Sanibel & Captiva · Southwest Florida
An insider's guide: live tides by beach, the day's best windows, how to fish onshore, inshore & offshore, and the captains and shops that make it easy.
Live tide, wind & sky for the spot you're fishing.
Fish bite best when the water is moving and the light is low. These windows combine your spot's real tide changes with dawn and dusk, in order.
The next ~24 hours, shifted and scaled to the beach you pick. The dot is now.
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Loading NOAA predictions…
Three ways to fish the islands. Pick your water.
From the sand, bridges, and the Causeway: snook (beaches, spring–fall), snapper and sheepshead around structure, and whiting, pompano & ladyfish in the surf. Best from the Gulf beaches, Blind Pass, and the Causeway islands. The Sanibel pier has been closed since Ian, so shore access is the beaches and the passes.
Walk the beach at dawn/dusk on moving water and cast to the troughs and cuts; at the passes, fish the outgoing hard. Gear: 7–7'6" medium-heavy spinning, 15 lb braid, 30 lb fluoro; jigs, white paddletails & live shrimp; a pompano rig with sand fleas or Fishbites in the surf. Note that Sanibel's beaches are open 24 hours, but gear can't be left unattended between 9pm and 7am.
The islands' signature fishery: redfish, snook & spotted seatrout on the flats and mangroves, mangrove snapper & jacks around structure, and tarpon rolling the passes and beaches in summer. Fish Pine Island Sound, Tarpon Bay, the passes, and the oyster bars — by skiff, kayak, or wading.
Work the moving tide along mangrove edges and potholes; sight-cast tailing reds on the higher stages. Gear: 7–7'6" medium/medium-heavy spinning, 10–20 lb braid, 20–30 lb fluoro; live pilchards/pinfish or soft plastics. Fly: 8–9 wt for reds & snook, 11–12 wt for tarpon.
Over the live-bottom ledges and wrecks (~10–40+ miles): red & gag grouper, mangrove/lane/yellowtail snapper, hogfish, plus kingfish, cobia, permit & amberjack — and goliath grouper (catch-and-release). The farther you run, the bigger the bottom.
Bottom-fish structure with cut/live bait on knocker or chicken rigs, anchored or drifting up-current of the ledge; free-line or troll for kings and cobia. Mind grouper & red snapper seasons. Easiest path: book an offshore boat — see Captains below.
Sanibel fishes year-round. Pick a season for the usual targets. Always confirm open seasons and limits with FWC before you keep a fish.
Waking up and feeding hard around the passes and beaches as water warms. Live bait or swimbaits on moving tide.
Tailing the flats and mangroves; sight-fish the higher stages of tide.
Grass flats at first light; popping cork with shrimp.
Tail end of their runs — passes, docks, and the surf.
Peak season (roughly May–July). The beaches and passes light up with rolling fish — a Sanibel signature.
Best of the year around the passes, beaches, and lights at night on the outgoing tide.
Early and late to beat the heat; deeper grass midday.
Reliable around docks, bridges, and structure.
Fall bull-red and slot action as bait floods the flats.
Feeding up before winter — passes and beaches on moving water.
Chasing bait pods on the beaches and in the pass — fast, fun action.
Excellent on the flats as temps ease.
Best season — bridges, dock pilings and the Blind Pass jetty with shrimp or fiddler crabs.
Surf and the Causeway on sandy bottom; jigs tipped with shrimp.
Deeper holes and canals on warm afternoons.
Around structure and the passes on the warmer days.
A few of Sanibel's classic public-access spots.
A curated directory of Sanibel & Captiva guides and offshore charters. Search or filter, then book direct.
Private inshore & flats trips, plus shelling and sightseeing — up to six.
sanibelcustomcharters.com →Backcountry & flats — light tackle and fly for reds, snook & trout.
nativeguidesfishing.com →Patient coaching and top gear provided — great for all levels.
sanibelislandfishingcharters.com →Tarpon, snook & redfish — family outings and sport fishing, 16+ years.
tarponsnookredfish.com →Guided fly & light-tackle trips — and the island's dedicated fly shop.
whitneysbaitandtackle.com →Deep-sea reef & wreck trips — snapper, grouper, kingfish & sharks.
fishmisshayden.com →Offshore bottom fishing & pelagics over the Gulf ledges and wrecks.
sanibeldeepsea.com →Offshore reef, wreck & bluewater adventures out of the pass.
h2ooffshoreadventures.com →A curated starting list — independent, not paid or affiliated. Verify current rates, licensing, and availability directly with each captain. Find more via FishingBooker or the Sanibel–Captiva Chamber.
