the beach today
Gulf Coast Guide

Boca Grande
Gasparilla Island

Tarpon Capital

The Tarpon Fishing Capital of the World — a private-feeling barrier island with carriage rides, no chain restaurants, the Gasparilla Inn and one of Florida's most legendary sport fishing passes.

Today on the Sand

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Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Beach Conditions

Surf, flags & Gulf water temp

Parking Finder

Park Ave lots & Lighthouse Beach

Sunset

Lighthouse Beach · carriage rides

Dining

Temptation, PJ's Seagrille & Pink Elephant

Things to Do

Tarpon fishing & Cayo Costa trips

Events

What's on this week

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Lighthouse Beach

The south tip — lighthouse, sunset views and shelling

State park · fee

Beach Renourishment

Mid-island Gulf beach below Park Ave shops

Walk from Park Ave

Gasparilla Island SP

State park with the historic lighthouse and Gulf access

Lee Co. state park

North Boca Grande

Residential north end, quieter Gulf frontage

Walk-in only

Charlotte Harbor side

The calmer harbor-side beach, no surf

Harbor waterfront

Cayo Costa (nearby)

Primitive barrier island by ferry — pristine Gulf sand

Ferry from Pineland

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Cayo Costa Island

Ferry from Pineland

Primitive state park island — best undeveloped beach in Southwest Florida

Manasota Key

20 min north

Old Florida barrier island — Englewood Beach and Stump Pass State Park

Captiva Island

45 min south

Mucky Duck, Turner Beach sunset and McCarthy's Marina trips

Charlotte Harbor

On site

One of Florida's great estuaries — tarpon, snook and manatees

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Boca Grande. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Right now at Boca Grande, the water is 90°F, surf is running 0–1 ft and the air is 84°F but feels like 95°F. Wind is 6 mph from the NW and the UV index peaks at 7 (high) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 26 minutes right now, and the strongest stretch runs 12 PM to 4 PM. Today’s tides: High 5:46 AM, Low 1:11 PM, High 7:02 PM. Dogs are not allowed on this beach.