Marinas in Fort Myers, FL

The best overall time to boat Fort Myers’ Caloosahatchee River is late fall through spring, and NOAA’s regional boating survey identified spring as the river’s preferred season. There is no short opening-to-closing window here; plan around daily conditions instead.

NOAA’s Fort Myers water averages are in the upper 60s in winter, climb through the 70s in spring, and reach the mid-to-upper 80s in summer. From late May into early October, Southwest Florida’s rainy season brings frequent showers and thunderstorms influenced by daily sea breezes. In those months, an early start and a fresh radar check are especially sensible.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (repository.library.noaa.gov)

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)

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)

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rules require boaters to carry life jackets, stay sober, use properly registered vessels, follow personal watercraft limits, and obey posted no wake and manatee zones. Every vessel must carry an accessible U.S. Coast Guard approved wearable life jacket for each person; children under 6 must wear one while underway on vessels under 26 feet. Operating while impaired is illegal; a .08 blood or breath alcohol level creates a presumption of impairment. Most vessels must be registered and carry the certificate aboard. Personal watercraft operators must be at least 14, wear a noninflatable PFD, and not operate from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise.

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

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)

Alongside the marinas on this page, Fort Myers has 18 boat rentals, 4 boat clubs and 21 boat dealers.