Matanzas Pass Mooring Field

Love using Dockwa and Ft Myers is great location and mooring balls very good and we always stop here when possible

The process worked well going through Dockwa. It’s good to know you can still call and speak to Patty if you have any questions. Plenty balls available 4/14/24.

The current was fun but all new moorings made it a good stop

Great to have FMB mooring field back in action. Great folks and service.

And the current works against each other, the more ball is right up against the hall of the boat. I know this is picky, however, is there any way to put a rubber bumper around the middle of the ball?

Everything is fine, staying longer than expected. Is there pumpout services?

We were assigned ball 77 but there was a boat already moored there. We moored on another ball. However mooring is well protected and quiet with several restaurants close by

Picturesque setting convient to the dinghy dock which is at the village entertainment hub and beach. Great support staff Email is incorrect on Dockwa

Thank you for the improvements to the dinghy dock.

Easy to book. Great place to stay. Patty was terrific! Pump-out was quick & easy--Thanks Patrick!

Easy booking. Nice mooring field.

Exactly what was expected

Mooring balls in excellent shape, showers and restrooms clean, and plenty of fun with the businesses that have opened! Added attraction we were able to listen to High Tide!

There are a lot of positives about the Mooring field. The balls are in very good shape with numbers that are easy to read. The dinghy dock is convenient to many good restaurants and bars. The staff is always very helpful. In particular, Patrick met us as we walked off the dinghy dock the first time and showed us where all the facilities were. The last time we went in, he was standing on the dock and helped tie us up. We had a bag of trash that he took from us and disposed of. There are some negatives. The website seems to be out of date, and should be updated to show exactly where the facilities and the dinghy dock are located. Although it is marked as a no wake zone, many boats go speeding through the mooring field. There is a constant battle between the effects of current and wind, so the mooring balls end up banging against the hull of the boat. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to fix this problem, but if you know it is going to happen, you will be more prepared for when it does.

Awesome place to stop and visit, easy in and out , not expensive with brand new mooring balls.

Mooring ball was easy to locate. Lead was in good shape and there was plenty of swing room. Dinghy dock was adequate and made accessing the local area easy.

Another mont’s stay under our belt. We will be coming back next season for a longer stay. The town has really come along No way on the road to recovery.

Easy pickup. Convenient to the town dock. Great value.

Amazing! Austin was a real help! Wish they had guest wifi but all in all perfect!

The staff was very nice and helpful, although they leave at 2 pm each day. THey come out to your boat for pumpouts. SHort dinghy ride to dinghy dock between the Mantanzss Inn and Nervous Nellies, both of which are open and pretty good with live music. Also three other restaurants acroos the other side with a dinghy dock at Bills, the place with the 42’ boat halfway up the dock, compliments of hurricane Ian. We stayed two nights and one night was windy and very bumpy, I think because the winds and the tide currents didn’t get along. Short walk to showers, laundry and the Ft Myers Beach which is coming back after Ian with much construction going on. We would stay here again.

Great mooring field. Austin is amazing and always very professional and willing to help everyone. We've been staying in the mooring field since 2016

The balls were clean and you could easily read the numbers.

This was our first visit back since Hurricane Ian. They have expanded mooring area now to encompass all the way out to in front of Pink Shell resort. The mooring balls are new so felt very comfortable spending the night out on one during our transit to Key West. Kudos to the friendly staff and the team out at Moss marina who got us out of a jam when boat developed some shift issues after fueling. Great place to stay. Wake from traffic was bearable, but we were there on a Wednesday night off-season, would expect a lot more during a busy weekend.

The mooring field is back and better than ever! Captain Austin and his team are doing a fantastic job! We truly enjoyed our stay!

So happy they are back in business. Things are really coming back in Ft. Myers Beach.

Great area to anchor!

Simple to use app & nice anchorage with good morrings.

Location, access to public transportation, and a fabulous team, led by harbormaster Austin Gilchrist, make this a 5-star spot. Austin is welcoming and eager to help with anything you might need. Dinghy dock, water, showers and bathrooms, coin-op laundry, and pumpouts available. $25/night, as of January 2024. Public transportation and LOTS to do within walking distance. The whole city of Fort Myers Beach is undergoing a revival. The entire mooring field is being upgraded with new, heavy-duty mooring systems. Signs of Hurricane Ian damage are interspersed with gleaming paint on new buildings, newly-planted huge palm trees, and streets bustling with tourists and locals. Restaurants, bars, and other businesses are open, and, of course, the miles of soft, white, sandy beach are never closed. Free trams run along the beachfront thoroughfare. Bus/Trolles are inexpensive and a great way to get to Lovers Beach State Park to the south, Publix grocery store, Napa, etc. There is also a small hardware store - Goodz - within walking distance. Best happy hour? Yucatan Restaurant (Yuengling and the pot roast plate were our favorites) Pizza? Upper Deck at Matanzas Inn, right next to the dinghy dock. Breakfast? Mom's for biscuits and gravy, coffee, and breakfast sandwiches. Update: We've stayed at Matanzas on three separate occasions, January - March 2024

Great as always. Austin and his team are doing excellent work. The improvements are so much better than before. There’s a map on line to make finding the assignment mooring easy. As more and more things open everything is within walking distance.

