This website provides resident and transient boaters with an easy-to-use selection guide to anchorages in southwest Florida. The information is based on local knowledge provided by numerous boating organizations and on a Florida Sea Grant research project involving several hundred volunteer boaters.

All of these anchorages were selected to accommodate vessels with a draft of 5 feet or greater (many can accommodate a draft of 6 feet or more), except for three with an approach channel depth of 4 feet (Yacht Club Colony, Power Plant Slough, and Point Blanco #2). The average distance between anchorages on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is 4.85 miles, but be forewarned: depending on the particular stretch of waterway, weather conditions, and crowding, it may be necessary to travel a much farther distance to reach appropriate and available shelter.