Kayak Hilton Head

Captain Alex was great! Wonderful family adventure. Our 4yr old and 8yr old had a lot of fun and got to drive the boat. Highly recommend.

We had an amazing dolphin watching excursion with Captain James of Dolphin Discoveries/​Kayak Hilton Head, and highly recommend this tour — it was the highlight of our trip to Hilton Head! James is very knowledgeable and fun, and going on a small boat is more personal and allows you to get much closer to the dolphins than the larger 30+ person boats. Also, while other tours that we looked at had a minimum of six people (or more), they have just a three person minimum.
Although we had originally booked a tour with another company that had more reviews and was slightly less expensive, they canceled our sunset tour at 10am on account of an incoming storm even though the forecast called for the weather to clear by the late afternoon. That’s when we started calling around and had the good fortune to find an opening with Dolphin Discoveries/​Kayak Hilton Head.
James knows the right areas to go to find dolphins. As we headed to one of those areas James spotted a large group of dolphins off in the distance and drove up to the group, setting the boat to coast right past the area where the dolphins were swimming. While a large boat stayed back 100+ feet away, dozens of dolphins swam literally a few feet away from our boat as we stood on the bow. We were very lucky to see so many dolphins and to see them leaping out of the water and slapping their tails. James said it was a superpod — a gathering of several pods (families) of dolphins.
In addition to guiding us to see dolphins, James made a few other fun stops, for example to walk along the piles of shells that accumulate at the edges of the marshes. Also, our 3yo son was thrilled that James let him steer the boat. James helped take lots of family photos, too. We are extremely happy to have taken this tour!

We took the 2 hour dolphin watch boat tour with captain Alex. Not only did we see many dolphins but Alex also gave a very detailed historical and ecological tour of the island. Finally, he made many suggestions for great places to eat throughout the island. I would recommend this trip to anyone. Thanks Alex!

It was a wonderful experience. Dave Drake was our tour guide and he was awesome with our son and twin girls. He was so informative & knowledgable about local wildlife. Plus the kids loved his water fights. Ask for Dave. You won’t be disappointed.

Took 8 am dolphin boat tour with James — outstanding!!! Kayak Hilton Head took care of us every step of the way! Making reservations was easy. They had a person greeting everyone and directing each party where they needed to go. And James went out of his way to make sure our children, ages 8 and 13, had a great time. We got to see lots of dolphins and other creatures. Will take a shark fishing tour with James and Kayak HH next year for sure!

Very organized, professional and educational! Alex, our guide, was fantastic and considering he’s worked there since ’07 (I think I have that right), he was super cool, considerate and enthusiastic!
The kayaks and oars are in great shape and didn’t seem trashed — seemed like a good value at $ 28 pp. We did the 8am weekday tour and supposedly had higher than usual dolphin activity. My kids loved it.
As some reviewers have written, the absolute MUST DO tips to enjoying this come down to 1) Sunscreen 2) Sunglasses 3) Hat. If you have those items, you’re golden.
My only complaint is no coffee for us morning riders. In fact, there are no refreshments that I noticed anywhere. You do have a little downtime as you’re waiting and preparing to ride, but not much. Someone selling coffee in the morning could make a killing. Seems basic to me.
Thanks Hilton Head Kayak!

Made a last minute reservation for guided kayak tour. Had a great guide named Dave. He was full of lots of local knowledge and interesting tidbits about all the animals. We saw birds, fish, dolphins and even a baby shark… don’t worry he told us that it was harmless and almost caught it for us to take pictures with. (Talking about going above and beyond)… I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting. Just be ready to paddle for about 2 hours.

We did the dolphins boat trip at 06:30 p.m. Besides us four there was our captain James, which did a great job showing us nice dolphin spots and having interesting stories around dolphins and HHI.
We all loved it, highly recommended.

WEAR SUNSCREEN — bring with you in a bag and RE APPLY. If you have a choice, go in the morning.
We did the 2 hour dolphin tour, they fit my family of 4 in last minute. We just got done with the aerial adventure tour (which is literally next door to this place). They charged $ 28 a person which was cheaper than most places.
They provided the life jackets, and let you choose between double & single. They have very good condition kayaks.
We saw a few dolphins, a bunch of birds (some rare) and the guide caught some shrimp. There was also some talk about the landscape and the history of the area. Two hours was a bit long for 3pm on a 90 degree day, but we survived! The group of 15 was all adults, so maybe not a kid activity unless you get a double and push them around.

