Wetland Excursion - Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP)
The best way to view wildlife is from atop your Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP). This sport, one of the fastest growing watersports in the country, offers a great place to spot sea hawks diving for dinner, stingrays gliding along the bottom feeding on shellfish, or schools of small bait fish scattering on the surface. There is only so much of the salt marsh you can see on foot. By trailing through the waterways we go deep into the cord grass communities to find snakes, herons, jumping mullet, and get a good workout at the same time. It’s a great way to relax and explore this habitat which again supports much of the life in our oceans. We may even pass a pod of local dolphins in search of a meal.
From this vantage point we can see what the wildlife sees and beyond. We can witness the tides moving up and down the cord grass, forcing periwinkle snails to follow just above the water surface, where it’s safest. We’ll see fiddler crab holes once exposed become inundated with the incoming tide, and maybe even get a glimpse of the red drum, North Carolina’s state fish, “tailing” for the same fiddler crabs during tidal floods. By moving stealthily through the creeks and grass we see more, hear more, and get a much more significant experience of this pristine environment.
It may not smell pristine, but the salt marshes are also an incredibly important filter for the ocean and coastal ecosystem. Unfortunately not everything gets filtered out and we will get a firsthand account of human impact on this delicate life cycle. Everything from old fishing nets to broken down pieces of Styrofoam to plastic bags end up here and we make it a priority to clean up everywhere we go. There’s no better place to make a difference than right where you are.
Support Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation
Please help us continue to protect and conserve the remaining species of Sea Turtles. Through education and public awareness we can ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the natural wonder of these magnificent marine species.
Please consider giving a membership to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital Foundation for birthdays and other special occasions.
Thank you for your interest and support.
