Out on the water

The Gulf side is where you swim. The bay side is where the island actually lives. Behind Estero Island lies Estero Bay — Florida's first aquatic preserve, designated in 1966 — a shallow, mangrove-fringed system of islands and creeks that holds most of the wildlife people hope to see and almost none of the wave action.

Getting out on it is the single thing most guests wish they had done earlier in the week.

Boat rentals

Several marinas around the south end and along the island rent centre consoles, pontoons and deck boats by the half or full day. What to know before you book:

• Boater education. Florida requires anyone born on or after 1 January 1988 to hold a Boating Safety Education ID card to operate a vessel of 10 horsepower or more. The online course takes a few hours — do it before you travel, not at the dock.
• Pontoon versus centre console. A pontoon is the right call for a family staying inside the bay. A centre console is the right call if you intend to go through the pass into the Gulf, where a pontoon is the wrong boat in any chop.
• Ask about the pass. Some rental agreements restrict you to the bay. If you want to run offshore, confirm it is permitted before you pay.
• Shallow water is the local hazard. Estero Bay has extensive flats that are bare at low tide. Stay in marked channels unless you know the water, and watch the tide, not just the depth finder.

Boat clubs

Boat clubs — Freedom Boat Club is the best known in Southwest Florida, and others operate locally — sell membership rather than a day rate. You pay a joining fee and monthly dues, then reserve boats from a shared fleet at no per-use charge beyond fuel.

For a one-week visit, straight rental is almost always cheaper. Clubs become interesting if you return to the same area several times a year, or if you own here seasonally and would rather not maintain a boat and a lift. Some clubs offer reciprocal access at other locations, which is the feature worth asking about if you also spend time on another coast.

Dolphins and manatees, and where they actually are

Bottlenose dolphins are resident year round and are genuinely common — the trick is knowing where to look. They work moving tides, so the pass and the channel edges on a running tide are far better odds than open Gulf. Early morning and the hour before sunset are the productive windows.

Manatees are seasonal in their habits. They favour warm, calm, shallow water, which means canals, basins and the back bay rather than the beach, and they concentrate inshore during cold snaps. A still morning on a paddleboard in the back bay is the single best way to see one.

If you do encounter either: keep your distance, cut your engine or stop paddling, and let the animal set the terms. Manatees are federally protected, and pursuing, feeding or harassing one is an offence. It is also counterproductive — a curious manatee will often come to a stationary board and leave a moving one alone.

Eco-tours, shelling trips and sunset cruises

If you would rather someone else drive, guided trips depart from marinas nearby:

• Eco and nature tours — slow runs through the bay and the mangroves with a naturalist who knows where the rookeries are
• Shelling trips — boat access to islands you cannot reach on foot, timed to low tide, which is the whole point
• Dolphin cruises — the reliable crowd-pleaser, and honest operators will tell you sightings are likely rather than guaranteed
• Sunset cruises — the Gulf sunset from the water, with the island as the silhouette instead of the viewpoint

Book the morning slot for wildlife and the evening slot for scenery. Wildlife is more active early; the light is better late.

Paddleboards and kayaks

The back bay is close to ideal paddleboarding water — protected, shallow and usually glassy before the sea breeze fills in around mid-morning. That timing is the whole trick. Go at eight and it is a mirror; go at two and you will be working.

Rentals are available locally, and Lovers Key has its own concession with a launch inside the park, which is covered in more detail in the Lovers Key guide.