Haben spontan eine 2 stündige Kayak Tour gemacht. Wir waren nur 6 Teilnehmer und ein Tourguide, was wirklich angenehm war. Nachdem alle angereist waren, gab es eine kurze Kayak Einführung. Man bekommt eine Schwimmweste und ein Kayak und dann gehts auch schon los. Die Tour war wirklich schön, erholsam und friedlich und wir haben auch sofort Delfine gesehen und verschiedene Vogelarten. Der Guide erzählt wirklich viel zu der Natur, den Tieren, der umliegenden Nachbarschaft und auch Anekdoten abseits der Tour.
Den einen Stern habe ich abgezogen, da wir zu langsam gepaddelt sind und nicht wirklich weit gekommen sind. Die Gegend hat wirklich mehr zu bieten als nur einen Radius von einem Kilometer in 2 Stunden. Ich kann diesen Trip trotzdem sehr empfehlen!

What a fantastic way to explore HHI!
I called and spoke to Dave (fyi– you should call at least 24 hours ahead to book). We chose an 8 am trip. Dave was very helpful as we are not slender people and we were concerned about our ability to be safe in the canoe. I had no issues in the single, it was very stable and I felt secure. My boyfriend is a bug guy and they converted a double kayak to a single for him. They were very accommodating. Our guide Ben took us around. We saw birds, a sting ray and dolphins! A few notes, wear sunscreen, and bring a bottled water.

Amazing experience for the whole family. We went on the last boat tour of the day and saw a lot of Dolphins and a couple of Stingrays. Captain James made it a funny and very educating trip for all of us, especially our 5 year old granddaughter. Highly recommended!

Made a reservation to kayak in the morning with the dolphins. But it was COLD and windy that day. They were fine with letting us move the day.
It’s easy enough to find and the staff is super nice and helpful.
We did a brief lesson about paddling and how to turn things. Joanna was our leader for the day. We had one other couple with us.
They have good kayaks. Perception and Wilderness systems. Harmony paddles.
We headed out into the Broad creek and spotted dolphins right off. We paddled near them to observe. You can’t touch the dolphins or feed them by law. So we just stayed nearby to watch them. Only 3 in this group.
Then we headed into the marshes. High tide was coming in and I like this time so you can get into the marsh to see the animals. We saw birds galore and paddled by a dock to see the animals growing on the base. Joanna knew her stuff and we really enjoyed all she had to share with us.
We had a perfect day. Water was like glass paddling back in some spots even though the tide was coming in. We saw another dolphin near the end by the marina.
Worth the money to do the tour with them. For a family of four it was $ 84. We did tip our guide. Highly recommend this place!

I hate to be the naysayer of the reviews posted, but here goes: There were four of us in our group, two moms with two eight year old girls. All of us were novice kayakers and told the guides so. Check in was seamless and all of the guys working seemed quite likable. We were asked to wait until the other families kayaking with us were ready and we did so. We were then introduced to Joann, and sadly that’s where our experience began its downhill turn.
Joann, from the initial paddling demo, seemed slightly annoyed to have to join a group of novices out on the water. We overlooked this (as perhaps she was just having a bad day) and got into the kayaks. (We were told by the guides to take double kayaks, one mom and girl per kayak and we did so.) It was a struggle at first but all of us began to get the hang of it and we were having fun.
About an hour and a half into the tour, my daughter and I got caught up in the crosswind of the river and our kayak began to spin round and round. I couldn’t control it no matter how hard I tried. I called out to Joann for help. She paddled over and I apologetically told her I was sorry to ask for help and she blurted out, «Well, you should’ve never taken a two person kayak, you should be in a three person kayak.» All this was with a nasty tone and eye rolling. I apologized again and thanked her for her help as she tied our kayak to hers. I told her that we wouldn’t depend solely on her to get us back, that I would keep trying. She proceeded to look at me and tell me, «Well, you stopped trying a long time ago.» By this point, I was humiliated and ready to be done.
At this point, Joann address our group of kayakers and asks, «Who still wants to go on the tour and who wants to go back?» Our group, and one other family were ready to be done… and Joann simply looked at us and said, «The dock is across the river, go ahead,» while pointing the way. She then took the other part of our group and left us alone. I won’t say I am certain she saw us get trapped on a sandbar, but I can say she didn’t help us. If it weren’t for a nice gentleman in our group who helped us, I sincerely think we’d still be stuck out on the river with Joann kayaking away with the more experienced kayakers.
Long story short, we made it back to the dock, I was in tears and one of the (owners, I’m guessing?) named Dave came to ask if he could help. I explained to him what had happened and he listened patiently, offering us a full refund and an apology. I turned it down, because frankly, this isn’t about money… it’s about a guide who was (kindly stated), unkind and unhelpful.
In my opinion, you don’t leave the weakest link of your group to flounder alone and then chastise them for not being good enough, strong enough, etc. I don’t believe for one second Joann should’ve separated from the group. The only reason I am giving Kayak Hilton Head two stars is because of Dave’s patient and caring nature. Perhaps had we had him as a guide, our experience would’ve been much different. Of note, I am writing this review on the day that all of this happened… I wanted it to be fresh in my mind.
And Dave, when you read this, thank you again for your kindness. you were a bright spot in an otherwise stressful morning. Regards, Karen P, NC