Where to stock up on-island — bait, tackle, licenses, and rentals.
Live & frozen bait, tackle, licenses, and straight-up local advice. The island's go-to since 1971.
The former Norm Zeigler's — fly & light-tackle gear, flies, apparel, and guided trips.
Bait, tackle, rod & boat rentals with direct Pine Island Sound and Gulf access; guides on-site.
Marina store, boat & kayak rentals, and private guided charters — morning, afternoon, or full day.
Ship's store, fuel, and a fleet of charter captains right at the dock.
The short list that actually matches how you fish, shell and sit on these islands — shell-covered sand, gin-clear water, hard-running passes. Buy it on-island if you can; the shops above deserve the business. These are for what you forgot to pack.
How these links work. Every item is gear we would carry on this coast, chosen to match the techniques on this page. Nothing here is sponsored and no brand paid for placement. Full privacy & disclosures.
Beach snook here is walk-and-cast into the first trough, often 10 to 20 feet off the sand, so you want a rod light enough to throw a 1/4 oz jig all morning with enough backbone for a 30-inch fish. Medium-heavy, not medium — medium is a trout rod. Step up to a 4000 if you plan to fish the current at Blind Pass.
See on AmazonThe Gulf beaches run clear and shallow and the snook cruise the trough in a couple of feet of water, so long casts from well back on the sand matter more than line strength — local guides deliberately fish 10 to 15 lb braid to stay undetected. The 30 lb fluoro leader is the baseline because a snook's jaw is sandpaper. Drop to 20 or 25 on gin-clear mornings when fish refuse.
See on AmazonThe knocker rig — egg sinker sliding right down to the hook — is the local answer for fishing bait in the tidal current at the passes, where flow will sweep a fixed rig off the bottom. Size the weight to the tide, not the depth: half an ounce on slack water, up to three when the pass is ripping. Tie your leader straight to the hook; the pre-made wire rigs are quick and they will catch fish, but the heavy hardware costs you bites in water this clear.
See on AmazonPompano and whiting work the trough along the Gulf beaches, especially in the cooler months, and a two-hook dropper puts two baits at the depth they feed. Ask for a pompano rig — that is what shops and anglers here call it. Buy them pre-tied; the float beads and hook spacing are fiddly to tie on a beach in the wind.
See on AmazonSand fleas are the classic pompano bait, but the Gulf's gentle surf does not concentrate them the way an Atlantic beach does, so some mornings you will not find any. Fishbites stay on the hook through repeated casts and survive the pinfish and small catfish that strip natural bait in minutes. Run one on each hook and let the fish tell you which they want.
See on AmazonPompano want sand fleas, and sand fleas live in the wash under your feet. A rake turns a walk down the beach into the best bait you can fish here. Numbers on the Gulf side are less reliable than on the Atlantic coast, so treat it as a bonus rather than your whole bait plan — and fill any hole you open before you move on.
See on AmazonA 1/4 oz head under a white paddletail is the default beach-snook cast — heavy enough to punch into the sea breeze, light enough to swim a trough only a couple of feet deep. Step up to 3/8 oz at Blind Pass to hold bottom in moving water. Take more than you think; the rocks eat them.
See on AmazonEvery local source converges on plain white, because the snook here are keyed on glass minnows and small scaled sardines, both small and pale — the island's signature fly is white for exactly the same reason. Cast parallel to the beach rather than straight out; the fish cruise the trough lengthwise. Buy more than you need, because ladyfish and mackerel shred them.
See on AmazonThe bayside flats around Pine Island Sound and the causeway islands hold trout and redfish in three to six feet, and a popping cork covers that ground fast — the pop imitates a feeding fish and the shrimp hangs 18 to 24 inches beneath, right above the grass. Set the drop just short of the water depth so the bait rides over the grass instead of fouling in it.
See on AmazonThe 8-weight is the working rod of these beaches — enough to punch a fly through the morning breeze, enough reserve for the 30-inch-plus spawning females that show up in the summer trough. Locals who fish it daily warn that the beach is hard on gear, so a workhorse beats a showpiece. Go to a 9 only for wind or big fish. Norm Zeigler himself fished a 7 for everything but tarpon.
