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The Johns Islander

Curated by Mike Olson · eXp Realty

Online · Johns Island, SC · Seabrook · Kiawah

Wooden dock with rope rails running out over spartina marsh and a tidal creek at sunset

Charters · tours · excursions

Get out on the water

Dolphins, sunsets, shelling, kayaks, a boat of your own for the day, horses on the beach and a day on Wadmalaw — who runs each trip, where it leaves from and what they charge.

Last verified

Supplied by Mike Olson

Pick your trip

  • Staying on Kiawah

    The resort's tours start inside the gate, Coastal Expeditions is at Kiawah River on the Johns Island side, and Bohicket Marina is just past Freshfields. Off-island visitors booking a resort activity show the confirmation email at Kiawah's gate.

    Source: kiawahresort.com

  • Staying on Seabrook

    Bohicket Marina and Andell Bluff are just outside your gate — most boat trips leave from there. Seabrook's own boat ramp is for property owners and the guests with them, boats up to 14 feet and 15 hp.

    Source: seabrookisland.com

  • Staying on Johns Island or Wadmalaw

    No gates to clear. The Angel Oak, the Tea Garden and Deep Water Vineyard make a day on their own, and the whimbrel trips leave from Cherry Point Landing on Wadmalaw.

    Source: charlestonteagarden.com

Five rules for every trip on the water

Before you go out

  • Check the captain

    Before you pay, ask to see the captain's Coast Guard credential. A boat carrying more than six paying passengers should show a Coast Guard inspection decal.

    law.cornell.edu · news.uscg.mil

  • Kids in life jackets

    Children under 12 must wear a Coast Guard–approved life jacket on any boat under 16 feet, and every boat must carry one for each person aboard.

    scstatehouse.gov · dnr.sc.gov

  • Idle near docks

    Idle speed within 50 feet of docks, moored boats and people in the water, and within 100 yards of the ocean beach — plus any posted no-wake buoys. Fines run $50 to $300.

    scstatehouse.gov

  • Driving a rental

    Anyone born after July 1, 2007 needs a boating safety certificate, the rental company's safety certificate, or a qualified adult aboard to run a boat of 10 hp or more.

    scstatehouse.gov

  • Dolphins

    By boat, stay at least 50 yards away, and never feed them — it's harmful and illegal.

    fisheries.noaa.gov

Dolphins strand-feed on the islands’ beaches around low tide — Island Today has today’s window and the rules for watching from shore.

Dolphins and the marsh, by boat

Prices and times as each business published them on October 13, 2026. Book and confirm with them.

Sunset cruises and sailing

Prices and times as each business published them on October 13, 2026. Book and confirm with them.

Wide sandbar beach at Captain Sam's Inlet, Seabrook Island

Captain Sams Inlet, at Seabrook's north end

Photo: chucka_nc, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)

The rules first

Shelling trips

The shelling boats land on barrier-island beaches they don’t name. The two islands people usually mean have strict state rules:

Deveaux Bank

SCDNR's seabird sanctuary at the mouth of the North Edisto, off Seabrook

  • Closed to the public in nesting season, March 15 to October 15.
  • No dogs, ever. Never enter a posted nesting area. No vehicles, bikes or horses.
  • In 2024 SCDNR closed the whole sanctuary for nesting season, sandbars included. Fines run up to $465 and 30 days in jail.
  • Outside the season, check SCDNR's current closure map before you land anywhere on it. Report a violation: 1-800-922-5431.

SCDNR (1) · SCDNR (2) · SCDNR (3) · SCDNR (4)

Botany Bay

SCDNR's Botany Bay Plantation Wildlife Management Area, on the Edisto side

  • Look, don't take: collecting shells, fossils, driftwood or artifacts is prohibited.
  • No dogs on the beach. Every visitor needs a day-use pass.
  • Closed from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. Reach the beach on foot, by bike or by boat.

SCDNR (1)

Prices and times as each business published them on October 13, 2026. Book and confirm with them.

Kayaks and paddleboards

Tours need no experience unless they say so; the resort’s marsh rentals do. Age limits are on each card.

Prices and times as each business published them on October 13, 2026. Book and confirm with them.

A boat of your own for the day

The self-drive rental we found on the islands with its own booking: Bohicket Boat Rentals at the marina. Read “Driving a rental” above before you go.

  • Bohicket Boat Rentals

    Center console (fits 10), 150 hp

    Half day $250–$520, full day $400–$750

    4 or 8 hours · Bohicket Marina, 1880 Andell Bluff Blvd. · (843) 768-1280

    Renters must be 23 or older. Dockside orientation and a chart on board.

  • Bohicket Boat Rentals

    20-foot pontoon (up to 10), 70 hp

    Half day $350–$700, full day $500–$1,050

    4 or 8 hours · Bohicket Marina, 1880 Andell Bluff Blvd. · (843) 768-1280

    Renters must be 23 or older.

Prices and times as each business published them on October 13, 2026. Book and confirm with them.

The whimbrel trips

In spring, whimbrels come in at dusk to roost on Deveaux Bank. These trips watch from the water.

Johns Island · Wadmalaw · Kiawah · Seabrook

On land

As each place published it on October 13, 2026. Bikes delivered to your door are on Getting here.

With kids

Who can join is on each card — some programs are only for resort guests or Club pass holders.

Prices and times as each business published them on October 13, 2026. Book and confirm with them.

One trip off the islands

Nothing on the islands goes to the Morris Island lighthouse. These two go from the Folly side.

Prices and times as each business published them on October 13, 2026. Book and confirm with them.

Fishing charters — inshore, shark, nearshore and offshore, with every SCDNR rule — are on the fishing guide.

Gullah heritage tours: we haven’t found one with its own website that stops on Johns Island or Wadmalaw. If you run one or know one, tell us.

For rental hosts and the fridge door

The phone list

Every business on this page, A to Z. Print it for your rental’s guest book — the button prints just this list.

From thejohnsislander.com/excursions · checked October 13, 2026

Quick answers

Where can I see dolphins near Kiawah and Seabrook?

Boat tours leave from Bohicket Marina and Andell Bluff on Bohicket Creek, from Coastal Expeditions at Kiawah River, and from the Kiawah resort. A shared-boat tour starts at $65 a person, as published in October 2026. By boat, stay 50 yards away and never feed them.

Can I take shells home from Botany Bay?

No. SCDNR prohibits collecting shells, fossils, driftwood or artifacts at Botany Bay, and dogs aren't allowed on its beach.

Can I land on Deveaux Bank?

Not from March 15 to October 15 — it's closed for nesting season, and dogs are never allowed. In 2024 SCDNR closed the whole sanctuary for the season. Outside those dates, check SCDNR's current closure map before you land.

Do kids need life jackets on a boat in South Carolina?

Children under 12 must wear a Coast Guard–approved life jacket on boats under 16 feet, and every boat must carry a wearable life jacket for each person aboard.

Can day visitors book the Kiawah resort's tours?

The resort prices its paddle tours for its own guests and KICA members and for guests of other rental companies. Off-island visitors who book a resort activity show the confirmation email at Kiawah's gate; call (843) 768-6001 to confirm the tour you want.

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Keep going

Shrimp trawlers tied up at a working dock

Shrimp boats in the Lowcountry

Photo by Scott Greer on Unsplash

Two ways in

Talk it through with Mike, or ask Val — the guide’s AI assistant, answering from this site’s sourced facts.

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