SANIBEL & CAPTIVA ISLANDS | 8 MONTHS AFTER HURRICANE IAN
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- Опубликовано: 20 май 2024
- Join us as we take you on a full Florida island driving tour of Sanibel and Captiva Islands, 8 months after Hurricane Ian. We start our tour of Sanibel Island and Captiva Island Florida at the far east end of Sanibel Island and drive all the way to the northmost public beach access on Captiva Island. Along the way we stop at 6 different public beaches that are now open on the island.
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#sanibel #captiva #explorcation #hurricaneian
Timeline:
00:00 - #1 Periwinke Way Sanibel
05:00 - #2 Tarpon Bay Rd Sanibel
06:05 - #3 Gulf Drive Sanibel
07:57 - #4 Rabbit Rd Sanibel
08:44 - #5 Sanibel Captiva Rd Sanibel
11:20 - #6 Bowman's Beach Rd Sanibel
12:09 - #7 Beach #1 (Bowman's Beach)
15:04 - #8 Beach #2 (Blind Pass Beach)
16:26 - #9 Beach #3 (Turner Beach)
17:46 - #10 Captiva Drive (Captiva)
21:54 - #11 Beach #4 (Andy Rosse Lane Beach)
23:21 - #12 Beach #5 (Allison Hagerup Beach)
24:25 - #13 Beach #6 (Tarpon Bay Beach)
Stock Video Footage in this Episode via Canva Pro
Music in this Episode:
Amaroo / #LetMeBeYourParachute (Instrumental Version) / courtesy of Epidemic Sound
Arc De Soleil / Totem Transport / courtesy of Epidemic Sound
Plain Strolls / After Beach Jam / courtesy of Epidemic Sound
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Explorcation consists of Jamie and Skylar, a couple who typically shares their travels and adventures via blogs and travel videos.
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Explorcation can be contacted at explorcationblog@gmail.com
What do you think about the conditions of the beaches?
Thanks so much for touring the islands with us. This isn't the video we were planning to make when we visited Sanibel and Captiva, but we thought it would be helpful to those curious about the conditions of the islands (and the beaches).
Have you visited Sanibel or Captiva before? (Or have an upcoming trip planned?) Let us know in the comments!
We will be back next week to share our 2 days staying on Fort Myers Beach. We didn't really know what to expect, but we can't wait to share the experience with you all!
The beaches are fine. It’s the homes and landscaping that took the beating, but I am here and enjoying every moment of my stay I found a nice place
@@user-rm4lc4bf3w we also thought the beaches looked great when we visited, so glad you've ben able to enjoy your stay!
2023 would have marked our 19th vacation visit on Sanibel. The island almost felt like our second home. We typically rent a condo off Middle Gulf, just off the beach for several weeks annually. We have eaten in most of the restaurants multiple times, taken cruises, kayaked, explored Ding Darling many times, brought home hundreds of shells, biked, shopped, visited the historic village several times, golfed many times and just enjoyed the beaches and the beauty of the islands. Seeing the island now is very painful. We hope to return in 2024.
Thank you so much for sharing, Rich. We can only imagine how painful it is to see Sanibel in its current state when you have spent so much time and made so many memories there. We're happy to hear that you plan on returning in 2024, and we hope it's made a strong recovery by then.
Our family vacationed on Sanibel when I was growing up in the 1950s. At that time the islands were reached by ferry and were mostly undeveloped. I have been back many times in recent years but am discouraged by the traffic, congestion, and parking fees.
Wow I couldn't even imagine what Sanibel would have been like back in the 50's... what a great experience to be able to look back on. I'm sure it's night and day different now. We are often discouraged by the traffic and parking fees on the islands as well, and are always trying to find ways to avoid the crowds.
Wow Ferry only!
It’s very special out here!
One gravel road too.
My aunt took my cousins and I to Sanibel in July before Ian. We stayed in the beach cottages on Gulf Drive, which aren't there anymore. The whole resort was so cute and it makes me so sad to know that all the colorful cottages are gone.
Thanks for sharing, Veronica. The destruction that Ian caused is so sad, but it's encouraging to see them building back.