The location and the staff are really good. I've started there 2 times this year will definitely stay there again

Was great Showed where very clean and plenty of hot water but your office is not very easy to locate. Not very evident

Staff was great...Patrick and Austin were super. Used the dinghy dock, showers and laundry and all were convenient and far exceeded expectations.

The matansas mooring field in Ft. Myers Beach is up and running. We were assigned one of the new balls placed on the west side of bridge. Still dictated by tides, but much better breeze!! Austin is AWESOME! There are no good places to be able to get to shore on either side on the bridge. They say the duck by old Topps is up and q, however it has a big yellow floating barrier in front of it. We still made it work. Never found the public restrooms or showers they speak of. Moss marina will allow you to tie up tenders there. Publix on island. And no Wal-Mart delivery. Limited eateries, but we still manages to support Ft. Myers local business. So very sorrowful for the Ft. Myers residents trying to put their lives back together.

Impressed with the organization, thoughtful planning and ease of this mooring field! Austin and Patrick could not have been more helpful, great guys. We will stay again!

Austin answered our questions promptly via Dockwa. Mooring balls in good condition, floating dinghy dock is good shape. Got a pumpout and we didn’t even ask (but needed it, perfect timing)

Quick response from mooring staff, easy to find mooring ball with provided map. We came in after hours and left early next morning so didn't take advantage of any services. We were on Mooring 23 on a Sunday night and music from the bars was loud, but it stopped at 10pm.

We were at ball 53, a little far from dingy dock 1 with services. The Key West Express Ferry leaves right across from that ball. The Matanzas Inn provides 2 very nice showers with AC and bench, roomy and clean. There is also a laundry room with pay by card washers and dryers, it would be even nicer if they put a table in laundry room to fold clothes on. The 2nd dingy dock is at the end of Gulf Beach Rd. next to the Bay Oaks Rec campus. You take your dingy to end of the canal where there is a nice little dock. The Rec center is still under repair but did have one restroom open. There is better green space if you want to walk your pups and a very short easy walk to nice less crowded beach across Estero Rd. Also very close to the Love Boat Ice cream. We loved the fresh seafood at The Dixie Fishouse. We used the dingy dock at Bonita Bill's and there is also a dock at Doc's. Fort Myers Beach is still hard at work rebuilding after Ian. We had 8-9 ft at ball. We did have the ball being pushed up against the boat when the current and wind were at odds.

First class operation. Dockmaster courteous, and apparently enjoys his job. Field is new. Close to everything.

We were only going to stay for 2 nights and ended up staying for 5! The staff were so helpful and the facilities were nice and clean. Dinghy dock made it easy to get to shore.

Very nice with good direction in locating mooring ball

Excellent stay... but... the trash facility is full, the matanzas inn desk clerk stated that Austin should arrange for an additional dumpster. Thanks !!

Excellent facility and mooring equipment. Nice bathrooms. Laundry a half block from dinghy dock. Helpful staff-thanks Austin! Ft Meyers Beach is getting back on it's feet. We were on a ball just east of the bridge where the channel splits in two. It is a no wake zone. Very convenient to several restaurants with docks. Or go to facility dinghy dock and walk up to the beach or the new Magaritaville Resort.

Helpful harbormaster, easy to use mooring,, quiet night

Great spot and friendy staff, good price for a safe mooring. Restaurants close to the dingy dock.

Very nice Added an extra night to view area another day

Very protected in a no wake zone.restrooms/showers are better than most marina we’ve stayed in. Highly recommend this place

Great communication with team. Dinghy dock and restrooms convenient. Enjoyed dinner ashore.

Awesome location! We were a little concerned about wakes being so close to the channel but it’s a no wake zone and we didn’t have any issues. Dinghy dock was a bit crowded. There is a second one a little further but we were able to squeeze in. Several bar/restaurant choices a short walk from dinghy dock. We really had a great stay.

