Coastal Expeditions

Coastal Expeditions is the premier Ecotour business in the Charleston and Mt Pleasant area. If you want to see, enjoy and learn about the local, unique natural habitats this area has to offer, Coastal Expeditions has the field trip for you. Barrier island exploration by ferry and hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, kids summer camps and more are offered with expert guides sharing fascinating information about the local history and culture, as well as teaching you the captivating secrets of the local flora and fauna. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

We saw dolphins, lots of birds. even a king fisher and osprey. it was extremely windy and difficult to paddle against the wind and tide. our guide Liz, did the best she could with us under those conditions. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

The staff at Coastal Expeditions is the best around. They’re knowledgable about the tides, wind, and water conditions so they can recommend the best possible paddle for you on any given day. Plus there’s ample parking, as a bonus. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

We took the Bulls Island Beach Drop excursion this past weekend. It was wonderful! The boat ride was great. We got to see lots of dolphins! Will and Nick were wonderful! Hearing Will give a history of the area and talking about the wildlife and shells was just as great as the island itself! Will definitely do this again! My 2 children enjoyed it as well! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Did the Bull Island Drop yesterday! What a awesome trip! The boat ride, the beach and the shells and sand dollars were awesome! Nick and Will were terrific! Learned and saw so much! Looking forward to another trip very soon. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Did the Bull Island Drop yesterday! WOW! What a trip! The boat ride, beach combing treasures galore! Nick and Will were awesome! Learned so much. Planning another trip very soon! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Hey from Sevierville,TN! Today we went to Morris island! It was such a great experience. The captain and the guide (Anna) were so helpful and knowledgeable and made the experience so much fun! !! Definitely will recommend to others and will come back!!! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Very good experience had so much fun and learned a lot from our Captain on ferry to Morris Island and learned a lot from Anna our guide after we got there, then had most of day to play and explore.

Reviewed on Facebook

Absolutely amazing tour of the creek, our guide David was informative, professional but mostly a lot of fun. Thank you

Reviewed on Facebook

Went kayaking for the first time with my work family and our guide, David, was awesome! I loved every minute and definitely going to do again. Thank you David!

Reviewed on Yelp

Amazing time and great guides with plenty of knowledge. Look forward to another trip to explore more of Bull Island

Reviewed on Facebook

Did the dolphin cruise out of Hunting Island! Loved Capt. Henry and TJ!!! Great time!!!

Reviewed on Facebook

The staff was great and the kayaking was just as good. We had a great morning on Shem Creek. We will be back !!

Reviewed on Facebook

We have enjoyed many trips with Coastal Expeditions over the years. They have always done a great job, Bulls Island, Folly Kayaking (many times! ), today did IoP Kayaking tour with Katy. Great day, floated out with the dolphins, lots of birds and just enjoyed the beauty of the estuary. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Coastal Expeditions is such a terrific way to view and learn about the beautiful barrier islands around Charleston, South Carolina; on a sea kayak, paddle board or motor boat. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Great experience! We decided the morning of that this is something we wanted to do and called to reserve paddle boards. Once we arrived, we changed our minds to kayak. The staff was great and got us setup. On our way out we stopped to chat with the staff and everyone was very friendly. Overall...The experience was amazing and as a plus we ended up seeing four dolphins in the creek. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

The Boneyard at sunrise is a truly magical experience! Looking forward to my next trip on August 24, which will be my eleventh excursion with this company. If you have been there before, chances are likely you'll go again. If you've never been there, by all means go! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

This morning's sunrise tour, kayaking in Folley Creek was beautiful!! Our guide, Scott was GREAT! Not only was the sunrise spectacular, dolphins swimming with their young all around us, and all sorts of birds searching for their breakfast, but Scott taught us so much about the nature around us and life in the estuary. Certainly an amazing way to start the day More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Did the two-hour kayak tour of Shem Creek with Brody and Ellen today.  We had a morning departure at low tide with very light winds.  Perfect conditions apparently for Shem Creek (especially in SC summer heat).  What a fantastically fun time on the water, learning about native species, tidewater ecosystems, the local economy, and SC history and conservation.  Our two boys had a great time and we would definitely recommend this tour company to others.  We saw dolphin, manatee, osprey, pelican, and plenty of other birds.  Thanks! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We have done several kayak tours and loved every experience. Most recently, our son attended the Maritime Camp. It was such an amazing experience for him. He came home daily excited to share all that he had seen and learned. Nice job and great experience as always! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

My husband, mother-in-law, 2 young kids, and I did the 2 hour family tour on IOP and it was amazing! Our guide, Scott, was very knowledgeable and made the trip extremely kid friendly. I would highly recommend this as a must-do in Charleston. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Amazing time as always! Love coming here and the amazing customer service you provide. Best paddle board and kayak rentals in Shem creek

Reviewed on Yelp

Our bachelorette group booked the paddle board trip and we had a blast! Loved going at our own pace.