Yeah, I was on Sanibel in July 2022 as well. My parents were in Cape Coral for the tropical storm. Basically they took the eyewall right on. I was back up in Minneapolis at that point so I was super worried
@@leviathantoobz that would have been so scary, we hope they were ok through the storm
@@Explorcation yeah they were ok. Were down here now but my mom was scared for a while after. I warned them lol.
@@leviathantoobz very glad they were ok, the possibility of hurricanes is definitely part of living in Florida. We hope you enjoyed your time in the area.
Thank You we loved the tour & we really miss the Ft Myers beach and Sanibel
Glad you enjoyed the videos, Karen!
Thanks....wonderful and informative video....
Thanks, Greg!
I agree with your description of devastation on Ft Myers Beach. I didn’t get to Sanibel last month and spent time at Ft Myers Beach instead. Very important to support the businesses that are open and help the local economy. Wish I’d made it to Sanibel.
Exactly, Deb. They need the tourists now more than ever, and we were so happy to give them a little business. We actually had a really great time too! The islands in that area are all in rough shape, but they all have beaches that are absolutely beautiful and businesses that are so grateful for the support. If you do get a chance to visit Sanibel, we're sure you'll enjoy yourself.
Thank you for showing how the island is looking.
Can’t believe the one parking lot was $25! 😬 since there weren’t any facilities. But the water was beautiful! Love the Gulf of Florida. Praying they come back stronger from the hurricane.
Yeah, we thought for sure it was just a weekend thing, but upon further research, it's that expensive all the time. It really is pretty nuts! The water definitely was beautiful, but when we return to that beach, it will be on bikes!
Yes, been to Sanibel and Captiva in 1985 and in 1986. Then returned in February 2023; the devastation was heartbreaking! We moved to Holiday Florida from Minnesota two years ago to be close to Tarpon Springs, my wife is Greek. Love your channel
Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to share your experience, Joe. Congrats on your move to Tarpon Springs. We love that area... especially the food! The sponges we bough there over a year ago are finally starting to fall apart, so I think we're about due for a return trip!
We were there to eat at Doc Fords in February. It breaks my heart to see the damage..I am sick and this was one of my fav places in the planet…I know they will rebuild…I have no doubt. Not sure it will be in my lifetime,but I know my kids will be able to enjoy it again.
The damage really is heartbreaking, but there is no doubt that they will recover. We really hope that you can a chance to make it back and that it's every bit as beautiful as it used to be when you do!
My husband and I have been to Sanibel 3 or 4 times prior to the hurricane and it was heart breaking to see the destruction that the hurricane brought. Thank you for this video! It is so good
to hear that the Island is coming back to life. We are hoping to come down from MN sometime in the coming months.
Thank you so much for the incredibly kind comment, Kim. While it does have a long ways to go, it is definitely coming back! We hope you are able to visit soon!
Just found your channel while looking for updates on Sanibel and Captiva........ we really appreciate your honest assessment of conditions there. My wife and I have been going there for 20 plus years, and it's so encouraging to see the progress! I know it will be different, but we can't wait to go back next winter and support the local businesses that make that place so special. Planning on staying at Captiva island inn when she opens back up. If you are able to return there for updates, I know we'll be watching! Thanks again, we really enjoy the effort the two of you put into your videos! Good bless you both!
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, Patrick. We're so happy that you discovered our channel. We hope to get back and do another update video down the road!
Lived my whole life in Florida and spent several vacations on or near Sanibel and Captiva. I haven't been that way in probably close to 20 years but was very sad to see the destruction after Ian. Love your vids by the way, I've spent my entire adult life wanting to move out of the state but your videos remind me of all the good times at the beach I had as a kid.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and supporting our channel. We were really impressed with the improvements on these island... the people are surely resilient and are working hard to get it back to pre-Ian condition. The islands will never lose there beauty no matter how many storms hit it, but I have a feeling that a couple years down the road they will be more beautiful than ever.