Great mooring hardware. Much appreciated lengthy pendant really helps with picking up the mooring. Austin Gilcrest is wonderful, friendly and competent Harbormaster! Great communication,

We stayed for 2 nights and it was great! Booking was easy and the staff was very responsive.

Excellent customer service and communication, easy approach and good mooring equipment. Good dinghy dock, but we could not find our way to the shower facilities, so no info in those, or laundry. Stayed only one night, but would definitely return.

Brand new Mooring Balls north of the bridge, Chanel all cleaned up after Ian. Austin the harbor master is a great host. Will be coming back many times!

Austin & crew do an OUSTANDING job here! Moorings are secure, with clean & easy to use penants. Dinghy dock is close to all local services.

The office closes at 2PM and they won't tell you the code to unlock the restroom or shower upon assigning your mooring ball. Instead, they are sending several emails with tons of disclaimer and warnings. Not brilliant!

The mobile pump out was much appreciated.

This was a very well run Mooring field! We really enjoyed our stay! The mooring balls were well maintained! Stewart was very helpful and quick to respond even with the last minute pump out. Thank you!!!

Awesome stay here for 2 weeks. Close to everything you need within walking or very inexpensive bus/trolley transportation. Can get mail via General Delivery, set up at Post Office. Dinghy dock, clean showers, pump outs all available. Crew is very helpful & you can see on a daily basis how improvements are being made. Area is still recovering from Ian. You can’t imagine the devastation until you see it first hand. Still so much to do but the area has come a long way since September 2022! Would love to return for longer stay. Beautiful area, strong courageous people!

Great service and hospitality! A great stop! Sorry to see the hurricane damage in town but so many shops and more restaurants have rallied! We really enjoyed the pizza, cold beverages and live music at Petties!

All new mooring balls. Friendly staff. Clean showers and bathrooms. Great location with lots of restaurants.

Great facility supported by great people. Easy to make reservations

Great spot for accessing Fort Myers Beach area. The staff was very accommodating. I didn't like the mooring ball assignment because of the wind and sign location and they changed it, no questions. Pumpout on request.

Harbormaster and his staff couldn’t have been more helpful. The mooring field is still only partially open but they did everything above and beyond to accommodate us.

The reservation system is wonderful. The harbor master is a great guy. The proximity to a public dock is good, as well as restaurants and bars. The showers are fantastic. And now for the difficult news, be very careful with what message they give you for a transient mooring ball. We were given a message that our ball was in the south mooring field number 40 what is so crazy is that apparently there are two ball number 40s and the one that we went to was in the south mooring field…that is actually closed the Southfield is not available it is full of sunken boats. We were actually able to be safe on that ball but harbor Master did come over in the morning and tell us that we were at the wrong ball number 40 why there would be two ball number 40s anywhere near each other is beyond me especially if one is in the danger area , but you have been warned. Also getting to this morning field whatever you do don’t try to enter the Fort Myers Beach and the pass harbor area at night. There is so much low ground there and some of the aids to nav are unlit and near impossible to see. Ft Meyers beach itself is still quite damaged. A ghost of its former self. Good news is Jimmy Buffett place is rocking it was going down. What’s the time now that you’re in danger. Salty Sam’s restaurant too. All the best fellow mariners!

Mooring ball was great and it’s great to see FMB recovering. We did not go ashore but it’s looking much better than a year ago!

Great stay, easy access. Austin was amazing !

Easy access to mooring field. New mooring buoys with easy to access pendant eyes helped us feel quite secure. We only spent one night but could easily envision spending a week comfortably enjoying Fort Myers Beach.

Easy mooring ball to tie up to. A little far from the dinghy dock (#3), but great customer service and location to FMB area.

We were there for one night. It was easy to access and secure. The dock master was very responsive and we knew within minutes that we had a reservation confirmation. We were on the first ball just past the bridge, but we did not notice any bridge noise. It was a nice stay, thank you.

Austin and his crew are just fantastic. They are doing such an incredible job bouncing back from the hurricane. We will definitely be back!

Not happy! Had a reservation through Dockwa, confirmed and paid. Got 10 moles out and found out no balls available. Not my idea of a confirmed reservation. Reason given by dockmaster was they are a first come fist served field and somebody came in and took our ball. Just sucks….

Good moorings, easy access to town

Happy to see the area starting to bustle again! A bit surprised at how much hurricane damage was still visible. Mooring ball was great and the staff was very supportive of our stay extensions.

Good moorings, dinghy dock too far away, no facilities

The Harbormaster, Austin, is communicates clearly, and wants to help any way he can. His personality is great for this job, which I can imagine, is difficult to please everyone.

