New Life and New Owners at Marco’s Nautical Life Shelling Tours

Shelling has always been a passion for Caitlin Schwab, though since taking over Nautical Life Shelling Tours two months ago with her husband, Jim Winterick, it’s become a way of life.

Shells brought the pair together. After ending his 25-year career working with vehicles, Winterick began working for Treasure Seekers, a shelling company located in Goodland, having started within a week of Schwab. According to the pair, many assumed they were dating, and the two began a relationship a year after they met at work; now, four years later, they’re married and running their own business together.

Together, Winterick serves as the captain and Schwab takes over hunting for shells ーand given their backgrounds, it’s a collaboration that seems the perfect match. Winterick came to Marco Island to work on the water with boats. Though he started with no love for shells, he gained an appreciation for them through his wife, who is an avid sheller and has a side business where she makes cutlery out of seashells.

“I fell in love with shells. I hated them before. They did nothing but hurt my feet, and now I work with them every single day. I just love it. I can't think of a better place to spend my every day next to my every person,” Winterick said.

Schwab, who is a certified Florida Master Naturalist and acts as a guide on board, said that though she did shelling avidly before, she’s found a new appreciation for it as a guide and facilitating others having memorable experiences out on the water.

“I had no idea how rewarding the job of being a guide would be,” said Schwab. “Being able to see things out here and experience things in nature and watch any changes and keep learning about the wildlife and our ecosystem, and then being able to share that with everybody. It’s the best; I can't think of anything else I'd rather want to do.”

The pair purchased the business from Captain Carlos Escarra, who retired after starting the company in 2019. Winterick said that Escarra approached them with the offer late last year, just as they were considering moving away from Treasure Seekers to open their own business. Having interacted with Escarra many times while they were on the water, Winterick said they had great respect for the captain and his vision for the company as both an entertainment and educational tool to teach locals and tourists about the unique ecosystem of the 10,000 Island area.

The purchase made sense, they said, as they could continue forward with a name and customer base already built into the local community while making it their own, and continuing Escarra’s original educational mission for the tours.

With many options for shelling tours in the local area, and many popular shelling spots around the 10,000 Islands, the pair said that their approach to tours is taking people off the beaten path to beaches and other secluded spots that have a higher probability of unique shells than the more commonly visited locations. That, and their shared rapport as husband and wife, the pair said, is what gives them a unique flair compared to other tours.

“I think everybody that does this job, you have to have a passion for it. I have a lot of respect for other people out here. I've had friends with other people, like I've made a lot of friends in this little world as well. But I think that what sets us apart is ー we treat you. When you get on the boat, I want you to feel like you're at home and you make yourself comfortable. So you feel like part of the family,” said Schwab.

On one of their more recent trips, the couple helped an eight-year-old first-time visitor to Marco Island find a rare janocia shell, which is considered one of the ‘holy grails’ for shellers due to how uncommon it is to find. The pair said that one of the most fulfilling parts of the job was being able to facilitate those experiences, to allow them to find joy and appreciate the islands in a new light.

“There's no better payment, no better. That's what it's all about for me; that's the best feeling ever,” Schwab added. “I can't put it into words. It's so fulfilling, it really is. It fills me up. I kind of need it now.”