Thank you so much for this and your video on Ft. Meyers. We are going down next month (August) and are happy to support the community. Your suggestions for food and bars were so helpful. Happy to visit them and do our part to get them back to where they were :)
We're really glad to hear that you've found our videos to be helpful, and we hope they do help you to make the most of your trip to the Fort Myers area! Thank you so much for helping them get back on their feet!
We visited Sanibel & Captiva Islands in October of 2019 on our honeymoon, It was during a red tide event. The island was amazing and we had a wonderful time there exploring and spending time on the beach.
We're happy to hear you were able to enjoy your time on the islands despite the red tide, Bob. Thanks so much for sharing and for watching our video!
I stayed on the island for a few months (work). I'm glad to see it's recovering slowly.
You and us both! Thanks so much for watching!
Good to see that Sanibel is mostly back. Heading back there later of the year.
We're glad we good share it with you, Thomas. We're sure it will look even better by the time you get back there later this year. We hope it's a great trip!
Have been to Sanibel several times as my sister has a home there. Was last there August 2022, about 3 weeks before Ian hit. Really glad to see your video to see how things are recovering, especially the fantastic beaches. Thank you!
Our pleasure, Andy. We hope that Sanibel recovers quickly and that you are able to enjoy the island again sometime soon.
Thank you for the update. My son and I love Sanibel Island. We always stay at the Island Inn. We had just returned to Nashville when hurricane Ian hit. I really can’t express the emotion I felt other than devastated. I have cried many tears and prayed for those who lost homes and businesses. Again thank you for showing the beauty of the island. We hope to return next year. ❤
Thank you so much for watching our video and taking the time to comment, Beverly. We're so sorry to hear about the pain that this island's devastation has caused you, and we hope you are able to make it back to visit soon, and find it to be much further along in its recovery when you do.
My husband I were on our honeymoon August 1959. We took a ferry there. My friend has a home there and I got visit her 2021 and 2022. Enjoyed the Islands, had a great time.
Thank you so much for sharing. We couldn't imagine what these islands were like back in 1959. How amazing it would have been to experience them back then!
Thanks for this update. We honeymooned in Sanibel in September 1979 when another was blowing across the island. We returned for our 40th anniversary and stayed at Casa Ybel in 2019. I hope the rebuilding can continue and am anxiously awaiting Casa Ybel's reopening.
Wow what a wonderful place to have a honeymoon. We're sure those are some great memories to look back on. We're going ot head back to these islands fairly soon, and hope to find them in much improved condition.
I recently started watching your videos and subscribed! I have a house in Cape Coral and Sanibel and Captiva are my favorite islands! What Ian took from us is devastating, it will be years before we have our islands totally back 😢
We're so happy you discovered our channel and appreciate you subscribing! Yes, it will be a long time before the islands are totally back, but we hope this video helps encourage a few people to visit the island and support the businesses as the islands continue to recover.
Visited Sanibel/Captiva in October 2021…love it there as beach combing is typically very rewarding. Thank you for this update..hope conditions are even better by now.
Our pleasure. Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment. We hope you are able to visit the islands again soon!
I’m one of your Seattle viewers whose hometown is St. Pete. I love Sanibel and am so happy to see it coming back little by little! As always, thanks for your videos. 😊
It's our pleasure, Kristy. We hope the video provides some comfort to those who haven't had a chance to visit since prior to Ian. It does still have a long road ahead, but it's definitely well on it's way back! We really appreciate you watching our videos and taking the time to comment. Have a great weekend!
So sad to see it still looking ravaged. We have been visiting Florida for nearly 30 years from England. Often twice a year. Captiva beach was my favourite. This year is Clearwater and also Dunedin after watching your earlier video. Thanks.
It's a sad situation indeed, Peter; but also encouraging to see how much progress has already been made. Thanks so much for watching and supporting the channel.
I actually worked on sanibell and captiva for 2 weeks for hurricaine ian providing fuel. It was aweful how it looked when we arrived. Theh were still looking for ppl. Most of it wasnt even accessible, i still have pictures and videos. Im glad to see it starting to look better I would love to go back and vacation.
Thank you for sharing your story. We're sure it was an experience you'll never forget. We'll be heading back for a visit before to long, and we're hopeful that we'll find that a lot of additional progress has been made!
