Black River Outdoors Salt Water Marsh Tour, Greater Myrtle Beach - Discover South Carolina

Way back in November 2014, my friend Sarah and I made our way from Calgary, Alberta to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a long weekend. Sarah was to write about the best places to eat, shop and play on Myrtle Beach's Boardwalk for Westjet Magazine, while I was simply tagging along to eat-all-the-seafood, keep Sarah company (who are we kidding, Sarah would have been just fine going alone) and see the sights. 

And... maybe we'd ride a camel?? Who knows?

On our second last day, Sarah had made plans to go for a 2-hour Salt Water Marsh kayak tour with Black River Outdoors Guided Eco-Tours near Huntington Beach State Park. I could have skipped out in favour of sleeping the day away or hanging out by the pool, but I paid the money for my ticket and went along.

This proved to be the best decision (and money spent) of the whole weekend!

Sarah and I drove the fifteen minute drive from Myrtle Beach to Murrells Inlet (only stopping twice for some more shopping) to meet Paul, our kayak tour guide and son of the owners of Black River Outdoors, Richard and Frankie. 

From the get-go, Paul clearly had a passion for the outdoors and its wildlife.  As we readied our kayaks to the water and spent a few minutes getting acquainted, we learned that Paul had much interest in catching Crocodiles and Alligators FOR FUN (his next vacation was to actually do such a thing!), and a knack for plucking snakes right out of the water for his guests to have a closer look. 

After Paul had told us more about the area we were about to explore of the South Carolina low country AND I had confirmed that there would be no crocodiles, alligators OR snakes, we set out by kayak on the salt marsh at low tide.

At low tide, Murrells Inlet holds an amazing ecosystem of birds, oysters, crabs, sea turtles, minks and dolphins. Paul warned that we should not fall out of our kayaks near the oyster beds (read: sharp!), as he led us through the different channels of the inlet. 

We paddled at a leisurely pace, chatting more, enjoying the big blue sky and this newfound connection to the land/ocean. We were witnessing life for many species as they navigate the tidal times... life in this salt marsh was completely altered at high tide.

My advice to anyone travelling to the Greater Myrtle Beach area at ANY time of the year, is to book a tour with Black River Outdoors. You won't regret it! 

This family run business is one of true love and it was a fun way to spend a sunshine-filled day.

DISCLOSURE:

Just so we are clear, no one asked me to write about Black River Outdoors or their tours. This outing was a hidden gem in a weekend of must-sees and must-dos and it would be mighty unfair of me to not share. Sorry it took so long. ;)

I have linked to Black River Outdoors >> HERE if you'd like more information. 

You should also read through their MEET THE GUIDES page too. You will glean more insight into exactly what the Black River Outdoors company is all about.

And let me know if you go... I would love to hear all about it!