When you have a beach vacation, it’s tempting to spend the majority of your days on the beach, but North Carolina has so much more to offer. Get out to explore, and make sure one of those days is a Coastal Carolina boat tour.
With inlets, marshes, and barrier islands just offshore, this region is made for exploration by water. Chartering a boat is the ideal way to do something different on your vacation and discover another side of this warm weather vacation.
During a recent press trip, we enjoyed a three-hour shelling charter with Pogie’s Charters and Rentals in Swansboro, North Carolina. Our tour explored hidden sandbars and lesser-known islands, with plenty of time to search for shells, sand dollars, and even sharks’ teeth.
What Can You Do on a Boat Charter?
Pogie’s offers private charters with flexible itineraries. While we focused on finding sand dollars and shark teeth, you can also request fishing, tubing, clamming, or an eco tour. Every trip is customized to your group.
Tours are $75 per hour for up to six guests and include a licensed captain. Some options have an additional charge, but unlike so many excursions I’ve been on, they only charge the add-on fee for those who want to participate.
Bottom fishing costs $10 per person, which is a great family-friendly fishing option that primarily catches pan fish. If you prefer inshore fishing where you’re after bigger fish like redfish, black drum, and trout, that is $25 per person who wants to fish. And of course, you have the perennial favorite of tubing for $30 per person.
On our shelling charter, we visited Bear Island, a quiet sandbar, and an unnamed island. Our captain chose the spots based on our preferences and on the weather and tide.
We had learned about Bear Island when we visited Hammocks Beach State Park, but we didn’t have time to take the ferry out there then. And this boat trip? So different from the oyster farm tour we had on another day – both are can’t miss experiences!
Why Choose a Boat Tour in Coastal Carolina?
A Coastal Carolina boat tour offers access to places you simply can’t reach from shore. Shelling from a sandbar, spotting wildlife in shallow inlets, and finding shark teeth that came from sharks anywhere from 10,000 to 75 million years old turns a regular day into a memorable outing.
It’s a great way to break up a beach week and experience the area from a different angle. This kind of tour pairs well with other low-key, engaging activities like spending a morning at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Surf City or kayaking on the Intracoastal Waterway or spending an evening on a ghost tour.
What You Might Find While Shelling
We found an impressive variety of shells, including oyster, scallops, augers, and whelks. While so many beaches have broken shells, but the really impressive part was how many fully formed and undamaged shells we spotted.
On the sandbar, we waded into ankle-deep water to search for sand dollars. While looking for them, we also ran into wildlife like a horseshoe crab and others that Captain Ethan taught us about.
On Bear Island, we searched the shell line for shark teeth, and with some guidance, we found quite a few. Especially at the start, we did need guidance with our captain graciously drawing circles around areas to search for us.
How to Tell if a Sand Dollar Is Safe to Take
Not all sand dollars are safe to collect, so make sure that you leave the living creatures along. If it’s brown, fuzzy, or slightly moving, it’s still alive and must be left in the water.
Sand dollars are safe to take home when they are white, dry, and brittle. While the majority of the ones we found were keepsakes, we did also find some live ones, which was a first for me.
How to Recognize a Shark Tooth
Shark teeth can be hard to spot at first glance, and sometimes for me at second and third glance. Look for small, black or dark brown triangles in the sand.
Unlike most shells, they’ll have sharper edges and a denser feel. They may blend into broken shell bits because they are frequently relatively small, so keep your eyes low and scan slowly.
With some tips from our captain, we started spotting them in no time. Most of the ones we found were fingernail size, but we did also spot some larger ones, as well.
What Should You Wear and Bring?
Make sure you dress to get wet, as you’ll be wading or hopping in and out of the boat. The same holds true for your shoes, as you don’t remove them as you get in and out of the boat and you don’t want to slip on wet surfaces.
Sunscreen, a hat, and polarized sunglasses help with both protection and spotting items in the water. Bring a towel if you plan to go tubing, and a dry bag or mesh shell bag is a good idea.
You can also bring snacks and drinks along if you choose, and extra water is always a good idea in the sun. If you’re sensitive to motion, prepare for seasickness even though the waters are generally calm.
Bookmark this to help you plan your next Coastal Carolina getaway!
Chartering a boat with Pogie’s Charters and Rentals was a standout experience in Coastal Carolina. From the freedom to customize the trip to the personal guidance from our captain, every part of the day felt meaningful and fun.
This type of boat tour fits perfectly into any Coastal Carolina vacation, especially for families or anyone looking to try something different. Combine it with trips to any of the other nature-focused or cultural activities, and it’s a great way to enjoy more than just another beach vacation.