Hi Jamie & Skylar, Thanks for another great video!!! Love your very well organized & edited video style & all of the information, facts & tips that you pack into them!!! I always found it amazing how much you two do in just one day!!! Absolutely incredible & impressive... Wow!!!
Thank you so much for this kind and thoughtful comment. Exploring and showing off our area of Florida is definitely a passion of ours, but it's also a job, and we do often film all day on the weekends and then edit all week. It does get exhausting so it's nice when people recognize the amount of work that goes into it! We're really glad that you are enjoying the channel and really do appreciate your continued support!
One of my favorite islands in Florida, love to bike from the light house to end of Captiva, I will be back in 2024
We hope to do exactly that sometime.... hopefully this upcoming fall/winter! Thanks so much for watching.
Hi Skylar and Jamie, thank you for showing us Sanibel and Captiva Island how it looks like today. I will visit Sanibel Island in November for a day trip and will check out the beaches. I linked some of your Videos in a german Florida Forum and I hope you get some new subscribers because both of you deserve more subscribers to your channel. Can't wait to see the next one from Ft. Myers Beach. Greetings from Berlin, Germany. Ralf
Wow thank you so much for linking our videos, Raif! Provided no bad hurricanes this year, we would expect all beaches to be open in both Sanibel and Captiva by November, as well as several more businesses. But honestly, you could have an incredibly enjoyable vacation even if you were to visit today. We hope you have a wonderful time on Sanibel in November, and thanks again for your support of our channel!
Hello again. We just wanted to let you know that our channel has already received 126 views from florida-interaktiv.de... which I assume is the forum that you linked some of our videos to. Unfortunately we are not able to tell how many of these views turned into subscribers, but anytime we can get an extra 30 views a day, we are happy! Thanks again so much!
My wife and I love your vids,Im 70 on the east coast,Jamie your voice is so easy to listen to.I would think there would be people wanting you to do voice over or advertizing ads
Thank you so much, Bill. You're not the first person who's suggested Jamie pursue voiceover gigs! It's something she's looked into a little bit and will likely pursue at some point in the future (when we find the time)!
Thanks much for sharing this and great job putting it together!
Our pleasure, Anthony. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!
Great show as always! Love your content!
Thanks, Scully!
Thanks for sharing...things take time to recover fully but we are resilient if nothing else.
We're more than happy to share, Gene. And yes, things will take time but but there's not doubt the island will recover.
I loved the video!! My wife and I are planning on going there tomorrow and your videos are so helpful and full of information!! Keep up the good work you guys did a great job!! I’m sure we will definitely enjoy our day at the beach thanks to you guys and all the information that you gave us
We hope you guys are have an amazing time on the islands today and that you're getting some good beach weather! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment!
I have been to both. Usually stay in Sanibel but have stayed at the South Seas Plantation in Captiva. While I stay in Sanibel I do go up to Captiva for resturant's and Beverages. Mucky Duck. Nice place, Bubble Room, nostalgic place. Just so much to do. I stay at the Sanibel Resort. Walk out of the room, and I am on the beach. Very nice! I guess I should say was.
Thanks for sharing, Gary. Staying on Sanibel but heading up to Captiva for food and drinks sounds like a pretty good plan!
Thank you, we loved looking at our favorite places on FT M beach & Sanibel Island.
Our pleasure! Thank you for watching.
Appreciated the drive tour and voice over. Sad about all the devastation.
We're glad you enjoyed it, Rhonda. But yes, very sad situation but they are resilient.
Thanks so much for sharing another wonderful video like always, I hope Sanibel goes back to be an awesome place like it was before 😢
As always, thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! Even in it's current state, Sanibel is still a beautiful place to visit, but we also hope that it will return to it's prior condition soon.
My wife and i visited Sanibel and stayed at the Sundial 8 days before the hurricane hit. So sad, we love it down there
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share. It really is sad, but they are resilient and are building it back. We hope you're able to visit again sometime soon!
