In October, Phyllis and I drove to Naples, Florida to meet with a young couple who will be getting married in May. We will have the honor of photographing their wedding day and wanted to meet with them and see the venue. We arrived the day before and started exploring the city. I had heard of the Naples pier and thought it would be a great place to check out. The pier was originally built in 1888 as a freight and passenger dock. In its early days, the pier was lined with narrow gauge train rails that spanned the entire length of the structure and was designed to transport baggage and freight to waiting vessels that would travel across the Atlantic or other points in the Caribbean or along the Eastern seaboard.
It has been rebuilt a number of times during its lifetime. It was first destroyed by a hurricane in 1910 and then again in 1926 and 1960. In 1922, a fire consumed much of the pier and the post office that sat upon it. Throughout the last fifty years, however, it has remained steadfast only experiencing minor damage from the violent summer storms that sometimes touch the southwest Florida coast.
Today the pier no longer serves as a dock for boat traffic but is instead the most popular place in Naples for fishing. From sunrise to sunset, avid anglers line the pier with their rods and buckets of bait hoping to score a good catch for the day. Unlike elsewhere in Naples, fishing from the pier does not require a state fishing license as the city of Naples purchased a bulk license that covers anyone who casts their line off the pier. The pier stretches 1,000 feet out into the Gulf of Mexico and the day we visited, we saw people fishing off every section. It is also a great place for a long, relaxing strolls and the beaches along the pier accommodate those who want to sit a while and enjoy watching the gentle lapping of the waves in the Gulf of Mexico.You can see that the view is beautiful and people were taking advantage of this beautiful beach.
We walked out to the end of the pier into a covered area which can be welcomed after a few hours in the hot Florida sun!! I shot this image looking back at the shore.
The view from the end of the pier into the Gulf of Mexico is really wonderful.
If you're lucky you might see a dolphin swimming in the gulf.
The locals who have experienced fishing in the Florida sun wear plenty of sunscreen and a hat is always a must. This woman also had a cloth tied around her face even with a hat. It's a good idea. This sun reflecting off the water can really burn your face if you're out there for any length of time.
As you can see this angler wore a hat with a covering attached to protect his neck.
