Cayo Costa, located along the Gulf of Mexico just west of Fort Myers, is one of the largest barrier islands in Florida. It is accessible only by boat and is served by a public ferry from nearby Pine Island. The park contains nine miles of beaches and acres of pine forests, oak-palm hammocks and mangrove swamps. Visitors may see manatees and pods of dolphins in the waters around the 2,426 acre park, as well as an assortment of birds, including these Royal terns, sandwich terns and gulls.