Love your videos! Grew up in St Pete many years ago, but moved away. Unfortunately never got to go to Sanibel. If you do a classic St Pete video, try El Caps on 4th. A local hangout. And across the street, Harvey's. The best grouper sandwich I've ever had.
Thanks so much, Mickey. We're really glad you enjoy the channel. I classic St. Pete video is a great idea and one that we'd love to make someday. We'll certainly keep El Cap and Harvey's in mind. We always love a good Grouper Sandwich!
Excellent and informative video !! Thank you!
Our pleasure. Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment!
FL native & naturalist here. It’s devastating to see the vegetation as is. Gone are so many beautiful canopies of shade trees. At least I have my fond memories of Sanibel
We are glad you still have your fond memories. We hope that mother nature spares the area from another major hurricane for the foreseeable future and that you can make many more great memories on the island as it continues to recover.
I was on Sanibel for the first time right after they reopened the bridge to homeowners and contractors, we were doing demos and clean ups , place was like a war zone , looks a lot better now tho
Wow, couldn't imagine what it looked like right after the storm. But everyone we talked to that lives in the area is really proud of how far they've come in such a limited amount of time.
Kay-O-Costa and Lonnie-Kye Lani Kai. Wish the Bubble Room was open when you guys were there the Food is SO GOOD
Thanks for the info! So many new names to learn with each place we visit. We always end up butchering at least a couple of them!
LOVED this vid and loved seeing the different beaches. Interesting how the sand gets darker the further you go
Thank you so much for the kind comment. We always find the difference in the sand on beaches to be so interesting as well. The sand on Captiva and Sanibel was fairly consistent, but definitely a bit of variation. Nothing like in the Sarasota area though where you can go from white sand to grey sand in just a few miles.
@@Explorcation Yea it's something I have noticed too while visiting beaches. The drive was really nice to see and glad that was included
@@balto4 thanks for the feedback, we know this is a different type of episode, but we thought a lot of people would be interested to just see what the islands really look like right now.
@@Explorcation anytime I was wondering how they were doing as well
@@balto4 they are making progress, we heard that the Lighthouse Beach reopened as well as Lover's Key!
I love the video and just since you started out with the lighthouse I believe that beach just reopened either today or yesterday
We're glad you enjoyed the video! And thank you so much for the info on the Lighthouse beach. We'll be excited to check it out next time we make it to Sanibel!
Daughter met a Sanibel resident at her local post office up North. He was sending a package down to his home & she asked how the island was faring. Through a long face and obviously not happy he said it was still a mess, this was after Memorial Day. Since this was a place I stayed at every year dragging my daughter in toe she was curious to find out. We always stayed at Pointe Santo de Sanibel and viewing the exterior it looks dismal not the lush, stunning place it once was. I suppose everything will take time. The lagoon is in poor shape and the club house from photos looks wiped out. Very sad, as I would spend hours on the glass floor reading while gator would be chilling underneath the floor. Memories.
Thanks for sharing. Recovering from that large of a disaster certainly takes time, and the island will never be the same. That said, we did seem some improvement from the prior time we visited, and we're excited to see what it will look like on our next visit.
Thanks for the update, we had planned on going here last February but it was closed to tourists. We did get to Boca Grande, but were shocked by the level of destruction there as well.
Yeah, we heard Boca Grande had their fair share of destruction too, sadly. We'll be heading back to the Sanible Captiva area before long, and we're hoping to see a lot of additional progress!
Thank you for showing us the area! Looks like it is coming back. Hope to visit at some point! Looks like maybe the best way to visit is to stay on the island and ride bikes to the beaches? And Jamie I love your hat!
We're more than happy to share, Patricia. It definitely is coming back, and as long as we don't get any bad hurricanes this year, we expect it to be looking much better in another 8 months! Things grow like crazy here in the summer months, and all that dead vegetation will hopefully be back to green.
If you enjoy biking, then we definitely think staying on the island and biking would be the best way to go! We really hope to do exactly that sometime soon!
I watched a video several months ago covering the same drive and the improvements are phenomenal but with years of recovery still ahead yet. I compare every storm to what I saw first hand working several weeks at ground zero after Andrew. Not many storms compare to what I saw back then. I have yet to see a really good video on the damage at Fort Myers so looking forward to seeing what happened to the beach I spent the most time on when I visited the west coast over the years.