Great service, fun time and excellent kayaks. Well worth the money for the two hour tour. If you’re a serious kayaker just rent one and go out on your own.

Arrived for the last guided tour of the day. It is a two hour guided paddle up a creek that connects to the Atlantic. Weather was very windy with dark clouds blowing in off the Atlantic when we arrived, but seasoned owner/​guide Dave asked us to just sit tight a bit, it would probably blow over, and sure enough it did. By the time we departed from the docks half an hour later, it was a fairly effortless paddle down the creek. Dave was a great guide, with tons of information about the huge wild oyster beds on the shore, native birds we saw along the way, including white egrets and some endangered species, and bits of local history and trivia. Fish were jumping two feet out of the water all around us as we slowly paddled around bends in the creek. Several bottle nosed dolphin surfaced playfully very close to our boats, sometimes just a few feet away. And a stingray leaped out of the water just a few feet away as we headed back in for the night. It was a fantastic paddle, filled with natural beauty. Kayaks were long, stable, and easy to paddle. The clouds provided ample cover from the waning sun on what had been a sweltering 90 degree day, so it felt cool and comfortable on the water, with just a light breeze. At $ 28 per adult for a single or double kayak, it is one of the best values on the island, and I would highly recommend it. Dave has been doing tours for 10 years and said that the early morning tours are actually the hottest temperature wise, so be warned if that is your plan. Couples, I also recommend single kayaks. We never considered a double, but Dave has witnessed numerous relationships strained to the breaking point by the demands of tandem paddling, so lovers be warned :). There are other trip options available and you can also go without a guide, but I highly recommend the two hour guided tour, it is a fantastic trip, just the right length of time, and I think you will thoroughly enjoy it. I started my Garmin about 15 minutes in and we clocked just over 3 miles total.

I spent this week with my family in hilton head. Last minute we wanted to go on a little kayak trip. We called up and they already I had a group going out in a few minutes BUT Mary was on call and would come in to take us! We ended up with a private 2 hour kayak tour just as the tide was going out– perfect timing to go through the marshes. The trip was very relaxing and exceptionally informative. Mary really knows her stuff: ecology, HISTORY, architecture and plenty of amusing anecdotes.
This was one of the few places that is open this time of year! We had a great time and will definite go back again.

Good location on broad creek. Got to see dolphins up close which the kids really enjoyed. No other major wildlife to speak of. Fireworks were cancelled, and after requesting it, they did refund the difference for that tour. The right guide is very important. Don’t be afraid to ask when you book and request the most knowledgeable guide.

My husband chose kayak Hilton Head because he loves supporting local businesses. When we arrived the employees acted like we were an inconvenience. We also weren’t told that you have to pay cash at the water (which was easily rectified with a nearby ATM). Then as other customers arrived no one with the kayaking place told us where we should be and when. After clearing up the confusion (and feeling like a huge pain) we started the paddle tutorial (it was our first time kayaking) and our experience improved dramatically. Our guide Robert was awesome; he was so knowledgeable, enthusiastic and kind. We took a 2 hour guided tandem kayak tour. We saw some awesome flora and fauna and were padding with dolphins. It was awesome. It was a great experience and very well priced. We will be using Hilton Head kayak again when we go back.

Great outfit with experienced guides and well maintained equipment. We were a group of 4 that had a wonderful time. Dave made our trip a fantastic experience.

Really great location for kayaking, with friendly and knowledgeable guides.