Water Sports on Hilton Head Island
Jet skis, parasailing, kayaks, paddleboards, skiing and tubing: book online and compare the island’s outfitters.
Book Hilton Head Water Sports
Live availability from the island’s outfitters. Booking opens here on HHI.com, in each operator’s own booking system.
Booked through FareHarbor, the island operators’ own booking system. HHI.com may earn a commission.
Water Sports Guides
Kayak Hilton Head's marsh creeks with a guide or on your own: dolphin kayak tours, rentals and prices from seven outfitters, calm creeks and launches.
Water skiing Hilton Head: four captained ski boats with skis, wakeboards and kneeboards, the calm creeks they use, the season and public boat landings.
Tubing Hilton Head: four captained boats pull you on a tube through the calm back creeks, with dolphin trips, prices, ages and the warmest months.
Jet ski rental Hilton Head: six outfitters from Harbour Town to the bridge, guided creek tours, posted prices, driver age rules and where you can ride.
Parasailing Hilton Head: compare Island Head, H2O Sports in Harbour Town and Sky Pirate, with prices from $90, ages, weight limits and what to expect.
Boat rentals and guided tours on Hilton Head Island — pontoons, dolphin cruises, sunset and dinner cruises — phone numbers and marinas for 15 local outfitters.
Hilton Head boat charters compared: yacht charters, private sailboats and six-seat boats, with prices, group sizes and the marina each one leaves from.
Jet Skis
Six outfitters rent jet skis, from Harbour Town to the bridge onto the island, and most rides follow a guide out to a riding area in the sound or the back creeks. Our Hilton Head jet ski rentals guide compares prices, driver ages and where you can ride.
Parasailing
Three companies fly parasails over Calibogue Sound, and you take off from and land back on the boat. Our Hilton Head parasailing guide compares prices, ages and weight limits.
Kayaking
The marsh creeks behind the island are calm and full of birds, with dolphins often close by, and guided tours leave from Shelter Cove, Broad Creek and Hilton Head Harbor. Our Hilton Head kayaking guide compares every kayak and paddleboard tour and rental, with prices and where to launch your own.
Water Skiing and Tubing
Four outfitters run captained boats that tow skiers, wakeboarders and tubes through the calm back creeks. See our water skiing guide and our tubing guide for prices, ages and the warm-water months.
Banana Boats and Driving Your Own Boat
For a shorter ride, H2O Sports pulls a banana boat behind a WaveRunner on Calibogue Sound, 20 minutes for ages 6 and up. To drive yourself, pontoon boats rent from Lowcountry Watersports, H2O Sports, Island Head, Outside and Sea Monkeys, and Bluewater Adventure rents small catamarans at Shelter Cove; marinas, landings and the rules are in our boating guide.
Surfing and Beach Boards
The surf on Hilton Head is usually small, so it suits beginners. Forest Beach Surf & Cycle rents surfboards and bodyboards and gives private surf lessons, and Soul SUP rents skimboards and bodyboards along with its paddleboards.
Hilton Head Water Sports Companies
Visit Website ↗Jet ski tours and rentals, kayak tours, pontoon rentals, and mini-boat and dolphin tours.
Palmetto Bay Marina, 86 Helmsman Way. (843) 684-2004.
Read the guideWaveRunner rentals, parasailing, banana boat rides, guided kayak and paddleboard tours, and boat rentals.
Harbour Town Marina, Sea Pines.
Read the guideGuided kayak and paddleboard tours, pontoon rentals, private ski days and dolphin-and-tube trips.
Shelter Cove Harbour.
Read the guideParasailing, guided kayak and paddleboard tours, pontoon rentals, and private water ski and tubing trips.
Hilton Head Harbor and Broad Creek Marina.
Visit Website ↗Parasailing, jet skis, boat rentals, tubing and water skiing.
Broad Creek Marina, 18 Simmons Rd. (843) 842-2566.
Visit Website ↗Guided jet ski rides, and boat, kayak and paddleboard rentals.
Hilton Head Harbor, 43 Jenkins Island Rd. (843) 842-4754.
Read the guideGuided catamaran tours and small catamaran rentals.
Shelter Cove Harbour.
Visit Website ↗Surfboard, bodyboard and paddleboard rentals and private surf lessons, delivered along with its bikes.
136 Beach City Rd. (843) 384-3727.
Visit Website ↗Paddleboard rentals delivered for the week, plus skimboards and bodyboards, in a surf and skate shop.
1032 William Hilton Pkwy. (843) 247-0004.
Jet ski rentals to ride on your own.
2 William Hilton Pkwy, by the bridge onto the island. (843) 941-0089.
Frequently Asked Questions
What water sports can you do on Hilton Head?
Jet skiing, parasailing, kayaking, paddleboarding, water skiing, wakeboarding, tubing, banana boat rides, surfing and bodyboarding, plus boat and catamaran rentals. Most leave from the marinas on Broad Creek, Shelter Cove, Harbour Town and Hilton Head Harbor.
Where do Hilton Head water sports leave from?
Five marinas. On Broad Creek, Sky Pirate Parasail and Island Head run from Broad Creek Marina and Lowcountry Watersports from Palmetto Bay Marina. H2O Sports is at Harbour Town in Sea Pines, Outside Hilton Head and Bluewater Adventure at Shelter Cove Harbour, and Island Head and Sea Monkeys at Hilton Head Harbor by the bridge. Surfboards and paddleboards come from shops that deliver to your rental.
Which water sports are best for young children?
Tubing, which is for all ages with the captain keeping the ride slow, and a kayak tour, with children in a double kayak beside an adult. From age 6, children can parasail with an adult, ride the H2O Sports banana boat, or ride a jet ski as a passenger with an adult driving.
When is water sports season on Hilton Head?
May through September, when the water averages 76°F to 85°F. April and October are cooler, around 69°F to 72°F, and from December to February the water drops to the 50s°F, though Outside runs its Dolphins & Tubing trip all year.
What water sports can you do from the beach?
Surfing, bodyboarding and skimboarding. The surf is usually small, so it suits beginners: Forest Beach Surf & Cycle rents surfboards and bodyboards and gives private surf lessons, and Soul SUP rents skimboards and bodyboards. Both deliver paddleboards to your rental for the week.
Keep exploring
Harbour Town Pier in Sea Pines: the free, covered pier over the yacht basin beside the lighthouse, what to do there, fishing, and the Sea Pines gate fee.
Gregg Russell's free concerts under the Liberty Oak and the Gregg Russell Harbour Town Playground: the 2026 schedule, what the shows are like, getting in.
Jet ski rental Hilton Head: six outfitters from Harbour Town to the bridge, guided creek tours, posted prices, driver age rules and where you can ride.
Parasailing Hilton Head: compare Island Head, H2O Sports in Harbour Town and Sky Pirate, with prices from $90, ages, weight limits and what to expect.
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