Explore

Explore (v)-to travel over new territory for adventure or discovery.

The idea of new territory and the adventure of something different brings me to the outdoors time and again. While scouting a trip today on the Ashley River, Zach Fisher and I set our eyes on a piece of winding creek that we had each never seen before. This narrow piece of water that carved through the estuary made the fauna along the bank seem larger than ever. As we rounded the corner and jumped up our first Great Blue Heron of the day it was easy to believe the beautiful bird's wings stretched far beyond six feet.

This was by no means the first time I had seen a Great Blue Heron, however all of a sudden it seemed just a little bit different. The change was where I was paddling. Each new sight brought great fun. We paddled up to a drawbridge for the railroad tracks that created some neat eddies and I decided to film a sweep roll under the bridge.

With so many beautiful rivers and freshwater swamps there is such a great opportunity in South Carolina to change your scenery an almost infinite number of times.

Coastal Expeditions is blessed with four on water locations along the coast of South Carolina, however our adventures stretch far beyond there. At Coastal one of our favorite things to do is enjoy the gift that is the Francis Marion National Forest. Kayaking on blackwater through Bald Cypress and Tupelo trees for the first time is surreal.

In the following months Coastal Expeditions will be putting on trips that change the scenery. In March join Heidi Champion and I on a tour from our Folly Creek location under the light of a full moon, and then in April discover the treasure of blackwater paddling along the Wambaw.

-Capt. J Chris

Boneyard Beach through the eyes of Patrick Harwood

Bulls Island Species List: 18 Feb 2011

(Click on image to enlarge)

Experiencing Bulls Island

At 5000 acres, Bulls Island is the largest island within Cape Romain NWR and is the only island within Cape Romain with large interior freshwater impoundments and a well-developed maritime forest. Having this federally-protected wildlife refuge within this pristine ecosystem allows for tremendous species diversity and population densities.

Last week as part of the annual guide training for our naturalists at Coastal Expeditions, we explored Bulls Island and categorized flora and fauna that we were seeing along the way. While it's not a complete list (we left off all plants, insects and many of the shells and animals from our beach exploration), it's an impressive list of 76 species. Seeing this reminded me of how important it is for us to properly steward Bulls Island and all of Cape Romain so that it can continue to be a haven for sensitive species like wood storks, loggerhead sea turtles and American oystercatchers.

Of the 76 total species, we categorized 63 different birds. One of those species, the American oystercatcher, is considered a bio-indicator species. When you have a thriving population of American oystercatchers it indicates that you have a thriving oyster population. And since oysters need clean water to establish and colonize, oysters are a way to tell if the estuary is free of pollutants.

We're happy to say that Cape Romain is home to the largest population of American oystercatchers in the world and the majority of them overwinter in these waters.

During our island exploration, we counted 37 alligators on Alligator Alley taking advantage of the unseasonably warm temperatures. We identified the scat of bobcat, otter and white-tail deer. The shoreline was covered with the egg casings of whelks and moon snails. It wasn't hard to imagine why Bulls Island and surrounding Cape Romain has been called the "Galapagos of the Eastern seaboard".

This wilderness area needs sustained stewardship and there are several ways to support Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge. One is to visit Bulls Island; A portion of the fee for ferry service to Bulls Island is appropriated back to the refuge for conservation, land and water management, sea turtle protection and other wildlife projects. And with 16 miles of hiking trails, over seven miles of undeveloped shoreline and the magnificent Boneyard Beach, Bulls Island is yours for exploration.

Another way is to become a volunteer with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, particularly during sea turtle nesting season. And if you don't have the time to visit often or have a group or business that would like to help, adopt a sea turtle nest through seaturtle.org.

Sunrise on Bulls Island

GUIDES: CHRIS CROLLEY, HEIDI CHAMPION, KRISTINA WHEELER
LOCATION: BULLS ISLAND, CAPE ROMAIN NWR

Getting the whole picture

GUIDE: CHRIS CROLLEY
LOCATION: SHEM CREEK

Last winter, the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CACVB) filmed guides Chris Crolley and Ian Sanchez on Shem Creek as part of their campaign to highlight the best that Charleston has to offer.

Visit Charleston, SC

On the Water in Charleston

Experience Charleston fully by kayaking the Lowcountry waterways

It's beautiful on the water

GUIDE: COREY WEBB

LOCATION: CHARLESTON

It's beautiful on the water! from Corey Webb on Vimeo.