Bowman's Beach · painted for this minute from Sanibel Island’s own horizon and tonight’s cloud forecast
The sun is touching the horizon · clear at 23%
The sun goes down at
6:50 PM
T-00:05:00It drops behind land 2.8 km away to the west-south-west, 1 min before the official sunset time of 6:51 PM. Look west-south-west, to the left of Bowman's Beach. Golden hour starts at 6:18 PM.
Sunset Score · Mostly clear (24% cloud): a good, dependable glow.
Prefer the real thing? Watch the live Island Cam cam →
Know Before You Go
Beach access
$5/hr lot
sand and sunsets are free
Best shells
low tide
the hour before and after, Blind Pass or Bowman's
Best spot
Bowman's
wild, west-facing, no crowds
Live cam
Island cam
sun sets straight over the Gulf
see you at sunset
Tonight’s times, the week ahead and the year by month are below. Gulf Sunset runs nightly, weather permitting, from about two hours before sunset.
Tonight, Wednesday, October 28, the sun sets at 6:51 PM at Sanibel Island. From the sand it drops behind land 1.7 miles away 1 min earlier, at 6:50 PM. Golden hour starts at 6:18 PM, and the sky stays light until about 7:13 PM. Tonight's Sunset Score is 7 out of 10. Mostly clear (24% cloud): a good, dependable glow.
Sunrise today was at 7:36 AM, which gives Sanibel Island 11 hr 14 min of daylight. It is fully dark by about 7:40 PM.
The next seven evenings at Sanibel Island: when the sun goes down, when golden hour starts and when the last light fades, plus the Sunset Score from each night's cloud forecast.
| Day | Sunset | Golden hour | Last light | Cloud | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonight | 6:50 PM | from 6:18 PM | 7:13 PM | 24% | 7/10 |
| Thu Oct 29 | 6:49 PM | from 6:17 PM | 7:13 PM | 13% | 7/10 |
| Fri Oct 30 | 6:48 PM | from 6:16 PM | 7:12 PM | 93% | 3/10 |
| Sat Oct 31 | 6:47 PM | from 6:15 PM | 7:11 PM | 27% | 7/10 |
| Sun Nov 1 | 5:47 PM | from 5:15 PM | 6:10 PM | 91% | 3/10 |
| Mon Nov 2 | 5:46 PM | from 5:14 PM | 6:10 PM | 0% | 5/10 |
| Tue Nov 3 | 5:45 PM | from 5:13 PM | 6:09 PM | 55% | 9/10 |
On nights the sun drops behind land, the table shows the time it disappears from the beach, which is earlier than the official sunset.
Tonight the sun goes down in the west-south-west (256° on a compass), to the left of Bowman's Beach as you face the water. The favorite place to watch is Bowman's Beach.
Tonight’s timeline for Gulf Sunset is at the top of this page.
Can’t make it to the beach? Watch the live Island Cam cam at sunset.
The spot where the sun sets moves along the horizon through the year. Around June 21 it goes down furthest north, in the west-north-west (297°); around December 21 it goes down furthest south, in the west-south-west (244°). In June it sets over open water. In December it sets over open water.
Golden hour tonight runs from 6:18 PM to sunset at 6:51 PM. The sun is low, the light is warm and soft, and shadows are long. It is the best time for photos of people on the beach.
Blue hour follows, from about 7:04 PM to 7:22 PM, when the sun is below the horizon and the sky turns deep blue. The first lights come on along the shore and the water holds the last of the color.
Sunrise, sunset and daylight on the 15th of each month. Over the next year the earliest sunset is 5:37 PM (Mon Nov 30) and the latest is 8:27 PM (Thu Jul 1). Times are local and include daylight saving time where it applies.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 7:29 AM | 7:02 PM | 11 hr 33 min |
| November 2026 | 6:49 AM | 5:40 PM | 10 hr 51 min |
| December 2026 | 7:10 AM | 5:40 PM | 10 hr 29 min |
| January 2027 | 7:19 AM | 5:58 PM | 10 hr 39 min |
| February 2027 | 7:06 AM | 6:22 PM | 11 hr 16 min |
| March 2027 | 7:39 AM | 7:38 PM | 11 hr 59 min |
| April 2027 | 7:06 AM | 7:53 PM | 12 hr 47 min |
| May 2027 | 6:43 AM | 8:09 PM | 13 hr 26 min |
| June 2027 | 6:37 AM | 8:24 PM | 13 hr 47 min |
| July 2027 | 6:46 AM | 8:25 PM | 13 hr 39 min |
| August 2027 | 7:02 AM | 8:07 PM | 13 hr 5 min |
| September 2027 | 7:15 AM | 7:35 PM | 12 hr 20 min |
The official sunset time is when the top of the sun sinks below a flat sea horizon. We also check Sanibel Island’s real horizon: the hills, headlands and islands you can see from the sand. When land is in the way, the sun disappears before the official time, and we show you that earlier time. The Sunset Score rates how colorful the sky should be from the cloud forecast at sunset. Buildings are not included, so a tall hotel beside you can still hide the last minute.
The sun sets at 6:51 PM at Sanibel Island today (Wednesday, October 28). From the beach it drops behind land 1 min earlier, at 6:50 PM.
The sun rose at 7:36 AM at Sanibel Island today.
11 hr 14 min of daylight, from 7:36 AM to 6:51 PM.
Golden hour at Sanibel Island runs from 6:18 PM to sunset at 6:51 PM, when the sun is low and the light turns warm and soft. Blue hour follows, from 7:04 PM to 7:22 PM.
The sky stays light enough to see without a flashlight until about 7:13 PM, the end of civil twilight. It is fully dark by about 7:40 PM.
Tonight's Sunset Score is 7 out of 10, from the cloud forecast at sunset. Mostly clear (24% cloud): a good, dependable glow.
Tonight the sun sets in the west-south-west, at 256° on a compass. Through the year it moves between the west-north-west in June and the west-south-west in December.
Not tonight. The sun drops behind land 1.7 miles away, to the west-south-west.
Over the next year the earliest sunset at Sanibel Island is 5:37 PM on Monday, November 30, and the latest is 8:27 PM on Thursday, July 1.
Bowman's Beach is the favorite spot at Sanibel Island. Get there 30 to 45 minutes before sunset for a good place, and stay 20 minutes after for the afterglow.
Yes. The Island Cam live cam shows Sanibel Island in real time, linked from this page.
| Captiva Island sunset | 7 mi | 6:51 PM |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers Beach sunset | 9 mi | 6:50 PM |
| Lovers Key State Park sunset | 15 mi | 6:50 PM |
| Bonita Beach sunset | 18 mi | 6:50 PM |
| Vanderbilt Beach sunset | 22 mi | 6:50 PM |
| Boca Grande sunset | 23 mi | 6:51 PM |
See every beach on one map: sunset times tonight across the US →