Consider Us Featured

Hookin' a sweet red fish!

It's not every day that a film crew shows up to Bowens and tells you that they want to do a shoot with their host, a few kayaks, and dolphins. Coming soon to CNN HLN is a show called The Social Life. From what I gather, each episode will feature a city with the best things to do and best places to eat, with their host posting about it on his social media accounts.
After a fun kayak tour between Morris Island and Folly Beach, we also got to do a little fishing.

Over Labor Day weekend a lovely lady named Jenny who hosts FurReal TV came on a Morris Island Tour to get some amazing shots of dolphins and Captain Joe. 100% Success. This was a very fun experience and we hope to be on many various shows in the next few years!

Be on the lookout for the Charleston episodes and for some good shots of COA on it! You'll certainly recognize the Morris Island Lighthouse, Derek, and a few of Captain Joe's favorite dolphins.

2014 Annual Gear Sale

Light weight, durable SUP ATX

Our Annual Gear Sale has finally arrived! 

Corresponding with Follypalooza, we will begin selling our gear on October 18th at 11am at 1871 Bowens Island Road. You can stop in anytime that day onward to check out our gear and decide which excellent SUP you would like to buy. Cash or Card accepted

So much space!

Great for Yoga or a nice paddle

 We will be selling our 2014 Surftech Blacktip SUP Boards for $650. This is marked down from their MSRP price of $880, a savings of 26%! This includes a PFD (life-jacket), fin, and a one time paddle instruction tutorial. These boards are this years model and are excellent for beginners, family coming into town, bringing your dog for a stroll, and for SUP Yoga fanatics! They are durable, safe, and easy to handle. Measurements are 10ft 6in length and 33in width.

-

White SUP ATX*

We will be selling our 2013 White SUP ATX  Boards for $650. This is marked down from the MSRP price of $935, an excellent savings of 31%. This includes a jacket, fin, nose guard, rail tape, and instruction! I love riding this board out on the ocean or in the back creeks. It's light weight for transportation and easy to maneuver on the slight curves of Folly Creek. Measurements are 11ft length and 31in width.

This year we have decided that we are not selling any of our kayak fleet, but be on the lookout next year!


Thanks again!
-Anna

*- Model not included

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

June Full Moon Tour - Summer is Here!

Our next Full Moon Tour is this Thursday, June 12th at 8pm! This two hour tour paddles through the estuary, winding through small creeks, while passing birds, dolphins, and mysterious sunken boats.  This guided kayak eco-tour is $45 per person.

A collection of Morris Island Shells

June is a fabulous month in the estuary. The black skimmer has been gracing us with it's presence for the last few weeks while gliding over the surface of the water, scooping up small fish with it's larger lower bill. The cannonball jellyfish can be seen all over Charleston, washing up on beaches and floating through our waterways. The loggerheads like these jellies as an excellent supplement to their already balanced diet. Don't worry, these jellies don't sting!


COA wants to extend a warm welcome to a few new staff members really completing our team here on Bowens Island. You can be sure to have a fun time on the water with our talented Dolphin whisperer, Alex, who calls the dolphins out on tour. Molly studies Opera at school when she's not rock climbing or kayaking, and is excited to lead you on your next adventure through the estuary. Luke is our SUP specialist and can show you all the best tricks while out on the water, even when paddling backwards or standing on his head. George, Will, and Pri are our landing coordinators and they are excited to put you out on your next rental. Whether you are here to go kayaking or paddle boarding, these guys will help you out with full paddle instruction and will go over a map with you before they get you out on the water.
See you on the water soon!

Full Moon Tours - April 26th at 7:30pm

Last year we started doing full moon tours and they were a huge success.  It is time to start bringing them back again!  The first full moon tour will be this month on Friday, April 26th.  This is a two hour tour. We begin the tour at 7:30pm just before the brilliance of the sunset 7:57. You will be led out into the estuary by an excellent naturalist for a two hour adventure into the tidal flats behind Folly while being lit by the moon.  Both kayaking and paddle boarding will be an option.  Continue scrolling for pictures from last years May full moon tour.  I hope to hear from you soon!

Your choice of kayak or paddle board

Everyone can paddle board! Start out on your knees, and then stand up!

Sun setting over our sea kayaks

Full Moon from a tour last May

Your link for more information on our tours!

-Anna and Jackson

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.

Man we are good looking!

Anna, Betsy, and Joe chillin in the office

Today, Joe decided that Betsy and I are endangered species.  As all natural ladies, her an ocean eyed red head and me a blue eyed blonde, we get thoroughly burnt. What do you think about us somehow managing to get sponsored by a sunscreen company like Coppertone? We're going to start working on a video to submit, but any ideas of how we could become famous would be great!
Our facebook status said that this weekend was going to be awesome, and today it proved true.  Had a beautiful sunny day today.  Betsy and I brushed up on all the proper verbiage for our paddle instruction and are ready to get some more people out on the water.  It may be February still, but our faces are already soaking in the sun.  Come enjoy it with us!
 xoxo,
Anna