Freedom Boat Club – Fort Myers Marine Max

Florida law requires you to be at least 18 to rent a livery vessel other than a human-powered vessel. Florida sets no general minimum age to operate a boat, but a personal watercraft operator must be at least 14.

Under section 327.395, anyone born on or after January 1, 1988, operating a vessel powered by 10 horsepower or more must carry the required boating safety credentials. An exemption applies when accompanied by a credentialed or exempt person age 18 or older who is attendant to the operation and responsible for safe operation and violations. The rental operator sets its own booking minimum subject to state law, so confirm it when booking.

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (myfwc.com)

Florida does not issue a boating license, but operators born on or after January 1, 1988, must carry photo ID and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission boating education card when running a vessel with a motor of 10 horsepower or more. This includes personal watercraft. There is no general minimum age for boats; personal watercraft operators must be at least 14, and no one under 18 may rent any vessel other than a human powered one. Exemptions include Coast Guard licensed masters, private lake or pond operators, operators accompanied aboard by someone 18 or older who holds the card or is exempt and is responsible for the vessel, and nonresidents with proof of a NASBLA-approved out of state course. Any non exempt operator may instead pass an FWC approved temporary certificate exam and carry that certificate with photo ID for 90 days.

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (myfwc.com)

From Fort Myers, you can run the Caloosahatchee River to San Carlos Bay, then continue on the Intracoastal Waterway into Pine Island Sound. Launches include Centennial Park on the river downtown and Punta Rassa at the bay. The Caloosahatchee has a marked dredged channel; San Carlos Bay is shoal filled and carries tidal current. Pine Island Sound carries the protected Intracoastal route through island lined water, although shoals are common. Matlacha Pass is shallow, narrow and crooked, with oyster bars. At Fort Myers Beach, Matanzas Pass offers secure anchorage just inside, but its entrance is prone to shoaling.

Source: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (nauticalcharts.noaa.gov)

Boaters leaving Fort Myers often choose Picnic Island, Cayo Costa State Park, North Captiva Island and Cabbage Key for day trips. Picnic Island in San Carlos Bay is a stop for docking, swimming and fishing; Cayo Costa’s Gulf beach is open to private vessels for swimming and shelling; North Captiva offers a car-free beach retreat with casual restaurants; and Cabbage Key is a Pine Island Sound lunch stop centered on its inn and restaurant. Together, they offer beach time, shelling and dockside dining across the area’s island-hopping waters.

Source: Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (visitfortmyers.com)