United States
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
54.8km²
Area
52km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
10m
Highest point
6,382
People
30°C
Warmest sea
August
2km
To the mainland
When to go to Sanibel Island
Best for the beach in April and in November.
The sea is warmest in August (30 °C) and coolest in February (20 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from March to December.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in Lee County, Florida, United States
Sanibel Island is an island in United States. It covers 54.8 km², with 52 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 10 m. About 6,382 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 2 km away.
Getting there
- Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 37 km in a straight lineCar hire at RSW airport (Fort Myers)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- 2 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- April and Novemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Sanibel Island.
- 26beachesAndy Rosse Lane Beach, Allison Hagerup Beach, Laika Lane Beach and 23 more
- 5viewpointsObservation Deck, Observation Tower, Mangrove Overlook and 2 more
- 5marinasTween Waters Marina, Yacht Harbour Marina, Captiva Landing Marina and 2 more
- 70hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 26restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Sanibel Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Sanibel Island, each with its own numbers.
2beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
30.2°C
Dixie Beach
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 2 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 100 %0–50 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 22 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 25 | 23 |
| Night low (°C) | 12 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 17 | 15 |
| Sea (°C) | 20 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 24 | 22 |
| Rain (mm) | 48 | 46 | 51 | 58 | 107 | 220 | 199 | 221 | 195 | 87 | 49 | 55 |
| Wet days | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 14 | 8 | 7 |
| Sun h/day | 6.7 | 7.5 | 8.2 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 7.1 | 6.4 |
| Wind (km/h) | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +1.0 | +2.4 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.9 | −0.7 |
| 2021 | −0.8 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.6 | −0.6 | −0.4 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +1.2 | −0.1 | +0.9 |
| 2022 | +1.3 | −0.6 | +1.2 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +1.0 | −0.9 | +1.3 | +0.8 |
| 2023 | −0.1 | +2.0 | +2.4 | +2.0 | +1.1 | +0.4 | +2.0 | +1.4 | +1.0 | +0.3 | +0.8 | −0.4 |
| 2024 | −0.4 | −0.4 | +1.2 | +0.4 | +1.9 | +1.2 | +1.4 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +1.0 | −1.2 |
| 2025 | −1.7 | +1.6 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +1.5 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +1.1 | +0.4 | +0.3 | −0.1 | +0.6 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
BahamasAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q42296925) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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