Labor Day 2014

Labor Day is right around the corner and beautiful weather is coming with it! After one of the hottest weeks in recent years, highs in the 80s sound wonderful. This weekend will be the perfect time to practice all of your newest yoga moves on paddle boards and find more dolphins and other wildlife in the small creeks behind Folly on kayaks. The butterflies and dragonflies are in their migration period in South Carolina, and the marsh is fluttering with the quiet sounds of their wings. The strand feeding has been incredible lately as well. Late summer and fall is the best time to see the dolphins various feeding techniques.

Don’t forget our next Full Moon Kayak Tour on Saturday, September 6^th at 7pm. This will be one of the best full moon paddles of the year with slightly cooler temperatures and less of a chance of afternoon showers.

Derek and Susan, his outfit was perfect for paddling

This summer has been a blast. Our crew of 12 was a fantastic group of hard, dedicated workers who helped bring a lot of tourists and locals into the heart of the low country. Derek used his hard earned skills and paddled across a lake to ask for his girlfriends’ hand in marriage and luckily she said yes! The famous Rick Watkins is back in town for one month from Mammoth, CA to lead you on a kayak tour. He was conducting Bird surveys and looking for Willow Flycatchers, a Californian endangered species, in Tahoe National Forrest. You can be sure he will identify all of your favorite birds while out on the water!
 

Lori and John on their engagement Kayak Tour

School is back in session now in the South, but our rental livery is still ready to tour the estuary. In fact, we are open to do kayak tours all year round! During Thanksgiving week, feel free to give us a call. The Samson I will be carrying Dolphin and Morris Island Tours out near the legendary Lighthouse, and Kayak Tours will still be paddling through the small creeks as well. Be on the lookout for the dates of our annual gear sale which will be launching in early November.

Can't wait to see you all there!
Anna and the COA Crew

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

Location: such a Small but Powerful Detail

Dolphins gliding closely with us as we paddled

Charleston Outdoor Adventures is fortunate to have many wonderful attributes. Great staff, excellent equipment, over 50 years of combined experience and a wealth of knowledge about the estuary and wildlife that surrounds us just to name a few. Today I wanted to highlight one in particular; Location.
The office sits just over the spartina grass with great views of the estuary. As you keep walking, you go out on a dock that sits over Folly Creek and has some of the best views of the sunset that you can ask for, especially when it reflects off the water. Folly Creek, with its minimal boat traffic, provides easy access to multiple tidal creeks that give shelter and are home to many various birds, crabs, and fish. With the Maritime forest in the background, just standing on the dock you will see Pelican, Double Crested Cormorants, Terns, Black Skimmers, Egrets, Heron, Wood Stork, and even Dolphins passing by underneath you.

Now imagine being back in one of the smaller creeks in a kayak or on a paddle board, quietly paddling, and one of these magnificent animals is within feet of you. Now you are able to study this bird more closely, while listening to your guide keenly explain their history, way of life, or special characteristics.
Picture yourself tucked away among the oyster beds in Kings Flats Creek, as the sun is setting, and the tide is dropping. A group of pelicans are resting on the water, when without warning a pair of dolphins surface within feet of your boat. This was an experience I was able to share with Amy and Tony this past week. Choosing to come to Charleston for their 40th wedding anniversary, these two were an excellent couple to paddle with. While standing on the landing after our tour was over, Tony said, "That was magnificent. Thank you so much."

Tony and Amy sharing a tandem

Come have your own magnificent experience. I, and everyone at COA would love to be a part of creating wonderful memories for you and your family.

-Anna, chasing sunsets and taming dolphins daily.

Dolphin under the shining sun with Pelicans following from above

Charleston Outdoor Adventures Days part 1

Folly Beach Sunrise

I woke up extra early this morning (which was easy because I somehow fell asleep at 7 last night) and made it all the way to the Folly Beach Pier to catch the sunrise.  It was a beauty. Cloudy enough so the pink really came through at dawn.   Luckily, the weather only went down to 50 last night, so it was nice sitting out with my travel mug of coffee. This was a great sign for the morning in front of me, as today was our annual Adventures Days.  I stopped at the Lost Dog Cafe for an awesome sausage, egg, and cheese croissant to go and some delicious coffee on my way to Bowens Island.

My favorite picture from the day

Casey from Tides

Monty looking excellent.

This year, our Adventures Days is really special because it was almost like a grand reopening for us.  "Bigger and Better" is a true statement after the fire last August.  We have more kayaks, more paddle boards, and a new 12 person charter boat to go with our current 6 passenger boat.  The Tides and Vendue Inn each sent a few of their front desk and concierge personnel to come on their own tours with us. COA likes to give back to the community, and especially those who help the visitors of Charleston find out about us and place reservations. By nine o'clock we had 6 people on our dolphin boat tour with Joe, 5 on our kayak tour with Tripp, and 2 on our stand up paddle board tour with Little Bill.

I was just kidding that your smile would break the camera...

I went out on the kayak tour with 4 guys from Vendue, and Brian from The Tides. We swung by the old shrimp boat, cruised past the dock, and landed ourselves in King Flats.  The tide was super high so we didn't have to worry about knocking into oysters and could see clear over the spartina grass. The weather continued to be great too. It was finally warm enough to work up a sweat, but still comfortable with the breeze.  The water was like glass and we just coasted on top.

All smiles here! This was just before you went dolphin chasing

On the way back in we were finally graced with the presence of dolphins.  Swimming right in front of us and then under us. We caught up with Will and the paddle boarders right before heading to the landing.  At the same time Joe was pulling in with his charter.  Apparently, "dolphins had been following us from the beginning", Joe said, they were "cruising right for us". Next time I better keep my ears open from the get go!

We all came back together just before the dock

Even with the early start, I thought today was fantastic. I'm excited for Part 2 tomorrow!!

Thanks for coming out Tides and Vendue Inn!

-Anna, your most bubbly naturalist

Twilight Paddle with Mike and Louise

 At four o'clock Mike and Louise got out on the water to begin their sunset kayak tour being led by Will.  Barely leaving the landing we were suddenly accompanied by a pod of at least 5 dolphins swimming just to the north of us.  Their tails were coming high out of the water which means that they were diving deep to eat some delicious fish. We were able to drift with them for a bit and watch as their skin glistened off the late sun every time they came up for air. 

We made our way across the glossy water over into King Flats Creek where we paddled upstream so that we could take the current home. Mike and Louise are quite the pair.  Mike was a 7th grade science teacher for 35 years and Louise has been in pharmacy for 50+ years.

All the way from Southern Wisconsin, this was their first time visiting the south east coast, staying at the Residence Inn for 5 days before going down to Hilton Head to stay with friends. Louise raved about the breakfast that the Residence Inn offered every morning. They thoroughly enjoyed walking around downtown and the tour they took of one of the downtown mansions. Their favorite restaurants so far were Hominy Grill and Fleet Landing. 

They were an excellent couple to paddle with.  Being a retired science teacher, this was the perfect birthday present for Mike.  At 65 years young, Mike strolled the estuary while asking great questions so we were able to really delve deep into Will's expertise of the three cohesive eco-systems that we are surrounded by. 

 

 
 With the breeze at our backs, we easily paddled in as the sun set low under the clouds.  It may have been only 50 degrees on the first day of March, but it was certainly nice paddling weather.