See on AmazonThis is the most opinionated item here. Sanibel regulars say they can spot visitors by their floating lines — even mild Gulf wave action bellies a floater and drags the fly unnaturally, while an intermediate cuts under the wave and keeps the fly just above the sand. A short aggressive head shoots on one haul, which suits the 10 to 30 foot shots this beach actually gives you. A floater is still defensible on a glass-calm sight-fishing morning.
See on AmazonNorm Zeigler invented this on these exact beaches in 1995, after watching snook bolt from a Clouser — in his words, they headed for Cuba. The name is shrimp plus minnow, and the point is the entry: unweighted mono eyes let it land soft and then suspend in inches of clear water, so you can put it ahead of a cruising fish and wait. White and pearl in #2 and #4 is the original spec; carry chartreuse and tan for off-colour water.
See on AmazonSnook gill plates and sandpaper mouths shred line, so the local build ends in a foot or two of 30 lb fluoro bite tippet you trim and re-tie after every fish or two. The island-specific detail is the step down: when the trough is gin clear and fish refuse, locals go to 20 or 25 rather than changing flies. Leaders here run short — eight or nine feet, not twelve, and shorter still behind a clear intermediate.
See on AmazonUp north a basket is for wading deep. Here you fish standing on dry sand — the problem is drifting algae, grass and sargassum grabbing your loose coils while the lateral sweep carries stripped line down the beach, plus shell and rock catching everything. Regulars are blunt that without one you lose the ability to cast effectively. Pick a design that drains fast.
See on AmazonThe Schminnow is the sight-fishing fly; you also want something to search with. Solid white and chartreuse-over-white Clousers in #2 to #4 are staples, with tan-and-white the local pick when the water goes off. The genuinely local addition is black and orange — regulars credit Pete Squibb's Squibbster with the large majority of their beach fish, and it is the go-to whenever visibility drops. That one is a locally tied pattern; buy it on-island.
See on AmazonBeach snook here is a sight-fishing game — you walk the sand, spot fish cruising the first trough and cast ahead of them, which is impossible through surface glare. Copper and amber bases give the contrast that separates a snook's shadow from bottom in two feet of clear water. If it is mirrored, take green rather than blue; blue is tuned for open water offshore. They double as your shelling lens.
See on AmazonSnook is closed here for a long stretch of the summer as well as mid-winter, so much of the beach season is catch-and-release whether you like it or not. Rubber mesh does not strip slime or trap hooks the way knotted nylon does. The dehooker really earns its place on hardhead catfish, the most common thing you will unhook off these beaches, whose venomous barbs put people in the ER every season. Skip lip grippers — held vertically they separate a snook's jaw.
See on AmazonWith snook released most of the year you want the hook out while the fish stays in the water, and a snook's jaw is abrasive enough that reaching in by hand is a bad idea on anything sizeable. The same tool keeps your fingers clear of catfish barbs. Get stainless with a cutter, because braided line will not part with ordinary clippers and cheap steel will not survive a salt season.
See on AmazonThree separate hazards, all local. Sanibel deliberately does not rake shell off its beaches — city policy rakes algae only — so you are walking on beds of broken shell, not powder. The bayside flats are edged with oyster bars sharp enough to need stitches. And stingrays bury in the same sand all summer, which is why locals shuffle rather than step. Flip-flops trap shell against your foot and are worse than barefoot.
See on AmazonYou have to check every find rather than dump a bucket and sort later, because live shells are protected and a bucket of unexamined slurry is how people break the rule by accident. A mesh bag drains sand and water as you walk and lets you rinse and re-check the whole haul in the surf. The bucket everyone starts with turns into a heavy, abrasive slurry that chips the delicate finds by hour two.
See on AmazonThe Sanibel Stoop is a real posture and it wrecks your lower back over a morning; a long handle lets you work the swash line upright and catch shells rolling in the wash before the next wave takes them back. Buy the long version — people who buy the short one end up using it as a cane. Use it to lift and sift surface material, not to excavate: the City asks shellers to work the surface, and digging the bottom scoops up living animals.
See on AmazonThe shells this island is famous for at the small end — wentletraps, paper figs, juvenile cones, whole sand dollars — are exactly the ones that shatter when a bag of whelks lands on them. Regulars carry a small hard container with a screw lid, pack it with tissue so nothing rattles, and move their best finds out of the mesh bag as they go. It doubles as the flight-home container.