Reviewed on Yelp

My wife, daughter, and I enjoyed ourselves greatly today on a Kayak tour. It was our 1st time in a kayak, and I don't know why we're waited so long to go. We smiled the entire tour. It was totally worth it, and we already can't wait to go again! Thanks Nick Smillie! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Great Guide and instructor Scott Depung Jr! Kayaking Isle of the Palms is a bucket list for Charleston. I will definitely do it again!

Reviewed on Facebook

We had the most amazing time on Shem Creek. Liz was an excellent tour guide. Her energy and disposition made our group of friends feel like she was another friend joining us for an adventure! We saw a dolphin within 5 minutes and continued to see them! I will definitely go back next time I’m in town. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Very friendly staff. A great, chill atmosphere that makes you feel like a local. I've been paddle boarding and kayaking with their equipment and have always seen lots of dolphins and other local wildlife. They have a reusable water bottle full of cold water for only $4. Get it. *Also, someone on here complained about tipping.  Dude, if you owned your own board (at least $500) you'd have to put it on your car, tie it down with a belt-crank system( $750), drive to the water, take it off the car, and walk it to the water (or buy a $5mil waterfront property) so I think it's worth it to thank the kids who carry it to the dock and get you safely on the water so you can spend your energy on paddling past the dolphins and manatees.   There has never been pressure to tip. It's the same credit card system all small businesses have. Tip your barista. Thank your pilot. Be cool. See you guys soon. ‍ More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Fantastic, polite/friendly, professional staff. Really enjoyed our tour & our awesome tour guide! Will be back

Reviewed on Facebook

We had a fantastic kayak tour of Folly Creek. Our guide David was thorough with instruction and very knowledgable about the wildlife and ecosystem. We will surely return for another tour! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

We had so much fun on the ferry trip to bull island. Definitely a trip to remember :)

Reviewed on Facebook

My husband and I decided to spend our anniversary kayaking in Charleston. Neither of us had much kayaking experience prior to this. Our guide, Dallas, was amazing. His joking nature put both of us at ease right from the start. I was completely blown away by his knowledge of the wildlife along the creek. As an elementary teacher, I love any opportunity to have fun and learn something at the same time. I would recommend Dallas and the rest of Coastal Expeditions to anyone. My husband and I are already planning our next trip. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

My husband and I loved our experience with Coastal Expeditions! We booked a kayak for 2 for 4 hours for only $50! We went to the inlet where we kayaked through gorgeous neighborhoods and beautiful landscape! Then, we went another route to the bay where we experienced pelicans and dolphins feeding off of fishing boats within feet from us! We loved being so close to the coastal nature, it allowed us to experience the area like never before! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Coastal Expeditions. Nick took us out for an amazing sunrise paddle board tour. We saw dolphins, manatees and many different species of birds . Nick was able to explain so much to us. Thank you so much for an amazing experience! We’ve already recommended this to several people we know and will continue to recommend it to everyone! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

My 2 best friends and I went on a sunrise paddle board excursion this morning with Nick Smilie. We were very fortunate to see a couple dolphins and a couple manatees! It was AMAZING and we could not have had a better time! Nick has such a great personality, is extremely knowledgeable, and made it so much fun!! We highly recommend Coastal Expeditions!! Nick - You totally rock and we can’t thank you enough for giving us the best sunrise expedition!! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Had the most amazing sunrise paddle board experience this morning. Nick was absolutely the perfect guide! He’s super friendly, knowledgeable and fun! We saw manatees and dolphins. Highly recommend! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Awesome experience. We saw dolphins multiple times and our tour guide, Scott was both helpful and knowledgeable about the wildlife in the area. Lots of fun and I would love to come back and bring my entire family next time. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Our group of 13 rented kayaks with Coastal Expeditions and we enjoyed exploring Shem Creek. They made the process easy. They instruct you, give you a map, life vests, even sunglasses and sunscreen if needed. You can buy inexpensive metal water bottles that clip to your kayak if you forget water. They help you in and out of the water and take great care of you! Excited to paddle board in the future or explore their guided tours. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Great place! The staff were all very knowledgeable and helpful with our kayak rental, and made the process smooth! They even pointed out to us the best places to see wildlife nearby and tide information to make the paddling easier. We ended up seeing dolphins and manatees! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Great tour! Nolan was our tour guide and he did a great job. Really enjoyed the sunset tour on Shem Creek

Reviewed on Facebook

Great experience! Knowledgeable staff - super easy map and great directions! We saw dolphins, manatee and various birds! Super excursion! ❤️

Reviewed on Facebook

This place is SO COOL and the staff are incredible!

Reviewed on Facebook

So glad we found this! These folks were super accommodating and helpful... and nice! We texted (per the website) pretty late the night before and the next morning had a "see you soon! " message from them. Would absolutely come here again, and that's saying a lot for me - the water terrifies me! Lol More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Awesome people and service! Choose them for Sup!

Reviewed on Facebook

We had an awesome time with Samantha last night on our paddle board excursion! She was very knowledgeable and very fun and made the trip awesome! We even got to see some dolphins as well! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Nick and Anna were fantastic guides on the Folly Creek kayak tour. We saw some dolphins and learned about the salt marshes. The views were incredible. Would definitely do it again More...

Reviewed on Facebook