Charleston SUP Safaris in Folly Beach, SC

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Telephone:	+1 843-817-7877
Website:	www.charlestonsupsafaris.com
Address:	83 Ctr St, Folly Beach, SC, 29439 Folly Beach
Categories:	Rafting/Kayaking Paddleboarding Surfing

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Good for Kids

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Today

Today	9:00 am – 5:00 pm Closed now
Local time (Folly Beach)	23:47 Monday, 23 June 2025

Business hours

Monday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday	9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Charleston SUP Safaris has been voted the Best Stand-Up Paddle company in Charleston for 3 years. Learn how to paddleboard with the experts on the beautiful Folly River and let us guide you through the local ecosystem and wildlife. We offer Stand-Up Paddleboard eco-safari tours, sunset tours, river and surf lessons, rentals, SUP yoga, SUP sales, summer camps, international trips and races.

We specialize in paddleboarding. Before your trip, our lifeguard trained guides conduct proper ground school instruction and in-water paddle training, ensuring safe, fun, and exciting trips. Whether you’re looking for an invigorating flat water paddle through our estuaries or are interested in catching ocean waves, we got you covered.

Charleston SUP Safaris also specializes in large groups, family outings, bachelor or bachelorette parties, corporate team building events, and special occasions. Stop by our newly renovated shop at check out our inventory of Boardworks SUPs and quality gear.

History

Established in 2011.

Charleston SUP Safaris was founded in 2011 by owner, Big Jon, who was born on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii, where the Stand Up Paddle Boarding originated.

SUP Safaris has become a leader in the SUP industry on all levels.

Through our tours, lessons and summer camps, our lifeguard certified guides have taken thousands of clients on the Folly River and educated them on the local ecosystem.

Nationally, Big Jon has been published in the SUP the Mag. as a Best Local Guide, and SUP Safaris has received the Best of SUP Company in Charleston for 3 years. Our scholarship programs take local schools groups out on the water while our SUP Races have raised over $ 10K for local charities. We volunteer with Surfers Healing on Folly and Hawaii.

Internationally, we offer a trip to Costa Rica offering SUPing, exploration through the country.

Meet the Business Owner

Big Jon O.

Business Owner

Big Jon was born on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii, where the Stand Up Paddle Boarding originated and spread in popularity. As a boy, he grew up playing on Folly Beach where he got «salt water in his veins.»

After College, Ory spent 11 years directing College and High School international community service programs in New Zealand, Fiji, Puerto Rico, and Central America. His community service projects focused on locals interaction with their natural environment, including coral reef monitoring, water catchment and erosion, and sea turtle protection.

Ory has taught paddleboarding, kayaking, and surfing in New Zealand, sailed around the South Pacific.

After opening SUP Safaris, he’s been recognized as a Best Local guide by SUP the Mag. and volunteers with several local charities. He’s a certified Life Guard, CPR/First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, PADI Advanced Open Water Diving and speaks Spanish.

Charleston SUP Safaris also recommends

Flipper Finders

3

reviews

Boating

,

Rafting/Kayaking

Big Jon O. says,

«Flipper Finders shares the store front with SUP Safaris and can get you up close to dolphins in sea kayaks and boat tours.»

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7 reviews of Charleston SUP Safaris

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Jessica P.

Place rating: 5
Richmond, CA

Vacationing in Folly and wanted to do SUP. Called another rental place and they didn’t have any boards available. Strange, because it was a Thursday in May. Anyways, I am so glad they didn’t because we ended up calling SUP safaris and they were so wonderful, helpful and accommodating. They set us up with just the right boards (big and stable) since we wanted to put our four year old on the board with us. All of the staff were very nice to talk to and got us out on the water quickly. Note: if you are heading to the left from the launch point don’t go past the second creek on the right. Keep your eyes open for rays and dolphins. Enjoy!

Michael O.

Place rating: 5
Hoboken, NJ

I was visiting Charleston for the first time and wanted to try Stand Up Paddle Boarding (never have gone before). I called SUP Safaris and even though it was off-season, they were offering 3 tours for that Friday. I signed up for the morning class. Even though I was going to be the only one on the tour, they were more than happy to take me out. Both the owner and my instructor were extremely friendly when I showed up in the morning. Seeing as it was my first time, the instructor was great. She really worked w/me and gave me amazing tips. The route was very pretty and she was knowledgeable about the area and waterways as well. We finished up a little early and instead of going in, played out on the boards learning some more advanced techniques. Can’t explain just how friendly and fun both my instructor and the owner were. Highly recommend both trying SUP and definitely using Charleston SUP Safaris. It’s a blast.

John N.

Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL

My wife and I have been in the market for SUP’s in the area. John was awesome and great to work with. We would recommend this shop to anyone looking to rent, go on a tour, or walk home with their own SUP!

Michael B.