They have 19 new moorings north of the bridge, but the old moorings to the south of the bridge have not been restored since Hurricane Ian in 2022. Also there are no facilities with the mooring because that has not been rebuilt. We stayed one night and did enjoy the restaurants that had reopened. So overall a good stop over and worth staying.

Made reservations a long time ago. Called office as I approached mooring...was told only two balls available...way out near the entrance.

Mooring balls were top notch

Easy mooring. Close to great restaurants and beautiful Fort Myers beach. Enough marine traffic to keep you entertained as well.

Excellent. Austin is a great dock master and it was a pleasure staying in his field.

Good moorings, but still no public dinghy dock. Free pumpout is nice. Major rebuilding to be done yet.

Excellent help on the phone with the a harbor master Easy to book and a really nice town with nice people.

Nice mooring ball, but no easy access to land yet. You have to go a few miles to a makeshift dock near the city offices. This will be great once Fort Myers Beach is all rebuilt.

Nice place to moor and visit

As always it was wonderful. Thank you

As billed. Staff were helpful and communicative about the challenges resulting from hurricane Ian. Many thanks

Not many options for dingy docks. Moss Marine let us tie up at n/c for the day. Trying to patronize local businesses. Mooring Balls spaced nicely. A few are tangled so difficult to untangle from high bow.

Great mooring. Easy to book, out of the way and good coverage from wind in any direction.

We used a mooring ball north of the Matanzas bridge adjacent to the Pink Shell. This was the best mooring ball system I have ever used. I would highly recommend. There is a strong current in the channel so slack tide is a great time to enter, however, we entered on an outgoing tide and had no issues. FM is on its way back and there are restaurants open close to mooring field with dinghy access.

Nice anchorage and close to a lot of restaurants

Patrick is super friendly. Balls are clean and easy to snag. Showers are good.

Easy and convenient. Careful of the bridge height. I'm around 64' and just squeaked under without touching

Excellent service, staff is very professional, willing to go the extra mile to make your stay as pleasant as possible. Would definitely stay at this marina again. BTW, the clam chowder at the Matanzas Inn is the best I’ve ever eaten.

We had a wonderful experience with Austin and Joe last week after we had, ahem, a mooring issue (of our own doing). Just incredibly helpful, friendly and gracious folks! We have a slip nearby, but have discovered that it is such a pleasant place to stay what with plenty of restaurants and, yet, also abundant nature in the mangrove preserve. The mooring balls are maintained on a regular basis, so felt very safe and secure.

Nice anchorage. Facilities were clean, washer and dryers were $2.00. Walking distance to several eateries and beaches. Dinghy dock convient.

Friendly people and mooring feild to dinghy dock easily accessible

Great stay! Austin communicates clearly & while the reservation is on Dockwa he made sure that we knew of available space as moorings are on a first come basis. We arrived after the office closed and he went out of his way to drop off the laundry/shower key. Well organized, quiet mooring field and very clean and bright facilities. Lots of room at the dinghy dock. We'll be back! Thanks!

Very nice people that run the mooring field. We were on ball 3 nice and close to the free dinghy doc. We liked it so much that we were only planning to stay a few days but we ended up staying 1.5 weeks.

Great area. Tough to get marina to call you back.

Easily reserved with dockwa. Received a confirmation phone call almost immediately. Good stay on the mooring. Free city dinghy dock. Several restaurants also have dinghy docks. Town is great. Lots of action.

Love it all. Great food, shops, transportation, and beaches. Fishing was great. Most of all Austin and his crew bent over backwards to accommodate the guests the best they could. Thank you for the best stay

Great, helpful staff. Decent clean showers. Laundry with several washers and dryers operated with credit card payments and table for folding clothes. Would stay again for sure. Tide vs. Wind can twist your boat all over and against the ball but that's not anything they can control. Well run and helpful staff overall!

I was assigned to a mooring ball where my keel boat was aground at low tide. I immediately let the staff know of the situation. They said they would get back to me. I never heard anything back. It has been a month now and I've been back to the mooring office every week. The office staff rotates and the new person is always surprised when I request a new mooring. MY BOAT IS AGROUND! I have spoken with Austin, the dock master twice and no effort has been made. If something had been done the last four visits I wouldn't be leaving this review.

Excellent , The new staff are so great. I had a wonderful time there thanks

The mooring field is good but the tethers on the ball was so over grown with barnacles I could barley lift it to put a line on. They need to clean the balls more often. A bit noisy with the commercial boats at night and early in the morning. Staff was very pleasant.

