Thomas Becnel Staff Writer @thomasbecnel

My beach tour of Manasota Key came a week too late.

The south bridge to the island was closed for repairs for about 10 days, which made the key even more remote and charming, but now everything's back to normal at places like Englewood Beach.

Which is still pretty darned good.

I ran into Denis Matsukevich, a skimboarder from North Port. He's a beach connoisseur, like so many of us on the Gulf Coast.

"I like the variety," he said. "There's good surf here and at the North Jetty in Nokomis. Caspersen's all right. If you have people from out of town, you know, you take 'em to Siesta Beach.I'm probably at Sharky's in Venice more than any other beach. Just watching the sunset and there's always something to do."

After that take, Matsukevich asked me to take his phone and shoot a Snapchat video of him skimming along the beach. No problem. When it comes to summer beach reporting, this column works the beat.

Manasota shark teeth

My Saturday tour began at Manasota Beach, which is near the north end of the key.

This shore looks laid back, with a single lifeguard tower tucked into the sea grapes, but it has hard-core fans.

Freda and Christopher Pattillo of Shreveport, La., have traveled the Gulf Coast from Galveston, Texas, to Sanibel Island. Their favorite place to stay is the island of Venice. Their favorite beach is at the north end of Manasota Key.

"This is where we find the most shark teeth," Freda said.

Her husband sifted for fossilized teeth with a little screen they bought at a Venice market. Their three kids snorkeled and splashed around in the shallow water.

It's a 16-hour drive from Shreveport to Venice, but the family has made it the last four years in a row.

"All of our friends think we're crazy," Freda said, "but we don't care."

Middle or Blind Pass?

Manasota Key is a lot like Casey Key, with a winding canopy road, but it's not quite as rich.

Fewer mansions. More beach access.

Halfway down the key is Blind Pass Park, which lots of locals know as Middle Beach. For years, it was a remote party spot for local teens. It's still a quiet stretch of sand.

"It feels like a private beach, said Jeff Wagner of Englewood, "but it's not."

He prefers a thin shore and potholed parking lot to some of the more celebrated beaches on the Gulf Coast.

"I don't like the sand on Siesta," Wagner said. "It feels weird. It feels fake."

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Play! Manasota Key beaches offer 'variety' - Sarasota Herald-Tribune