Barrier Island EcoTours

Tours & Activities, Nature & Parks, Family & Fun

Barrier Island EcoTours

Barrier Island EcoTours offers a variety of naturalist-guided boat tours and fishing charters departing from the Isle of Palms, SC. We offer public and private charters aboard our 42-passenger covered pontoon boats equipped with restrooms and beach ramps. Choose from our Capers Island Wildlife Exploration, Dolphin Discovery Sunset, Blue Crabbing Excursion (with crab boil on the beach), or our Lowcountry Boil Beachside Cookout. We also offer private charters aboard our 16-passenger and 6-passenger boats for smaller groups who want a private eco tour, fishing charter, beachside cookout, crabbing experience, or a combination of activities (see Family Fun Day). Most of our excursions include time spent exploring the salt marsh with your naturalist guide and making a stop at Capers Island Heritage Preserve. Along the way, we sail through beautiful saltwater creek channels, set out crab traps, toss cast nets, and place specimens in our onboard touch tank for up close interactive learning. Our experienced naturalists work wonders with people of all ages, paying special attention to those youngsters interested in nature. Typically, you will encounter multiple pods of bottlenose dolphins, various types of shorebirds, waders, oyster beds, and other sea creatures. The Capers Island Preserve is an untouched barrier island preserved from development. A standout feature is Cape’s "Boneyard Beach," a sculpture garden made of weather-beaten trees spread across the shoreline due to erosion. You have choices...

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Inshore Fishing Charter

Book a private inshore fishing charter for you and your family or friends! Fish our tidal creeks and salt marshes with your experienced guide, who takes you fishing for redfish, sea trout, flounder, sharks, and many others. With a private charter, you may choose to go after certain species or let the captain put you on what fish will be the most productive for the time of year, day, and tide. You may just want to ensure your kids have plenty of action, attention, and positive encouragement to ensure they stay interested and want to become future fishers.

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Blue Crabbing Excursion

Venture out on our shaded excursion vessel to Capers Island preserve and crab the old fashioned way, with a hand line and net. Your naturalist guide pulls a few crab traps and shares their knowledge about the life history of blue crabs and stone crabs. You also get an eco-tour, learning about dolphins and other wildlife encountered along the way. While crabbing from the beach, you can also swim or explore Capers Island. The grand finale is a crab boil where fresh steamed crabs bought from our local crabber that morning are dumped on the table, served with butter and Old Bay! It’s a fantastic trip for the whole family! We catch and release the ones we catch but bring plenty of crabs along and ice-cold watermelon to ensure everyone has plenty to eat! It doesn’t get any better than fresh steamed crabs on a pristine barrier island beach! Our vessel comes equipped with a restroom and beaching ramp.

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Family Fun Day

Immerse your family in the pristine beauty of our salt marshes and barrier islands on a private boat excursion. Your naturalist guide engages your family in learning about the marine life you encounter along the way as you pull crab traps and throw cast nets. Spend time dolphin watching, fishing, crabbing, and exploring Capers Island. Simply charter the boat and guide by the hour, and all equipment and activities are included in the hourly rate. If your family likes to fish or wants to learn to fish, this is the trip for you. Our experienced guides are great with all skill levels and will keep the kids entertained catching a variety of fish in the calm waters of the salt marsh including: sea trout, red fish, whiting, sharks, rays, croaker, pinfish, sheepshead and many more. You may choose to fish for just part of the trip or the whole time. You may even choose to end the trip with a Lowcountry boil or hamburgers and hot dogs grilled on the beach. We always bring an ice-cold watermelon for extra refreshment! Your kids are sure to come home with a wealth of knowledge about marine ecosystems and fun new skills such as fishing, crabbing, and cast netting. You are welcome to bring your own food and coolers.

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Dolphin Discovery Sunset Cruise

Join our naturalist on a search and discovery mission for the bottlenose dolphin and a stop at Capers Island. As you explore the salt marsh heading north along the Intracoastal Waterway, it’s possible to spot dolphins anywhere along the route. You’ll learn all sorts of fascinating scientific facts about these incredible mammals. Your naturalist guide will also set a crab trap and share insights into this vital ecosystem. We’ll make a one-hour stop at Capers, giving you time to explore “Boneyard Beach,” a sculptural garden of bleached and weather-worn trees that have been deposited by coastal erosion. Bring a refreshing drink for the scenic 30-minute boat ride home, featuring stunning views of the sun setting over the marshlands. Trips run daily (Sunday–Friday) from 6pm until 8:30 pm throughout the summer; outside peak seasons, they operate Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays only, timed around sunset hours. Feel free to pack a picnic lunch if desired—small coolers allowed!

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Capers Island Wildlife Exploration

Venture to Capers Island Heritage Preserve, a pristine barrier island accessible only by boat located just north of Charleston, South Carolina. We will cruise through winding tidal creeks to discover the diverse wildlife inhabiting this salt marsh ecosystem. Your naturalist guide will regale you with their knowledge about our local ecology and the wildlife we encounter along the way. Common sights include bottlenose dolphins, numerous shore and wading birds, oyster bed communities (which we sample during oyster season), and occasionally a sea turtle or manatee. Along the way, we set up crab traps and place specimens in our onboard touch tank for a closer examination. We encourage children to participate in setting traps and handling some of the marine life. We also have an onboard specimen table filled with shells and skulls for everyone to handle and learn about. As you arrive at Capers Island, feel free to explore its stunning ‘Boneyard Beach’, a sculpture garden of trees left on the beachfront due to erosion. A great trip for all ages! Our boat has restrooms and a beaching ramp. The journey takes approximately 1.5 hours as we slowly navigate through the salt marsh tidal creeks. Children remain engaged throughout and are free to move around. Afterward, we make a stop at Capers for about an hour and a half, giving you ample time to explore independently. Our naturalist will be available if you have any questions. During cooler months, you can take inland trails to explore the maritime forest or inner pond.

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