UPDATE, June 2020: Shelly Island appeared in 2017, but due to ever-changing seas and coastlines, is no longer an island. Don’t try to find it. You can still find lots of shells at the tip of Cape Point following the directions below.
2017 – A few weeks before we were scheduled to go to the Outer Banks for vacation, my sister sent me a news story about a mile-long island made of shells that appeared this year at the tip of Cape Hatteras, in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. We grew up shelling on Florida beaches and we have a special sisterly bond over searching for our favorite shells, whether perfect scallops or shapely corals or holey whelks. We could spend hours searching the sands. So of course we were going.
I was searching on Instagram for posts about the island, and came across some stunning drone footage on the Twitter account @loflandcody. The two brothers of Cygy Media normally film cars in Richmond, Virginia, but while in the Outer Banks they put their drone to work. They were kind enough to let me borrow their footage for use here.
How to get to Shelly Island
The erstwhile Shelly Island sat at the southern tip of Hatteras Island, near the lighthouse. To get there drive from Buxton down the road toward the lighthouse, and follow it until the end. Look for Ramp 44, which leads to the point. If you plan to drive out to the point, you will need a beach driving permit (available here) and four wheel drive vehicle. If you don’t have a 4×4, you can park by Ramp 44 and walk to the point, but it’s not a very pleasant walk, what with all the trucks driving along the same mile-long beach.
Please note: Islands like this can change quickly due to weather and currents. This information may be totally irrelevant by the time you read it. [Edited in 2020 to add: The island is no more. But the experience at the tip of Cape Point is pretty similar. And you don’t have to cross the water to get there!]
does Shelly Island exist for the 2020 season or did it disappear?
Thanks for asking! I just checked with the folks at Outer Banks Tourism to get the scoop for 2020. “Shelly Island sort of re-merged with Cape Point in late 2017, but didn’t really lose much mass, it all just shifted around. The fact it sort of accreted out of the water is a testament to the dynamic coastline when so often the conversation is about beach erosion and rising seas. You still get the front seat to nature, and the landscape of the tip at Cape Point, the geographic tip of the bigger Cape Hatteras region, is essentially the same environment.” So, it’s no longer an island, but you can still find a whole lot of shells at Cape Point. Hope that’s helpful. Have fun!