Place rating: 5
Canton, GA

Get up! Stand up!
Ever since the first time that I saw someone on a stand up paddleboard I have been wanting to give it a try. Then after hearing that it wasn’t as hard as surfing and could accommodate a big boy like myself I just knew I had to do it. But I was still skeptical if I could do it or not since I didn’t know the first thing about riding a SUP.
Over and over again I tinkered with the idea of buying a SUP and giving it a try; but those boards are much too expensive to purchase (even used) to just see if I would like it. What was I going to do? How would I get to try out paddle boarding to see if I really did like it? Lucky for me there is Charleston SUP Safaris that offers 2-hour tours, lessons, and SUP rentals. And double-lucky for me Living Social had a deal where I could buy a 2-hour SUP Safari for ½ price back in December.
Come the beginning of May I still had not used the Living Social deal I purchased back in December and it was going to expire at the end of the month. Anyway I picked up the phone and called Charleston SUP Safaris to make an appointment for the 2-hour safari and explained that I was a big boy and didn’t know if they could accommodate me, but the young girl we spoke with was super cool and said they had different size boards that would hold anybody. So I made the appointment for a 9AM morning safari and it was on.
Come the morning of our safari we got to the shop where we were greeted by Big John who friendly and explained the whole process of what we could expect on our safari. After filling out the liability paperwork John took us out back to get fitted with life jackets (AKA PFDs) and to introduce us to Eric who would be our instructor and guide on our morning Folly River Safari.
After getting our PFDs on Eric walked us down next to the Folly River where he gave us a quick 15 minute lesson on safety, how to paddle, how to recover, and the basics of paddle boarding. I asked about balance on the board and Eric explained that balance on the board wasn’t hard and that falling off a few times would be ok, as that was a «fun factor» to SUPing. Then he took us down to the river where we boarded our SUPs and we were on our way. Right after we took off I was the first to experience the «fun factor» of falling off my board; which really wasn’t so bad and using the tips that Eric gave while still on dry land I was able to make a very quick recovery and never fell off the board again after that. About ½ way through our tour Eric had us pull over to the side of the river to an oyster bed where we took a water break and Eric gave us a lesson the ecosystem of the river which we enjoyed. Then it was back to the ramp to finish an amazing SUP Safari.
Big kudos to both Eric and John for everything. John was great at helping us at the shop and Eric did a great job as our tour guide down the Folly River.
After this experience I now want my own SUP more than ever! SUPing is a great sport; it’s fun and it will give you a good workout in the process.

Christie B.

Place rating: 5
Columbus, OH

Did a sunset SUP tour on our Honeymoon a couple of weeks ago and had an awesome time! Had no idea how FUN paddle boarding would be. Can’t wait to get back on the water again. Our instructor, Eric, did a great job teaching us the strokes and telling us a bit about the unique features of the Lowcountry ecosystems. Saw some dolphins, too!

Cathy B.

Place rating: 5
Charlotte, NC

I’ve wanted to try paddle boarding since reading about what a great workout it can be. I got my chance to give it a whirl while on vacation this week, and definitely choose the right company for my first go round. Big John and the rest of the staff were very friendly, helpful, and laid back. When I mentioned being worried about «gators,» he told us that we wouldn’t see any, but «maybe enraged hippos and crocodiles.» Totally made me laugh and feel much better about how this was going to go.
SUP (acronym for stand up paddle boarding) first got us set up on land by teaching us how to paddle to go in any direction, how to balance in order to be able to get on your knees or stand up, and how your position on the board and your stroke can help you expend the least amount of energy to go the furthest distance. We then headed over to the water to see how we’d fare.
We booked a two hour dolphin tour ($ 45 per person), whereby they led us back into a salt marsh, gave us an ecosystem lesson, and let us get into the water to cool off if we wanted. On our way back to the launch site, we saw our first dolphin. It was an absolutely fantastic experience being so close to it in it’s natural environment. We then encountered five more dolphins, which was really amazing. Our guide even took pictures throughout to document the experience.
SUP was a much easier experience than I thought it would be, so even if you aren’t a natural athlete, you should give it a try. These tours are great for friends, family, or work groups looking to spend some time together. If you’re headed to Charleston, be sure to check out Charleston SUP Safaris on Folly Beach.

Nicole W.

Place rating: 5
Schaumburg, IL

I’ve always wanted to try paddle boarding. The stand up kind, of course. I wanted to feel the wind through my hair, the tension in my arms and see all the cool wildlife in the process. Oh, and to stand up on said paddle board without falling on my butt. And I did all of these things at Charleston SUP Paddle Boarding!
The staff, including Big John, are incredibly friendly, laid back and helpful. They are there to ensure you have a great paddle boarding experience whether it’s your first time or fiftieth. The instruction is great — they’ll teach you and your party different strokes on the board, show you the best ways to stand up (and stay up) on the board, turn, stop etc. Once you’re in the water, your guide will take you through some incredible Charleston waters (all that were quite calm on our trip) and show you the interesting ecosystems and wildlife that inhabit the land around you. Our group saw no fewer than six dolphins that swam up incredibly close to our boards! Thankfully, our guide captured plenty of pics for us too.
SUP paddle boarding itself was much easier than I thought it would be. It’s really fun, a great workout and an awesome activity to do with a group, family, spouse, etc. Plus, it’s really affordable (at approx. $ 45 per person for a 2-hr tour) considering the great views and on point instruction. If you’re in Charleston, especially near Folly Beach, this is most definitely worth a trip!

Charleston SUP Safaris

Folly Beach, United States