July Full Moon Tour 7/22/13 at 8pm

If you missed our once a year July 4th Fireworks Tour, then you should definitely jump on our next Full Moon Tour.

The next full moon is July 22nd, and our tour is scheduled from 8pm-10pm that evening.  This is an excellent tour for both beginner and experienced kayakers, designed as a relaxing evening under the full moon.

This will be our third Full Moon Tour of 2013. The June tour brought dolphins galore along with an exciting trip that was memorable for all members. Check out some of the stories here:  TripAdvisor Review

There is nothing quite like paddling along Folly Creek with only glow sticks lighting up adjacent boats and the moon guiding you on your journey.  This is an experience to be had by all, and we hope you will be able to make it out!

4th of July Fireworks Tour!!!

A Once A Year Independence Day Special! 

This Thursday night at 8pm join us for an amazing time on Folly Creek. We will be paddling just far enough so you have the very best and least crowded seat to watch the fireworks from Folly Beach.

The Fireworks tour is a two hour tour beginning at 8pm ending at 10pm. We are offering both a kayak tour and paddle board tour as two separate tours, both departing from our location on Bowens Island. If you haven't had a dolphin splash right up next to you at night, then this week is the time to do it! Call anytime to make a reservation and ask any questions you would like.  Hope to see you here!

Three of our favorite guides

Fishing with Captain Will!

The ever incredible Miss Cooper

Salty Brad

The Calming, yet Incredible Experience of a Lifetime

Did you realize its summer? The dolphins have certainly realized it. The young offspring are gliding up and down along the creek with their parents in pods of just 2 all the way up to pods of 8 or 9. I had the privileged of paddling next to a pod of 7 the other morning, which included 3 young pups and 4 adults. The mother seems to almost help push the young calf out of the water to take a deep breath. 

Looks like this guy is splurging on the mullet a bit!

 Watching the dolphins grow up so close to you is an extraordinary experience. We call this back estuary the "nursery" because it really is where life starts. Captain Joe has been following several of these dolphins for years including, but not limited to, Notch Fin, Snaggle Tooth, and Machete. You'll have to ask him where all these names stem from though! 



Paddling with dolphins, without the congestion of boat traffic, is really an amazing experience. Folly Creek is one of the best places to paddle along side these brilliant creatures, you have to experience yourself!

Thank you Alloway family for enjoying this with us!

Full Moon Fireworks Eco Tours!

 

 

 

Is that ET?? Look close, its a Loggerhead Sea Turtles head!

COA June Newsletter

Full Moon Tours

Summer has finally arrived in Charleston and what a great last few weeks it’s been here at COA! The sun stayed with us daily for over two weeks and gave Charleston some perfect weather for Memorial Day and the beginning of June. Our Full Moon tour during May was a huge success, so Captain Joe has decided to make it even better. This month not only will you be paddling under the full moon, but there will also be a firework show! The June Full Moon Tour will be on June 22^nd and 23^rd from 8:30pm until 10:30pm.

Dolphins and the Morris Island Lighthouse

There are incredible amounts of dolphins swimming in the estuary. Captain Joe and Captain Will are amazed on every charter boat tour with the numbers of dolphins they are traveling with. On June 9^th, Captain Joe saw a baby dolphin that was no more than 2 weeks old! It’s great to see new life blooming in this nursery of an Eco-system.

Have you ever seen a Loggerhead Sea Turtle up close? Their huge heads are popping up all over Folly Creek! As an endangered animal and South Carolina’s state reptile, Loggerheads are a majestic sight to see. You have to keep your eyes ready though, they are too quick for the average camera man. Captain Joe’s count is up to 13 for the year.

mmm Red Drum

COA wants to give a warm welcome to Ben Powers and Christopher Ellis. Completing our excellent team of naturalists, these strapping young men bring a vast knowledge and expertise of fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding, and the eco-systems.

COA May Newsletter

Jurassic Park? Nope, just an awesome Pelican

Welcome to Charleston Outdoor Adventures’ May Newsletter! There has been a lot of exciting things happening on Bowens Island lately. The water temperature is up to 70 degrees, while the air temperature is still not exceedingly hot, which makes it perfect for being out on the water. The fishing has been great. Tripp caught an enormous Red Drum the other day, which he happily had to release because it was over the legal limit of 23 inches.