From what I understand the overall loss of Ian was more than Andrew mainly because it was such a huge storm and impacted such a large area. But as far as severity of damage, I believe Andrew was worse (although in a much smaller area). I'm sure it would have been an unforgettable experience to be at ground zero after Andrew.
After spending the prior two days in FMB, Sanibel didn't seem to be in too bad of shape, and Captiva seemed to be in very good shape. It's a little surprising Captiva seemed to be better than Sanibel since they were closer to the eye of the storm, but it seems like they avoided the worst of the storm surge. I'm sorting through all of our Ft Myers currently, and we hope it will provide a good update on the status of the island that I'm sure many are looking for!
Great video guys 👏
Thanks, Ultan!
Very informative video, thank you. This was one of the most beautiful place in FL, I will be back 😁🇺🇸❤
Thanks so much. We're so happy that you plan to return!
I've been there many many times I love it. I'm so sorry it was hit by the storm. I had just left three days before it came in.
Oh wow you just missed it. We hope you are able to get back for a visit soon!
We visited Sanibel and Captiva two years ago..hard to see it like this. We were also at Fort Meyers Beach the Saturday before Memorial Day..again so hard to see it that way. We drove up from Ohio, we have family that live in Fort Meyers inland.
It really is difficult to see but encouraging to see how they are banding together. We are so excited to see how much more progress has been made when we visit in a few months!
We were there on Thursday. Gulfside city park is also open. Same parking rates. We wanted to support some of our favorite businesses that have reopened, and look for shells. 😊
Thanks for sharing Susan. We wish we would have known about Gulfside City Park, but somehow completely overlooked it when planning out our day on the island. It looks beautiful!
Hi @Explorcation . I hope you are well. Catching up with your video now (so busy the last few days at work before our holiday). Thanks for the video. Was good to see how things are down there at the moment.
Our pleasure! We hope you have an awesome time on Holiday, JC!
@@Explorcation still 2 weeks for that to arrive, thanks :). First stop Ming Ming tea and their amazing sushi 🍣
@@JC-po6yj oh yeah! Can't go wrong with Ming Ming. We just ate there a couple weeks ago!
@@Explorcation Lucky you! 😀
@@JC-po6yj 😁
Thank you for your vids! I just wanted to let you know that a lot of the audio was pretty muffled, which is unusual for your vids! Not sure if you were aware of that!🙏
Our pleasure! Thanks for letting us know. We were aware of the decreased audio quality. We filmed this video much differently than most videos and also didn't have as much editing time for this one as we usually do, but our audio quality should definitely be back to normal in our next one!
We were on Sanibel & Ft.Myers beach over Memorial Day weekend as well.
We hope you enjoyed it. It was definitely an opportunity to experience the islands with the least crowds that they'll probably ever have on Memorial Day weekend.
I have been to both Sanibel and Captiva in July 2022
Oh wow you visited right before the hurricane then. We hope you had a good time!
I really appreciated this video guys. We often watch RUclips to check on the conditions of Sanibel/Fort Myers area after the hurricane. We haven't been to Sanibel since 2017. Heartbreaking to see all the devastation but its great to see that bit by bit it's coming back. Were you at all concerned about getting in the water and walking on the beaches? I'd be so scared to step on nails/debris. Thanks again for the great video! ❤
One of the beaches actually did have a sign warning beachgoers about possible debris. We were definitely both a little more careful than normal when walking on the beach, but neither of us stepped on any... although Jamie did step on a crab that pinched her toe! Unfortunately we did not catch that moment on camera 😂It is still sad to see all the devastation, but also encouraging to see it coming back. The upcoming summer/rainy season will without a doubt get everything greened back up again, and by fall we're guessing it will be looking much better (barring any other major hurricanes of course).
@@Explorcation hope Jamie's toe is ok, haha! Looking forward to the next video!
@@ramunegaizutis1286 😆🦀 oh yea, it was likely a very little crab, didn't break the skin or anything. It most just scared her as she didn't see it at all!
