For those adventurous spirits who want to venture further out, Glass Bottom Kayak Tours offer a unique perspective on the natural beauty and hidden secrets of the Grand Strand. Offering a wide selection of tours by experienced and friendly guides, Glass Bottom Kayak Tours provide a peaceful retreat from your hectic vacation schedule. Think of it as a mini-vacation within your vacation to see a different side of the Strand you can't reach by road.
Based out of North Myrtle Beach, Glass Bottom Kayak Tours offers trips with varying locations, times, distances and degrees of difficulty. The special transparent kayaks allow patrons an up-close view of the underwater habitat and wildlife just below their feet, but some of the most impressive views are the scenic surroundings above the surface of the water. With five different tours to choose from, ranging from freshwater rivers to open ocean, Glass Bottom Kayak Tours has you covered:
* Cherry Grove Salt Marsh Tour: Perfect for families and nature-lovers looking to broaden their horizons, this 2 1/2-hour guided tour winds through the channels of the Heritage Shores Nature Preserve. Featuring gentle, with-tide paddling and incredible views of the Carolina Lowcountry, kayakers can witness rare birds and aquatic creatures in a natural setting, including occasional encounters with herons and dolphins.
* Private Island Shelling Tour: Go beachcombing on a private island off the Carolina coast and experience the thrill of paddling out to an island paradise with this 3 1/2 to 4-hour trip. Follow your guide out to undeveloped Waites Island, dock your kayak and stretch out your legs while searching for rare seashells, sand dollars, sharks' teeth and more.
* Sea Turtle Tours: Paddle out to Waites Island for an amazing peek into the secretive life of turtles. Older females bury their eggs in the dense dunes, where hatchlings begin their journey to the sea. Although the odds of survival aren't in their favor, these ancient creatures instinctively return to this site year after year to ensure the continuation of the species. See the nests and, if you are lucky, a hatching.
* Sunset Tour: This tour is gaining in popularity as patrons post breath-taking photos on social media. As the sun sinks low in the western sky, patrons get a lovely vista of the colorful clouds and streaking sunlight. If you are lucky enough to book this tour on a full moon night, you get an added bonus of watching the moon rise over the ocean to the east.
* Waccamaw River Tour: The Waccamaw River runs from Lake Waccamaw just over the state line in North Carolina and flows south to the Grand Strand before merging with the Intracoastal Waterway. This dark-water river is teeming with wildlife and the natural beauty of maritime woodlands and Lowcountry wetlands. A shuttle takes kayakers up river so they enjoy the ride back down to their waiting vehicles.
Glass Bottom Kayak Tours offers solo and tandem kayaks, life preservers, paddles and the kayaks themselves, along with knowledgeable guides who can have first-time kayakers paddling like a pro in no time. For more information or to book a tour, visit www.myrtlebeachkayaktours.com.
