I awoke Saturday morning with a sense of dread about my trip to Cayo Costa, since the north wind had been howling all night. The weather had forecast NE winds at 9 to 11mph. The marine forecast called for 15 knot N to NE winds. The reality was more like 25 to 30 mph winds. Nevertheless, I arrived at the Pineland Marina and met the Miles Media / VISITFLORIDA video crew. There were lots of campers waiting for the ferry to Cayo Costa. I took that as a good sign. However, luck was not with us. Captain Tom informed us that the strong north wind, combined with an extreme low tide and a full moon, resulted in water levels too low to get the Tropic Star away from the dock.
We found ourselves unable to leave the dock on time. The Captain assured us that the water level would slowly rise and we should be able to leave around 11am. So we killed time chatting in the VISITFLORIDA RV parked by the marina. Around noon, the water was still not quite high enough, so we called it off and decided to reschedule. As it turns out, the “perfect storm” reduced water levels in the bay to such an extent for several reasons:
- The strong north wind literally blew the water out.
- A very low tide coincided with our departure time.
- There was a full moon (influences the tides).
- The moon was, on Dec 12th, 18,000 miles closer to earth than normal.
Captain Tom keeps warm while waiting for water levels to rise.
We waited in the VISITFLORIDA RV while the winds continued to blow.
Finally, at around noon, we decided to call off the trip and reschedule for more favorable weather. Like in April or May. The crew left and I decided to explore Pine Island. I drove a few hundred yards to the Randell Archaeological Research Center and toured the Calusa mounds (called middens). These are huge piles of shell refuse where the Calusa indians discarded their trash, mostly shells and bones from the animals they ate. The piles accumulated over thousands of years. Some were more than 30 feet high!
Randell Research Center archaeological site is worth a look.
An assortment of whelks and tulips in the Calusa midden. 1,000's of years old.
