Salty Sam's Marina sits at the northern terminus of Estero Island, where the Matlacha Pass empties into San Carlos Bay and a lattice of mangrove channels radiates inland toward the Ten Thousand Islands. The red mangrove forests here—among the densest in Lee County—form tunnels low enough to require ducking beneath interlaced prop roots, their tannic water staining the surface copper during dry months. Fort Myers kayak rental operations launched from this marina in the early 1990s when local naturalists began guiding small groups into the estuarine maze, long before ecotourism became the county's second-largest visitor draw. The waterways feeding San Carlos Bay support one of the highest concentrations of bottlenose dolphins along Florida's Gulf Coast, with resident pods numbering over three hundred individuals tracked by Mote Marine Laboratory since 2004. Manatees shelter in the shallow flats from November through March, when inland springs draw them upriver; summer months see loggerhead and green sea turtles nesting along adjacent barrier islands. The mangrove root systems themselves harbor juvenile snook, tarpon, and goliath grouper, while roseate spoonbills and reddish egrets forage the mudflats at low tide. Equipment booking for self-guided paddlers allows exploration at an independent pace, with single kayaks available for half-day intervals and tandem models suited to open-water crossings toward Lovers Key State Park. The geography favors morning launches—afternoon winds build westward across the bay, generating two-foot chop that complicates return passages through narrower channels. Guided naturalist tours navigate protected routes through the mangrove tunnels, interpreting sediment layers and oyster reefs that date to pre-Columbian Calusa settlements. Clear-hull kayaks, a recent addition to the rental fleet, reveal seagrass beds three feet below the surface where juvenile fish shelter and horseshoe crabs plow furrows in the sand. Fort Myers kayak rental tours now include routes as far south as Bonita Springs and north into the Caloosahatchee River corridor, each launch point chosen for tidal access and wildlife density rather than convenience alone. The marina itself occupies reclaimed dredge spoil from the Intracoastal Waterway's 1960s expansion, its docks rebuilt in 2018 to accommodate both motorized charters and paddle-craft staging. Rental staff provide NOAA tide charts and waypoint maps marking navigable channels, with laminated field guides identifying the thirty-seven bird species common to the estuary. The equipment—sit-on-top recreational kayaks rather than touring models—prioritizes stability over speed, a deliberate choice for waters where submerged oyster beds and shallow sandbars demand constant attention to depth and current.