We spent our honeymoon on both islands and Ft Myers in 2017 and took our family back in 2021. I was just looking up accommodations around the area to see if maybe we can go back again!
What a great spot to honeymoon! Thanks for sharing. We hope you're able to find a great deal and get back there for a visit soon!
I was on Sanibel last August exactly one month before Ian hit.
Headed back in October to stay on Captiva. Jamie I love your beach coverup! Where did you get it? Thank you for your video it was almost as if I was there. ❤
We've heard from so many people that were on the islands within weeks or even days of Ian hitting. We actually had plans to visit a couple weeks after Ian hit, but obviously those got pushed way back. Thank you so much for watching our video and taking the time to comment. About the cover up... I bought it years ago and can't recall exactly where. I think it may have been online from Sierra Trading Company. The brand is Miken Swim and they do have a bunch of cover-ups on Amazon. They are super inexpensive, but mine has lasted for years and still looks pretty good!
It’s crazy seeing all the destruction left behind after so long but guess it takes a while to fix it all up.
The actual beaches did look beautiful though but $5 an hour seems a lot for parking. Great idea to take turns dropping each other off to get the footage at the busy beaches!
Yeah, it's definitely taking time to rebuild. The size of hurricane Ian was enormous and it caused so much damage to such a large area. There's just so much work that needs to be done and only so many tradespeople in the area to do it. We just hope it's another 100 years (at least) until there's another hurricane like this.
But yes, the beaches area beautiful but the parking is expensive. When we visit next time, we are definitely going to traveling via bike!
Yes, we visited in 2021 and again in 2024 !
Glad to hear it!
The beaches are gorgeous…I can’t go on them because of my illness …but I can tell you no matter how beautiful I would find it very frustrating to think about going when there is basically no parking..they should designate a parking area on the island and shuttle ppl in …
The beaches on those island are absolutely stunning, but we're sure it can be incredibly frustrating to not be able to get out on the due to the lack of parking. We hope that you are able to visit again on a day where you can get out to the beach early before the good parking spots are all taken!
We plan a multigenerational family vacation in early December, 2023 in North Captiva. Do you have a reasonably current status report of the island? Are the two clubresorts, stores, restaurants, beaches back open?
We don't have an update for you as of now, but we do plan to make a return visit (and post an updated video) later next month. We hope you find it helpful!
We were there Sept 18th, tarpon bay beach...was crazy seeing the causeway destruction thinking we were just on it 10 days earlier...
Wow I'm sure it was, Anthony. We're glad you were able to enjoy the beach prior to Ian and didn't have plans to travel there a couple weeks later. It's still amazing how quickly they were able to fix that bridge!
Many hotels on west gulf were taken down, maybe rebuilt, maybe never reopen again.
Including the west wind inn
Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment. We hope that most of the hotels are able to re-open, but I'm sure that some of them will not.
My memories of Sanibel and Captiva Islands was flying over then with my Dad and his business partner in a twin engine plane,before acauseway was planed to sanibel Island as they where looking at buying Captiva Island, but the deal fell through. At that time there was n'nt anything on the island and it was beautiful. I'm not sure of the year it was.
Wow, that is one amazing memory, John. I'm guessing that investment would have turned out to be quite profitable had the deal not fallen through! Thanks for sharing.
Can't believe it's been 8 months since that hurricane... feels more like a couple of months...time flies I guess.
I loved the colour in the water in your last two beaches... looks so inviting ❤❤.
Coming into winter over here and starting to get chilly where I live but explored a couple of North QLD spots where it is still a bit warmer
👍👍
Thanks for sharing guys
We were thinking the same thing... doesn't seem that long ago at all. While you are cooling down we are heating up! It's going to be about 90 degrees and humid every day here for the next 4 months! Luckily, we have a lot of beach time planned. We're just hoping for no major hurricanes this year! Glad that you were able to get up north a bit to enjoy some warmer weather! We'll be doing the opposite and heading north for the cooler weather later this summer!