See on AmazonThis one is about staying legal, not comfort. Live shells are protected, and so are sand dollars, sea stars and urchins — which catches people out, because most visitors do not know echinoderms are covered. Knowing a fuzzy brown sand dollar from a bleached white one is the whole game. A generic seashell book is close to useless here; you want Gulf coast or Sanibel-specific, and the Shell Museum sells regional guides on-island.
See on AmazonThe best low tides often fall before sunrise, and from May through October the beach is a sea turtle nesting ground — the City names flashlights, phone lights and flash photography as disorientation sources. A red or amber headlamp is the accepted answer and keeps both hands free for the bag and scoop. Look for a true long-wavelength red mode; SCCF warns that not every light sold as red actually is.
See on AmazonNo-see-ums peak at dawn and dusk in still air, which is exactly the hour the low-tide shelling and the beach snook bite are best, and they go for ankles and feet. SCCF documented that Ian turned freshwater areas brackish and expanded their breeding habitat, so conditions are worse than long-time visitors remember. They cannot fly in wind, so the calm mornings that feel ideal are the worst ones.
See on AmazonThe Gulf beaches are wide open with no natural shade, and the afternoon breeze launches unanchored umbrellas regularly. Regulars screw an anchor in, angle it into the wind and tip the canopy toward it. Since turtle-season rules mean you are striking everything by 9pm anyway, an anchor that goes in and comes out fast beats a heavier fixed setup. Check the pole diameter first — they do not fit everything.
See on AmazonThe Sanibel Stoop means three or four hours bent at the waist with your back and neck square to a subtropical sun, and there is no natural shade anywhere on these beaches. Sunscreen washes off every time you wade the swash, which is constant when the shells are in the wet sand. A shirt does not need reapplying with salty, sandy hands.
See on AmazonBeing straight with you: this is not an island-wide recommendation. Bowman's Beach is a quarter-mile from the lot to the shoreline over a footbridge with no concessions, so everything comes with you — and it earns its keep again under the nightly turtle-season teardown. At Lighthouse, Gulfside or Tarpon Bay Road the walk is short enough that a cart is overkill.
See on AmazonCaps and stickers with the fishsancap mark. Printed and shipped by Sticker Mule — order direct, nothing routes through us.
Trouble loading the store? Open it directly on stickermule.com →
What the beach regulars and island guides actually do.
Moving water controls everything. Fish the hour either side of a tide change, and favor the outgoing — it flushes bait out of the mangroves and passes where snook and reds wait to ambush it.
Blind & Redfish Pass rip hard. Go heavier and use a knocker rig (a sliding egg sinker down to the hook) to hold bottom in the seam. Size the weight to the tide, not the depth: half an ounce on slack water, up to three when the pass is ripping.
For pompano and whiting, fish a double-drop rig with a 1–3 oz pyramid sinker (it digs into the sand and won't walk). Bait with sand fleas and/or shrimp, and target the troughs and cuts between sandbars where fish travel and feed.
Snook: live pilchards/pinfish, or jigs, DOA shrimp, spoons. Redfish: live shrimp, cut ladyfish, a big crab for big reds. Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp tight to the pilings. Snapper: small shrimp near structure, better at night.
Late April–July (peak May–June), pods of tarpon cruise the Gulf beaches as dark shadows just past the break. Get ahead of them and drop a live crab, threadfin, or cut mullet in their path. When one jumps, "bow to the King" — drop the rod tip toward the fish so it can't snap you off.
Bridge and dock lights create a shadow line where snook stage. Fish the outgoing tide, cast up-current, and drift bait or lures along the dark edge (the big ones hold on the shadow's dark side). Use a 2–3 ft, 30–40 lb fluorocarbon leader and a 2/0–3/0 circle hook.
Launch at Tarpon Bay into the "Ding" Darling mangroves for reds, snook, trout, and snapper. Approach quietly and cast tight to the roots — snook sit inches off the mangroves to ambush. The outgoing tide pulls bait out of the trees; be there for it.
The "convict fish" has a soft bite and a hard mouth. Keep a fiddler crab or shrimp within inches of the piling on a small 1/0–2/0 circle hook. When you feel a tick or just heaviness, don't swing — reel down and lift smoothly to let the circle hook set.
Grab bait and intel at The Bait Box (Periwinkle) or Jensen's (Captiva). Watch the regulars and copy them. Tie your rod to the rail — fish yank unattended rigs straight in. And look for diving birds: birds mean bait, bait means fish.
