Sanibel and Captiva Islands – By Land or By Sea?

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving yesterday! 🙂

Sailing - Captiva Island FL

Well if you choose “By Sea” to see our gorgeous islands from a different perspective, then you have plenty of different types of water adventures to choose from!

There is absolutely no excuse to not enjoy Sanibel and Captiva from the water.

Whether you’re looking for a romantic interlude with champagne, a casual “stroll” as you cruise through the waters, or even if you are an all-out adrenaline junkie, we have it all available for you.

Sanibel and Captiva Islands offer many popular excursions “by sea” that entail either:

• Sailing
• Cruising, or
• Speedboating

Which one will you choose?

Which one suits you best?

To make your decision, you can head over to the websites below and find ALL the details for your next one-of-a-kind Sanibel/Captiva experience:

• Sailing:  New Moon Sailing
• Cruising:  Captiva Cruises
• Speedboating:  Sanibel Thriller

Ok then, we hope you enjoy the ride (literally)!

We’ll talk with you next week,

Sandy and Rob

p.s.  SanCap One Source Realty – Don’t forget to tell your friends about us!

Dancing For a Great Cause on Sanibel Island!

Forget about all the famous people on TV dancing their hearts out every week and take a look right here in our very own backyard on Sanibel Island!

Yes, the Sanibel Community House is sponsoring a “Dancing with the Islands’ Stars” event on January 23, 2010 to raise funds for the 81-year-old non-profit organization that has given (and continues to give) so much to the Sanibel Community.

You can read all about it over at their website:  Sanibel Community House

Plus, you will also see this highly entertaining video on their site!!  Loved it!  🙂

That’s it for this week!

Have a great weekend,

Sandy and Rob

p.s.  Don’t forget us over at SanCapOne Source Realty

Restoring the Red Mangrove Population on Sanibel Island

There are so many distinctive features on Sanibel Island, but few more dramatic than the shrub-bush type trees with long tangled roots growing out of sort of “mucky” brown water.

These beauties are known as Red Mangrove trees and they are prevalant in several coastal areas all over Florida and the world, and are particularly well-known right here in Sanibel and Captiva.

They are known to protect coastlines from erosion, fish and birds from predators and inlands from hurricanes and other tropical storms.

They are so important to the  natural ecosystem here on Sanibel and Captiva.  Since Hurricane Charlie hit in 2004 and wiped out a large portion of the red mangrove population, a concerted efftort has taken place since then to help repopulate the island with pre-hurricane mangrove numbers.

Sabrina Lartz, a research assistant at the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, is spearheading the effort which has included more than 250 students from the area volunteering to help with the restoration project.

You can read all about it right here and contact the SCCF as well for more details.

That’s it for this week!

Have a great weekend,

Sandy and Rob

p.s.  SanCap One Source Real Estate is on a roll…

What is Red Tide?

It’s fairly predictable that we here on Sanibel and Captiva Islands are sure to get “red tide” warnings at least a couple of times per year and it seems that now is one of those times.

Today’s post I simply wanted to dedicate to learning about “red tide“ (or more appropriately called, “harmful algal bloom”).

Below is a great list of FAQs from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division, that also sees a lot of “red tide” by being located in the Gulf of Mexico just as we are.  The Gulf of Mexico has historically been one of the more concentrated areas for harmful algal blooms in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is red tide?
• What causes red tide?
• How, when and where do red tide blooms start?
• Where is the red tide on the Texas coast right now?
• How can I get the latest information on the current red tide?
• Should I consider postponing a trip to the coast right now?
• Is it safe to eat fish that I catch in or near the red tide?
• Why doesn’t the state post signs on the beach warning the public about red tide?
• Is it safe to eat oysters during a red tide?
• Where can I get more information on red tide?

I also found a video that provides some simple facts:

Bottom line:

You can still swim, you can still eat seafood (apart from open shellfish like oysters, clams, mussels and scallops, which should be avoided during a red tide flare-up) and you can still walk and play on the beach…

Here’s this week’s beach report:  SanibelIsland Beach Report – Nov 3

Red tide is nothing to be afraid of, but it is important to understand a little more about it, if nothing other than to calm your nerves!

Have a great weekend,

Sandy and Rob

p.s.  You won’t believe the deals Rob and I have for you over at our main website:  SanCap One Source Realty