@@Explorcation safe travels guys 👍👍
@@AquariusTraveller thank you :)
I am here and headed tomorrow to Sanibel. I need a place to stay. Any suggestions? Some are listed on the BRO for like $100 a night and I am just skeptical of what I would be getting but it says they are new condos one bedroom minutes away from the ocean.
So sorry we just saw this message. Unfortunately we've never actually spent the night on the island so we don't have any experience with hotels/airBNBs. We really hope that you found a good place to stay and enjoyed your time on the island.
Hi, thanks for posting this update. We LOVE Sanibel and Captiva. Glad to see the great progress in the aftermath of hurricane IAN. I recall when hurricane Wilma made landfall there. Two weeks before we had stayed at the South Seas Plantation. Our most recent visit was in October 2021, we stayed at the “Sanibel Island Beach Resort” located on Fulgur St where it meets Middle Gulf Dr.
Glad to see Jensen’s on the Gulf made it and that the Mucky Duck is open, best grouper sandwich on the planet 🌏
Next time PLEASE slow down the video a just a bit, at the current speed it was quite uncomfortable watching. Either way, great job 👏 Thank you.
Thank you so much for watching our video and for sharing your story. Next time we go to the Mucky Duck we'll definitely try the grouper sandwich! We don't do a whole lot of primarily driving videos and are still trying to find out the best way to do them. We don't want to bore people, but also don't want to make them uncomfortable by speeding the video up too much. We really do appreciate the feedback, and will definitely take it into consideration next time we do a driving video!
We had plans to sanibel islands this pass October,Did get chance 😢
Sorry to here that, Doug. We had plans to visit around the time that Ian hit as well. It is definitely well along the road to recovery though, and definitely already worth visiting.
I last went in august of 2021.
Thanks for sharing. We hope you are able to make a return visit sometime soon.
My family and I will be in Sanibel in one week! Any suggestions on what we should do?
You guys are so close to your vacation! We've heard a LOT of good things about the Cajun restaurant there, and you can't go wrong with Tarpon Bay Beach. We hope you have a great time on Sanibel!
@@Explorcation If you were talking about Mudbugs it was awesome! Best place we ate while we were there! Tarpon Bay was beautiful and I think between all of the beaches, we found at least one of every common shell we were looking for except an intact angel wing and an empty banded tulip! I was so happy with our treasures! If we visit again we will aim for winter, but other than the heat, Florida was awesome!
@@notmycabbages5315 we are so glad to hear you had a good trip! We hope to be able to try Mudbugs someday too 😊
Guys 31.5K !!!!
Wohoo! Hopefully by this time next year we'll be celebrating 50k or more!
Do veterans park free?
That's a great question that we unfortunately don't know the answer to. Next time we are out on the islands will try to remember to inquire.
This sped up so fast we can not focus on anything.
Even the camera can not focus. Slow down so we can concentrate on the surroundings!
Thank you for the feedback. We'll keep it in mind when we make our next driving video.
You didn't show the sand or water...that's what we want to see.
We actually showed both sand and water at 6 different beaches. If you just want to see the beaches and not the driving, please use the time stamps in the video to skip forward to them. Thanks for watching.
@@Explorcation Yes I saw it finally, not pretty.
@@sylviagaston9453 the island is definitely still recovering.
The recovery is SO SLOW. Hurricane Ian was the Worst Ever. Such a shame. The most beautiful place in SW Florida... Destroyed. Needs to be re-built. Faster. Live in Cape Coral ... which is Sheltered and survived MUCH BETTER. Cape Coral is the place to be for Hurricane Protection. This has be proven over the last major Hurricanes to hit this area.
It really was a terrible hurricane, and we're so glad to here that you fared much better in Cape Coral.
Way too fast! I am sick and feel dizzy. I will wait to find another video that is slow so I can see the condition.
We hope you found another Sanibel and Captiva video to watch that did not make you sick and dizzy, Lynette.
These islands will never be safe to live in again. Only camping and day trips will be safe. Storms will be as strong or stronger.
No one knows that for certain, but sadly does appear to be trending in that direction. Building/living anywhere in coastal Florida is certainly a risk that many are not willing to take.
Too fast
Thank you for the feedback.