 

Cannonball jellyfish have been seen moving back into the area for over a month now, and we finally had our first sightings of the Loggerhead Sea turtle. With a head the size of a softball, the turtle popped up right in front of Brad while on tour and looked him straight in the eye.  Our most recent sighting was yesterday on Captain Joe’s Fishing Charter. 

Photography by William McKenzie

Brad has had excellent tours lately. Three days ago Brad’s tour was followed downstream by a pod of five dolphins and they sighted every bird in the area. The American Wood Stork has moved back into the area also. With a neck elongated while they fly and a wing span of up to 7 feet, the wood stork is a wonderful sight to see. For some people this will be the only chance to see one in person as they are on the endangered species list for South Carolina.   

This month on May 24^th and 25^th COA is adding two specialty Full Moon tours. We will depart from Bowens Island at 8pm as the sun is starting to set and return back to dock at 10pm when the full moon is lighting the way from above the horizon. The beauty of this tour is from the peaceful ambiance of the salt marsh as you paddle past oyster beds, sunken boats, docks, and Spartina Grass that look quite different from the daytime hours. Your Naturalist will not only take you safely through the tidal flats, but will also explain about all wildlife encountered and histories of the area. Full Moon tours can be enjoyed from the seat of a kayak or while standing on a paddle board. If you would like to add yourself to one of these tours, you can do so by calling the COA office anytime at (843)795-0330.

Check out that barn!!

The most exciting part of May so far has been that COA is finally completely rebuilt and has a full fleet of kayaks and paddle boards. The COA kayak barn now has its final coats of paint with a great new sign centered on the top. The barn is fully stocked with kayaks, SUPs, and good times to be had. It looks great as the last building on Bowens Island with a fresh green finish. The new 12 passenger Carolina Skiff has also been busy running charters out to the Morris Island Lighthouse. Named “Sampson I” after Captain Joe’s loyal companion. You’re entire group can enjoy the ride from the boat while basking in the sun and taking in all the scenery and wildlife around Folly Creek and surrounding Eco-systems. 

Last Thursday the entire crew was together including our four seasoned guides and two new additions.  At 6am we were out on the water in kayaks, taking in the rising sun for our “on water” safety protocol training. All naturalist went over all of our safety techniques, knot tying skills, towing, and vessel rescues. Stay tuned for Fireworks tour dates in the coming months ahead!

Joe, Will and Tripp

Betsy and Brad

If you have any questions, comments, or would like to catch up with someone from COA, I will gladly answer your call in the office or respond to your email! Thank you for reading our May news update, and hope to see you in the near future if possible!

 

Don't forget to pick up a new COA T-shirt!!!

That's me on the left after early morning training

Anna Sullivan

Dolphin Tamer, Naturalist, PR

Charleston Outdoor Adventures LLC
Office#  843.795.0330
www.charlestonoutdooradventures.com

Oyster Roast on Bowens Island!!! TODAY

Come out to Bowens Island today to rent a kayak and then eat some oysters! The Island is bumpin' with people and you are certainly invited to join.

Its a gorgeous day to take out a kayak or paddle board. Come check out our new barn which is almost finished being under construction, give Joe a pat on the back for his hard work, and then get out in the sun!!

Call RIGHT now and catch this awesome experience by its toes:) (843) 795-0330

Kayak and SUP Barn In Progress

Good morning from Bowens Island! The water is looking beautiful this morning.  The sun is coming up and if we're lucky we'll break 60 today!
My name is Anna.  I am an educator and fluent in American Sign Language.  I love the outdoors, nature, wildlife, living healthy... you name it! I'll be keeping up with this blog until the end of the season, so please give me feedback or pictures you would like me to post! You will also be able to keep up with all the best news of COA. Enjoy!

The kayak barn is looking great.  Very excited to have a nice accessible place to keep all of the kayaks which will make life better for everyone! Hopefully it will be done later this week so we can get started on an awesome paint job!

Getting Ready For the Season

Beautiful day out here on Bowens Island.  The sun is finally out and the temperature is starting to warm up! We've been working on our new shed which will house all of the kayaks. It should be painted and ready to go soon!

Check out the website or call for a reservation (843) 795 - 0330.  And make sure to check back for adventures, stories, and photos soon to come!!!