Ft Myers area beaches? (Fort Myers, Naples: hotels, vacation, work)

[kdzgon]

I was in Naples in May - went to a beach, and it was beautiful with tranquil turquoise water. Was just at a Ft Myers Beach this weekend, and the water was more a murky brown. Are there nice beaches near Ft Myers with blue/turquoise waters or must one travel further south (and/or north?) to find this type of beach & water?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by kdzgon

I was in Naples in May - went to a beach, and it was beautiful with tranquil turquoise water. Was just at a Ft Myers Beach this weekend, and the water was more a murky brown. Are there nice beaches near Ft Myers with blue/turquoise waters or must one travel further south (and/or north?) to find this type of beach & water?

Just go further south. Fort Myers Beach water looks like sewage. I really don't understand why.

[ddlove01]

Has this been something that has gradually gotten worse over the years?

The last time I went almost 15 years ago the water was as blue as Naples? We had a great time. I've always LOVED the Naples area...for vacationing. Not sure how it is to live there, though

[to570717]

Ft myers beach catches the water from the caloosahatchee river. The river contains a lot of sediment from the Okeechobee. There is also a few barrier islands near the beach. What happens is the water cathes all the leaves and tree branches ect from storms and decomposes them. They are filled with different nutrients that feed algea and other things that make the water less clear.

Currently they are working on cleaning Okochobee's basin. That will hopefully clear the water a bit. Thus clearing the water in the river, thgus clearing the water near ft myers beach.

It is unfortunate but the water is still beautiful.

[florida1]

Yes, the Ft. Myers area does have clear water. Sanibel and Captiva have very clear water. Bonita Beach is ok too.

[florida1]

I should also add why the Ft. Myers area suffers from bad water quality. Basically, all waste water from central Florida flows south into lake Okeechobee bringing with it many agricultural products (pesticides, fertilizer, etc.) When Lake O gets too full, the Army Corp of Engineers releases large amounts of lake water down the Caloosahatchee River to flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Not only do they release water filled with agricultural chemicals, they release the water from the bottom of the lake which in turn makes the water very murky. The fertilizer run-off is rich in nitrogen which fuels algae blooms (this is why Lee County is having such a big problem with algae blooms) and the sediment from the bottom of the lake makes the water murky. The C-43 reservoir will hopefully fix this problem when it is complete because all water from Lake O will flow into this reservoir, be filtered, and then be released down the river as clean water.

[kdzgon]

Thank you for the responses. So, if the river affects the beaches, how far south would one need to travel to not experience the effects of the river?

I have to say, having spent many years on NJ beaches (and having traveled to many other beaches as well - Va, Md, NC, Ca, Bahamas, Caribbean, Hawaii, etc), it was pretty strange to feel such warm waters as in Ft Myers last weekend. I know the Gulf is warmer than the east coast, but about how many months is it so warm (it was 90 degrees when we were there)?

[florida1]

Originally Posted by kdzgon

Thank you for the responses. So, if the river affects the beaches, how far south would one need to travel to not experience the effects of the river?

I have to say, having spent many years on NJ beaches (and having traveled to many other beaches as well - Va, Md, NC, Ca, Bahamas, Caribbean, Hawaii, etc), it was pretty strange to feel such warm waters as in Ft Myers last weekend. I know the Gulf is warmer than the east coast, but about how many months is it so warm (it was 90 degrees when we were there)?

Don't got North or SOuth. Go West to Sanibel and Captiva Islands.

[stacylee926]

Wow - this thread is perfect timing for me! Today I have spent time looking at hotels in Ft Myers for vacation at the end of August. I DEFINITELY do not want to go there if the water is not tuquoise blue.....

So everyone is saying that this is a bad choice? The pictures are not accurate? I went to Sanibel about 6 years ago and even though I want to relax on this vacation, Sanibel seems a little too laid back for me.

I am really bummed about this, but glad I found out now.

[florida1]

The further south you go on Ft. Myers Beach, the nicer the water gets. But the further South you go, the further away from the action you are. Reall, I thought the water looked better on my recent trip than it normally does. There are a lot of outside factors that can affect water quality. For example, rain makes the water brown because it washes things from the shore into the water. If you want to see a live view of the beach, go to nbc-2.com and you can find live webcams for both Captiva and Ft. Myers beach.