Kayaking in Charleston

I’ve already shared where to eat in Charleston so now it’s time to start sharing some of the fun that we had!  When we began planning our trip months ago one of the things we knew we wanted to do was get outside and active while still exploring the city.  My suggestion to Chris was that we go kayaking.  I went kayaking years ago around Catalina Island and had a blast and knew he would too.  We ended up using Nature Adventures for our kayaking in Charleston adventure and booked the 2-hour tour at $40 each.

 

 

Chris and I arrived just before 8AM to the dock on Shem Creek.  The staff was incredibly warm and welcoming as they got us checked in and our waivers signed.  Our guide for the day was Will (hi Will!) and he was fantastic!  We honestly couldn’t ask for better weather.  It was actually overcast with some fog which actually makes for beautiful kayaking.  The water was calm and flat and absolutely beautiful.

 

 

We started our tour by paddling out Shem Creek and around “bird island”.  Bird island is actually a bird sanctuary and there is a huge fine to land on it during particular times of year.  Will said that many of the birds had left but at the height of the summer there were tens of thousands of birds raising their offspring there!  He also pointed out to us how to tell if a seagull was a baby (more white) or not which was interesting.  In fact, throughout the entire trip Will was able to identify and tell us about the different animals we saw which made it even more fascinating!

 

 

Due to the fact that there was a fog over the water we couldn’t really see downtown Charleston but that was ok.  We ended up paddling by some of the houses on Mount Pleasant which was really amazing.  These houses are seriously amazing.  Did you know that Charleston has one of the most expensive zip codes in the entire country?  I sure didn’t.  But after seeing these houses I believe it!

 

 

We were out kayaking for just over 2 hours when we headed back into Shem Creek and towards the dock.  That’s when the absolute BEST part of our tour happened …. there were about 4 dolphins swimming right next to us!  I mean really …. one of them came up right next to my kayak.  There were 3 adults and a baby and really just an amazing experience.  I have always wanted to swim with dolphins so this was a pretty incredible second best.  I am pretty bummed we didn’t catch a picture but those guys are fast!

 

 

Overall if you’re looking to go kayaking in Charleston make sure to check out Nature Adventures.  I definitely suggest getting the 8AM tour because it was just Will and us.  The later tour had WAY more people.  Also, the earlier you go the less hot it is 😉  Thanks for an awesome tour Will!

 

How do you explore on your vacations?

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