long views and near-total quiet once you walk a few hundred yards. The bay side is where the shallow shelf is, and that's where the boats gather — social, shallow, warm and busy at weekends. Shelling is better on the Gulf side, especially at the southern end and after a winter front.

Wildlife and the rules that come with it

• Sea turtles nest May through October. Nests are staked and marked — stay well clear and never use white light on the beach at night.
• Shorebirds nest in roped-off areas in spring and summer. Walking through a colony causes abandonment; the birds will tell you loudly before you get close.
• Live shells are protected in Collier County. Empty shells only, and check for a resident before pocketing anything.
• Dogs are not permitted on Rookery Bay reserve beaches.
• Everything you bring, you carry out. There is no collection service on Keewaydin.

When to go

November to April for weather. Weekdays for solitude. Around low tide if the bay-side bar is the goal, and around mid-tide if you want to walk the Gulf beach without scrambling over shell banks. The morning after a hard winter cold front is the single best shelling window of the year, and almost nobody plans for it.

What to bring

1. 01Twice the water you think — there is no shade and no refill.
2. 02A hard cooler with ice, if lunch is happening.
3. 03Water shoes for the transfer and the shell banks.
4. 04A dry bag for phones and keys.
5. 05Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and a long-sleeve sun shirt.
6. 06A bag for rubbish, including anyone else's you find.