11
May 2014
KICA, Tidal Trails Offer Outdoor Adventures
When you think of nature
trails or surfing or kayaking,
do your thoughts carry you
straight to KICA and its
resources? Well, if they don’t,
they should.
Through its affiliation with
Tidal Trails, KICA offers
a wide array of outdoor
programs designed expressly to
help you, as Kiawah property
owners, enjoy our beautiful
island and learn more about it.
Programs include:
• Boat tours including Dolphin Discovery, Sunset Cruise, Pluff Mud
Plunge and Jolly Folly. You can also request a custom tour to meet
your individual needs, whether looking for dolphins or learning to
fish. Tours take place on a comfortable 19-foot motor boat, which
will meet you at either Rhett’s Bluff, your own dock, or another dock
of your choosing.
• Hit the surf with an ocean kayak, a surfboard, or stand-up paddleboard
(SUP). Tidal Trails offers lessons (both group and private) that will
appeal to all ranges of experience from beginner to advanced. You can
also rent kayaks, surfboards and paddleboards, as well as canoes and
boogie boards; however, prior experience is required for rentals.
• Two-hour kayaking tours include Saltmarsh Safari, Pluff Mud
Paddle and Plunge, and a Sunset Cruise. There is also an Ocean
Kayaking option for ages 10 and above, and, like boat tours, kayaking
adventures can be customized to meet your needs.
• The Kiawah Island Surf School, which has been teaching surfing for
nearly a decade, offers instructions, in both group and private settings,
to students of all ages and abilities. In addition to surfing, instruction
is also offered in stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) and surf kayaking.
• The Ocean Discovery Experience teaches about the inter-tidal sea
life of Kiawah. This experience combines beach combing with pulling
an ocean seine (net) through shallow ocean water to see what aquatic
specimens you discover. This is a great way to satisfy - or encourage - a
child’s curiosity about the wonders of the sea and shore.
• Fishing and crabbing gear packages are offered weekly, including
two- or four-rod packages, as well as a family fun starter pack that
includes four crab lines, bait and a net.
• Private parties and special events, ranging from weddings to
reunions to birthday parties and more, can also be organized by
Tidal Trails.
Tidal Trails is owned and operated by Justin Schaay and his wife
Janneke. Justin hails from South Africa, where he studied geography
and environmental science at the University of Cape Town. Justin and
Janneke are the parents of two young girls, ages eight and six, whom
Justin describes as “water babies.”
Justin has been in the states since 1997 and first created his outdoor
programs for Kiawah and Seabrook Island property owners in 2000. He
started with canoeing, then added kayaking and boating. He says that the
two-hour kayaking tours are the most popular, but he gets special pleasure
creating custom tours and activities for families and other groups. Justin
also notes that Kiawah is a great place to learn surfing because the waters
are generally calm and the waves small.
Tidal Trails is busiest from March through Thanksgiving, with activity
peaking in June, July and August. During the peak season, the company
hires seasonal employees - generally either students from The College
of Charleston who are studying marine sciences or teachers who have a
natural sciences background. The Schaays also derive great pleasure from
their pro bono programs that include working with local schools and
taking part in Folly Beach’s Surfers’ Healing program, which is focused on
helping autistic children discover the wonders of the ocean and surfing.
For more information about Tidal Trails’ offerings, stop by the Sandcastle
and pick up their brochure, visit their website at tidaltrailskiawah.com, or
call 843-768-5680.
Article contributed by Digest Member Volunteer Jinnie Chapel.
Purchase Fresh, Local Seafood at the Sandcastle
Kiawah property owners will soon have a way to purchase fresh, local
seafood conveniently on Kiawah Island.
Starting in May, Cherry Point Seafood Company out of Wadmalaw Island
will be selling fresh seafood at The Sandcastle Community Center. Cherry
Point will be mainly selling locally caught shrimp, but they will also sell
local Mahi Mahi, Wahoo, Tuna and Swordfish as they are available.
Property owners can place orders in advance or they can order in
person each week (dates/times TBD). To make an advance order
(once the service begins), contact 843-559-0858.
Beginning Memorial Day weekend, Cherry Point will also be
providing seafood to be served at the Castle Grille. The menu has
not yet been finalized, but seafood items may include a weekly fish
special, shrimp Po' Boys and a seaf