Bait: cast-net pilchards and pinfish, or buy them at the shops — both stay lively in the well (keep pinfish separate; they nip other bait). Release: wet your hands, and revive snook or reds by holding the tail and easing them face-first through the water until they kick off strong.
Where to base the trip, and how to keep an eye on the islands between visits.
A private island home at 5802 Sanibel-Captiva Road — near-side to the Captiva passes and the bayside marinas, so you're minutes from the water each morning.
bluepelican.house →Live reports and current catches from around Sanibel, Captiva & Pine Island Sound. The tag feeds always land on the latest posts; the report pages come straight from the island shops.
A curated island guide — where to eat, refuel, and cool off between tides. Sanibel & Captiva are still rebuilding in spots, so call ahead to confirm hours.
Coming in with a cooler? Most island restaurants will cook your catch — clean it and call ahead. MudBugs makes it official with its "You Hook It, We Cook It" plate. For fish you didn't catch, the island markets sell it straight off local boats.
"You Hook It, We Cook It" — bring your cleaned catch and they'll grill, blacken, or fry it with two sides. Cajun island fare, two bars, live music.
Sanibel · Palm Ridge RdRetail fish market since 1980 — fresh local catch to take home; restaurant & Sanibel Grill upstairs.
Sanibel · at the MarinaDockside seafood right where the charter boats tie up — lobster bisque, fried oyster sandwich, water views.
Sanibel & Captiva · farmers marketsFresh, local seafood caught by area crabbers and fishermen — raw and ready-to-eat, at the island farmers markets.
SanibelLocal seafood market — shrimp, stone crab in season, and fresh Gulf fish by the pound.
Kitschy, unforgettable, and famous for its towering cakes. A true island institution.
Sanibel · near the MarinaLaid-back island vibe, fresh seafood, and the famous Yucatan shrimp — named for the Randy Wayne White novels.
Captiva · beachfrontToes-in-the-sand pub with the island's most famous sunset. Get there early and watch the beach cam first.
Captiva · Roosevelt ChannelUpscale waterfront dining over the channel — panoramic bayside views and a serious seafood menu.
Sanibel · Casa Ybel ResortBeachfront fine dining in a restored Victorian — the special-occasion table on Sanibel.
Sanibel · Sundial ResortBreakfast, lunch, and dinner with a Gulf view — an easy all-day option on the beach.
Locally-roasted coffee and a solid breakfast in the heart of the island — the pre-dawn charter fuel stop.
Sanibel · east endLegendary specialty pancakes and big breakfasts — self-styled "world's best breakfast," and a local staple.
Sanibel · Olde Sanibel ShoppesCreative twists on breakfast classics in a quaint spot — an extensive morning menu and good coffee.
SanibelStrong coffee, light breakfast bites, award-winning pizza, and grab-and-go for the boat.
An island rite since 1980 — 36 daily flavors including Sanibel Krunch and Dirty Sand Dollar, animal cracker on top.
SanibelFrozen custard, ice cream sandwiches and cakes from a cute walk-up shack — with the shark cutout for photos.
CaptivaThe Bubble Room's bakery counter — take home a slice of those famous cakes (Orange Crunch, Red Velvet).
No big-box stores — just locally owned shops in open-air plazas. Search or filter by what you're after, then tap through for hours & directions.
The island's famous shell shop — specimen shells, sailors' valentines, coral and sea-life gifts by the thousands.
Map & hours →A sheller's specialty shop — rare specimen shells, corals, and shell-craft supplies.
Map & hours →Shells, nautical gifts, and beachy finds — an easy stop for take-home treasures.
Map & hours →Artist co-op since 1982 in a 1915 cottage — 20+ local artists in glass, metal, wood, watercolor & oils, much of it wildlife.
Map & hours →A vibrant local co-op — paintings, pottery, photography, sculpture, and handmade jewelry, with the artists often on hand.
Map & hours →Contemporary fine art from renowned Southeastern artists — a new exhibit each month through the winter season.
Map & hours →Inside the refuge — birding & nature books, Vortex binoculars, and wildlife gifts. Proceeds fund conservation.
Map & hours →The Sea School's shop — Florida-made paddleboards, rash guards, Turkish towels and ocean gear; proceeds protect the ocean.
