Blind Pass Beach

Not my favorite. I went looking for shells but found none. The beach is not very pretty and the parking is limited. $ 3 an hour to park as well. There are more pretty beaches to visit.

Love this beach, it has a very natural feel to it. As for getting to it from the mainland, you have to put your patience hat on; not only is it quite a drive, a $ 6 toll, 3 bridges, but it is a few miles out on a single lane 35 mph road, taking through Sanibel and up to Captiva. In my opinion, you just have to put on your shades, recline your seat a little, drop the windows (I know you think I’m going all gangsta on ya now), throw on some good 80s classics and cruise it. There’s so many idiot drivers, mopeds, and cyclists on there, you can build up some serious road rage by the time you hit the beach. As for the beach, beautiful shells, nice sand, turquiose warm water, and often times plenty of dolphins not that far out. Just make sure you get there in one piece :)

So sorry to see how badly erosion has affected this beach. Much of what was here is gone (Spring 2015). The sandbar has gotten much bigger, but the beach is smaller — only a small sand cliff in places. The tide coming under the bridge results in very strong currents, so walk carefully.
The sandbar is a lot of fun still, just be aware of what the tide is doing and stay close to your small kids in the water.

Parking, showers, fishing, bathrooms. Be carful of the Stingrays. A fisherman caught one while I was there and I was told to stay far away. Tons of shells, but they keep moving around so you need to keep looking. The big ones are about calf deep. You need to catch them in the waves. Very shallow. Not good for swimming. My favorite beach on the trip. You can walk to Bowman’s beach from here.

Silly me, I chased low tide and ended up here at 4am in pitch darkness.
Cons:
— Entering the beach alongside the Blind Pass Bridge underpass was absolutely terrifying. But I hail from NYC, where every other dark nook hides a hobo or an assailant.
— Headlamp was a necessity to see anything, even with a full moon. Net is also necessary to reach shells that are down small inclines.
— I couldn’t get a good feel for the beach landscape or how deep the water ran at night, so I played it safe and only ventured a couple feet from the water line.
— Shells were not as gigantic as I had fantasized (that’s what she said), even when I had my pick of the litter.
— Almost stepped on a grounded sea urchin.
— I am really, really tired at the end of this day.
Pros:
— Night shelling at low tide actually gave me access to better shells relative to what I found after sunrise in the same area. Much of the shelly sandbar disappears into the water after sunrise.
— Got to watch shooting stars in the gorgeous night sky!
— Only one other flashlight appeared on the beach.
During the daytime once the first people have eyeballed the best shells deposited on the beach, it makes sense to bring a small shovel to unearth what gems might be hiding just underneath.