Sea Kayak Carolina Online Guide
Online Kayaking Guide for Charleston, SC
Current Reports:
• Lake Moultrie and Pinopolis Locks
• Wando River and Cat Island (below)
• Garris Landing to Bull Island
Don't miss Sea Kayak Carolina’s Resources page for information on tides, weather and other critical information to help you plan your kayak trips in Charleston and other coastal areas in South Carolina.
Wando River and Cat Island
Launch site: Claude M. Blanchard, Jr. Landing
A.K.A."Paradise Island" Landing — a Charleston County landing.
End of County Road 1453, off Highway US 17, on Wando River.
Check out our Google Maps companion guide for directions to the landing.
For this trip 7 statue mile round-trip, plan your voyage to Cat Island on a ebb (falling) tide, and plan the return with the flood (rising) tide.
Trip Report: 11/26/2008
Day before Thanksgiving paddle - Wando River and Cat Island - November 26, 2008
The temperature was in the upper 50s and the winds were light as we set off around 11:00 a.m. We headed left from the landing down the Wando River. Low tide was predicted to be around 2:00 p.m. We rode the ebb tide towards Cat Island and covered the 3.5 statute miles in a leisurely hour.
Tides for this area can be found by selecting Wando River Big Paradise Island as your tide location at Saltwatertides.com. For this trip, plan your voyage to Cat Island on a ebb (falling) tide, and plan the return with the flood (rising) tide.
Don’t forget to pull your kayaks above the intertidal zone anytime you will be out of site of the boats. The tidal range in coastal South Carolina is about 6 feet. Don’t be exploring a remote island and have your kayaks floated away by a flood tide!
Along the way we spotted some birds [external links @ AllAboutBirds.org]:
A Common Loon
A flock of Buffleheads
Great Egrets
Snowy Egrets
A Great Blue Heron
We landed on the sandy beach at Cat Island. The first small, fossilized shark tooth was found even before we got out of the boats! The two paddlers ended up with 42 small teeth. Previous trips have yielded shark vertebrae and other treasures. The day was perfect for a picnic in a small glade just up from the beach.
›› photos from our Cat Island paddle
Around 3:00 p.m. we departed the beach at Cat Island headed back towards the landing. Some strokes and maneuvers practice along the way sharpened our appetites for the next day’s feast of turkey!