Map & hours →Elevated eco-home goods, jewelry, beach attire and logo wear — inside Home by Rachel Pierce (yes, of sanibeltides.com).
Map & hours →24 boutiques on a covered boardwalk across seven shady acres — clothing, jewelry, gifts, and cafés (and Pinocchio's).
Map & hours →16 specialty shops and boutiques among the palms — gifts, resort wear, and jewelry.
Map & hours →A bit of everything — gift shops, an art gallery, clothing and jewelry, plus a restaurant and salon.
Map & hours →Historic-district shops and cafés near the lighthouse end of the island — including Over Easy Café.
Map & hours →Locally owned and always changing — hours shift by season and some shops are still returning post-Ian. Tap through to confirm before you go.
All times on this site are island (Eastern) time — no matter what your phone thinks.
Sanibel runs east-to-west instead of north-to-south, so it meets the Gulf at an unusual angle, and the tide here is a mix of two daily cycles that drift in and out of step through the month — some days two clear lows, some days one long one. A generic Gulf chart often disagrees with the water in front of you, which is why we derive a tide for each spot instead of borrowing one station for the whole island. For fishing, it also means how hard the water moves (and how hard fish feed) changes day to day.
Heights are measured from mean lower low water (MLLW); a minus tide is a low that drops below that line. As the water pulls back that far, it drains the flats and funnels bait — and the snook, reds, and trout chasing it — off the shallows and into the passes, channels, and deeper edges. Intercept them at those choke points on the falling tide, then work the flats again as the incoming floods bait back in.
Moving water beats slack, and low light beats midday. Fish the hour or two around each tide change, plus dawn and dusk. The Best Windows section reads the day and lays those out for you. Tides — and the bite — run strongest around the full and new moons.
It depends on the tide, the wind, and what you're after. The passes (Blind, Redfish) shine for snook and tarpon on strong flow; the flats and sound hold reds and trout on the higher stages; the Blind Pass jetty and bridge pilings are your sheepshead and snapper structure. Pick your spot at the top of the page and the tide, windows, and chart adjust to it.
A lot. A steady onshore wind stacks water and bait against the islands (often good, but it muddies things up), a falling barometer ahead of a front frequently fires the bite up, and the bluebird days right after a front can slow it down. When the live gauge disagrees with the prediction, we flag it up top so you know the water's running high or low.
Yes. At Blind Pass and Redfish Pass the tide moves through a narrow cut very fast, and the current can be dangerous for swimming or wading even when the beach looks calm. Fish from the sand or the structure, mind your footing, and don't wade the cut on a hard-running tide.
Most saltwater fishing requires a Florida saltwater license (some public piers are exempt); Florida residents can get a free shoreline license. Sanibel and Captiva sit in FWC's Charlotte Harbor management zone, and that matters — snook, redfish and trout rules are set by zone, and the neighbouring zones don't match. Snook here closes for a long stretch of the summer as well as mid-winter, so much of the beach season is catch-and-release whether you like it or not. Redfish is open with a slot. Slots, bag limits and dates all change, so check the current FWC regulations for the Charlotte Harbor zone before you keep anything. Targeting sharks from shore needs a separate free FWC permit, even if you're otherwise licence-exempt.
They're NOAA-derived predictions, not live measurements — computed from a reference station and the published offsets for each spot. They're reliable for planning a trip but are estimates, not for navigation. Wind and pressure move the real water, which is what the live-gauge note accounts for. See How We Get the Tides for the full method.
The same public data NOAA uses — matched to your spot, and honest about the limits. All times are Sanibel (Eastern) time.
Times and heights come from NOAA's harmonic tide predictions, referenced to MLLW — the mean lower-low-water line NOAA charts use. A minus tide drops below it.
There's no gauge on every pass or beach. We take a NOAA reference station and apply the published time and height offsets for Point Ybel, Redfish Pass, and Pine Island Sound — so the point, the pass, and the bay each get their own tide instead of borrowing one number.
Predictions are astronomy only. A stiff onshore wind or a passing front can push the real water a foot off the chart. When the live NOAA Fort Myers gauge disagrees with the prediction, we flag it up top — as a distant-gauge trend, not a beach-exact height.
Data: NOAA Tides & Currents; current wind, sky & barometric-pressure trend from Open-Meteo. Per-beach method inspired by sanibeltides.com by Rachel Pierce. Weather is a forecast and tides are estimates to help you time a trip — not for navigation.
