Captiva Island is located in Lee County in southwest Florida, just offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The island measures roughly 4 miles long and 1/2 mile wide.
Originally part of neighboring Sanibel Island, it was probably detached when a hurricane's storm surge washed away a new channel, called Blind Pass.
Blind pass hasn't been open since after its last dredging in 1996, so essentially, Captiva and Sanibel Islands are one. Once you cross the bridge at Blind Pass, the road becomes Captiva Drive. If you follow it north, you'll find public beaches, restaurants, shops, and resorts.
Now, like Sanibel, Captiva Island is a barrier island to Pine Island, located to the east of Captiva Island, but its much narrower. The only automobile access to Captiva Island is by the Sanibel Causeway and Sanibel-Captiva (San-Cap) Road.
Here's a great video on Captiva Island.
The Sanibel Causeway is a collection of causeways and three bridges, which link Sanibel Island with the Florida mainland at South Fort Myers.
The causeway to Captiva Island opened in 1963, and is owned by the Lee County Department of Transportation. The entire facility is treated as one toll bridge, with tolls collected only for traffic going west, onto Sanibel Island. The toll to cross is $6 per car and there is no toll to return to the mainland.
The three original bridges are being replaced, with the new bridges opening in 2006-2007. The bridge nearest the mainland is a drawbridge, with replacement by a high-clearance fixed span. The other two bridges are low-clearance fixed spans, and will be rebuilt, but raised a few feet in an attempt to reduce corrosion from salt spray.
North Captiva Island or Upper Captiva was severed from Captiva Island in a 1921 hurricane, which created Redfish Pass. And since the island can be accessed only by boat, North Captiva real estate values are generally lower than on Captiva.
Captiva Island was seriously damaged in August 2004 when Hurricane Charley struck North Captiva. The hurricanes storm surge cut a path 400 yards or 365 meters wide across the narrowest part of North Captiva, making it two separate islands. The new pass has not been officially named, but locals call it,"Charley Pass.”
In Captiva Island the winters are mild and dry. The summer temperatures, on the other hand, are tempered by cooling sea breezes and brief afternoon showers followed by more sunshine and glorious sunsets.
With this kind of weather, just plan for sunshine. Pack hats to shade your face and head, shorts, swimsuits, sunglasses, cover ups, a sundress or two, polo shirts and t-shirts. And, in winter, slacks and a light wrap are more than enough most days.
