Good plan.
Sanibel/Captiva Island snorkling, diving, fishing spots?
- Thread starter MissTwisties
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olddiver2
Guest
We have been going to Sanibel for 20+ years, (first from Illinois and now from Ft Lauderdale area) and from my experience, shore diving there is almost impossible. From the Lighthouse West, viz is usually poor and the slope is very shallow.
Once you make the turn North, the water seems to clear and the slope improves, but I have seen nothing that makes me go back (diving) for a second look, and I'm there every year for a vacation. From the Lighthouse, North into the channel, there are pretty strong currents, nasty coral rocks in the shallow water to surprise you in the low viz conditions, and boaters, and fishermen to add to the level of uncomfort.
Best shelling in my opinion, is at the bridge between San and Cap. Be prepared for currents, but the water is clear and very nice.
I did a dive trip out of Captiva many years ago, and we went out an hour or so to find some 80 ft depth, but as of July 2005, the Captive end was still recovering from a hurricane. Nothing was open or operating, but things may have changed by now. In fact, on Sanibel, the whole Periwinkle tree canopy is gone. That was the ultimate ambiance of the drive from Sanibel to Captiva.
Once, we did a daytrip from Sanibel to Key Largo for two tank trip in the morning and a two tank trip in the afternoon. We left at 3 a.m. and got back to Sanibel at 2 a.m. It was a long drive, but we got to dive the Keys, where the viz is usually good, sites and ops are numerous, and diving is great. I wouldn't drive past Key Largo, becasue there is great divng right there.
In reality, Ft Lauderdale is closer than the Keys ( 2 hours from Ft. Meyers to Ft. Lauderdale), wrecks are numerous, [see (http://www.dixiedivers.com/shipwreck.htm) ] and there are ops galore.
For my money, I'd do a trip to the Atlantic or the Keys if I wanted to dive. Or I'd just drive to Sanibel, play on the beach and look for the shells that made Sanibel so popular. If you choose this route, go early and be prepared to sit in tons of traffic and search for very rare parking. Great restaurants..Mucky Duck and Bubbble Room on Captiva, Timbers, Matzaluma, and McTee's (?) on Sanibel. Cheebuger-Cheebuger is not to be missed. The Raymond Burr (Perry Mason) Shell Museum is wonderful, Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge is neat for birds, but don't count on seeing any gators. Good shops, (Jungle Drums is a must on Captive) and a laid-back atmosphere make this an annual destination for us. We dive the Atlantic.
I don't mean to rain on your trip, but I believe in being honest.
Once you make the turn North, the water seems to clear and the slope improves, but I have seen nothing that makes me go back (diving) for a second look, and I'm there every year for a vacation. From the Lighthouse, North into the channel, there are pretty strong currents, nasty coral rocks in the shallow water to surprise you in the low viz conditions, and boaters, and fishermen to add to the level of uncomfort.
Best shelling in my opinion, is at the bridge between San and Cap. Be prepared for currents, but the water is clear and very nice.
I did a dive trip out of Captiva many years ago, and we went out an hour or so to find some 80 ft depth, but as of July 2005, the Captive end was still recovering from a hurricane. Nothing was open or operating, but things may have changed by now. In fact, on Sanibel, the whole Periwinkle tree canopy is gone. That was the ultimate ambiance of the drive from Sanibel to Captiva.
Once, we did a daytrip from Sanibel to Key Largo for two tank trip in the morning and a two tank trip in the afternoon. We left at 3 a.m. and got back to Sanibel at 2 a.m. It was a long drive, but we got to dive the Keys, where the viz is usually good, sites and ops are numerous, and diving is great. I wouldn't drive past Key Largo, becasue there is great divng right there.
In reality, Ft Lauderdale is closer than the Keys ( 2 hours from Ft. Meyers to Ft. Lauderdale), wrecks are numerous, [see (http://www.dixiedivers.com/shipwreck.htm) ] and there are ops galore.
For my money, I'd do a trip to the Atlantic or the Keys if I wanted to dive. Or I'd just drive to Sanibel, play on the beach and look for the shells that made Sanibel so popular. If you choose this route, go early and be prepared to sit in tons of traffic and search for very rare parking. Great restaurants..Mucky Duck and Bubbble Room on Captiva, Timbers, Matzaluma, and McTee's (?) on Sanibel. Cheebuger-Cheebuger is not to be missed. The Raymond Burr (Perry Mason) Shell Museum is wonderful, Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge is neat for birds, but don't count on seeing any gators. Good shops, (Jungle Drums is a must on Captive) and a laid-back atmosphere make this an annual destination for us. We dive the Atlantic.
I don't mean to rain on your trip, but I believe in being honest.
OP
MissTwisties
Registered
Thank you for the info, but like I said, we're going to spend only Thursday and Friday (the night of the wedding we're going to) on Captiva Island (actually staying in Fort Myers), and then we're going to spend the rest of our vacation down to Key Largo. 
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