Had a wonderful time for two nights. This is THE BEST place in Fort Myers to watch the fireworks! Dinghy dock is outstanding and close to lots of restaurants, bars and the beach across the street. The balls are well maintained and easy to grab....the best part is the free pump out services....three times per week, boat side, fast and done by a pro! We will be staying here again for sure! Capt Keith

The buoy pendents seem quite a bit shorter than the ones on the past buoys, making it very difficult to pick up a mooring in high winds.

Great safe place to stay. Everything you need is with in walking distance. Great dinghy dock. Easy access to water. Beaches are beautiful. Bars are fun.

Moorings are well maintained. Facilities are clean. Staff is great.

Great place to visit ... loved being so close to the restaurants and beaches from the dinghy dock!

Always enjoy staying in Ft. Myers Beach! Mooring field is great. Pump out timely. Matanzas staff very friendly and helpful. Nice having the trolly service.

Quick response for mooring ball availability. Great stop with very good access to the beach and Times Square.

Very well protected from all wind directions and the entire field is in a no wake zone. There is a strong current that can often make the mooring ball bounce on your hull when wind and current conflict. The facilities on land are minimal - - two heads with showers and a fairly large laundry room. That said, we never had to wait for the head in the one week we were there. It's a very long dinghy ride from the farthest end of the field (we were on ball 64) , but there is another closer public landing up the canal by the ball fields. The town of Ft Myers Beach is not a 'must see' but we enjoyed multiple meals at Filipe's and the Matanzas Inn. Matanzas Pass Preserve is accessible by dinghy and offers a nice walking trail. Other than that, don't know what else to do there unless you rent a car.

Friendly helpful staff Beautiful area Highly recommend

We planned to stay for seven nights, but due to high winds, we extended another three nights. It was awesome! The very protected mooring field allowed us to be comfortable with little movement other than spinning around the ball. Even in 35 mile an hour winds, we where not bouncing around! Loved that! The dinghy dock is conveniently located to walk to town. We loved the small shops and restaurants. Can't wait to go back!

Great location, great value.

Excellent protection 360 degrees. Moorings are in excellent condition and access to dinghy docks, water, facilities is great. Transportation to stores and restaurants is easy and often free. Great beaches and plenty of repair facilities including haul out for larger boats and catamarans. Pumpout included in morning fee. Easy registration and payment throu Docwa.

Absolutely Love this place and highly recommend a stay here.

Everything was ok. The lady at the phone was very nice and helpful

A little bit of a challenge getting into the entrance channel. Follow the markers, exactly, and still keep an eye out. They do an excellent job keeping the markers up-to-date. Use them! The marina is not as such. The mooring field is managed my a local hotel. Very well. The facilities are the cleanest we have seen in our 1,500 mile journey. The employees were very helpful when questioned. Went out of their way to get answers. We stayed a week. Very enjoyable. Nice little town. Beautiful beach. Great restaurants. You already have a boat, what more could you ask for? We will probably be stopping again, on our way back around in the spring. That says a lot. There are places we will not be staying a second time. Would have given the fifth star if they had been an actual marina, with full services.

We love being on a mooring ball here where it’s so close to town and good restaurants

Well maintained moorings, dinghy dock and laundry. Nice and helpful Office Staff, Harbormaster and Director of Public Works. Pumpout service is excellent. Tidal current is swift and often counter to wind, so picking up a mooring is much easier at slack. One can access facilities and transport from the dinghy dock, but a second dinghy dock near Publix would be a huge benefit. Snook Bight Marina is variable on allowing dinghy access to pickup groceries.

What can you say? It's a mooring field. The facilities are nice but Fort Myers Beach is so much fun! Plenty of bars and restaurants and beautiful white sand beach.

Overall it was good,easy tie up to the mooring ball, very secure and pretty. Dinghy dock close by on the Ft Myers Beach (south) side, also easy to get to and tie up The staff were a bit difficult to communicate with but not bad, and I wish they had a mooring field map I could look up with the ball numbers and locations, and not just their Google maps image version Also there are 2 bars on either side of the field, that get loud at night, they died down around midnight. Again overall it was good, these were our small difficulties, I would come here again

Great spot. Lots to see and do

It is conveniently located, great dinghy dock. Laundry facilities close by. Fresh water available by dinghy, no need to get out of your dinghy to fill jugs. Pump outs available M W F, if you fill out the form online. You can catch the Island trolley to the grocery store on Estero Island. Pricing is good.

We loved how close we were to everything and how protected the mooring field was. We will return. ~SV Oracle

Rode out tropical storm Eta on ball 8, no problem. Facilities are good and staff is helpful.