Hilton Head Kayaking Tours and Rentals
Kayaking in Hilton Head means calm marsh creeks and dolphins: guided tours, rentals and where to launch your own.
Book Hilton Head Kayak Tours and Rentals
Live availability for the kayak and paddleboard trips that book online. Booking opens here on HHI.com, with the outfitter’s own booking system.
Booked through FareHarbor, the island operators’ own booking system. HHI.com may earn a commission.
Who Runs Kayak Tours
Kayak tours on Hilton Head go into the salt marsh creeks behind the island, not the ocean. Seven companies run them from docks on Broad Creek, Skull Creek, Jarvis Creek and Calibogue Sound, most for 90 minutes to 2 hours, and they are built for beginners. Prices below are from each company’s own booking page.
Read the guideThe most kayak tours on the island: a 2-hour guided nature tour with a naturalist, plus sunset and full moon paddles, Kids in Kayaks, kayak fishing and private tours. Single kayaks from $45, an adult and a child from $70.
Hourly kayak and paddleboard rentals at Shelter Cove Marina, or take one away for the day from its shop in the Plaza at Shelter Cove.
Visit Website ↗2-hour dolphin nature tours launching straight into Broad Creek, $41 an adult and $21 a child 12 and under when booked online, plus fireworks tours in summer and private family tours. Open all year.
Broad Creek Marina, 18 Simmons Rd. (843) 684-1910.
Visit Website ↗90-minute guided kayak tours up to four times a day, $45 single, $80 for two adults in a tandem, and paddleboard tours for $50. Kayak rentals from $35 for 2 hours. Reviewers say you get in and out on dry ground, which suits children and older paddlers.
Behind the Old Oyster Factory, 101 Marshland Rd, on Broad Creek. (843) 422-9204.
Visit Website ↗Guided and private tours from $50 and unguided rentals from $40 on Jarvis Creek, a quiet, winding creek with little boat traffic.
104 William Hilton Pkwy. (843) 353-3281.
Visit Website ↗1.5-hour guided kayak tours through Broad Creek, $45 single or $70 for an adult and a child, ages 5 and up, plus a sunrise tour and Kayaking & Coffee.
Palmetto Bay Marina, 86 Helmsman Way. (843) 684-2004.
Read the guide1.5-hour guided kayak tours on Skull Creek, $40 single and $75 tandem, with sunrise tours from May through August and sunset tours, plus a guided paddleboard tour.
Leaves from Hilton Head Harbor, 43 Jenkins Rd, on the north end.
Read the guide2-hour guided kayak tours on Calibogue Sound, into the marsh at high tide, and 1-hour paddleboard tours.
Next to the lighthouse in Harbour Town, inside Sea Pines, which charges a gate fee to drive in.
Kayaking with Dolphins on Hilton Head
Bottlenose dolphins live in the creeks around Hilton Head all year and feed in Broad Creek most days, which is why most Hilton Head dolphin kayak tours paddle there. Kayak Hilton Head, Saltmarsh, Lowcountry Watersports and Outside all launch onto Broad Creek, and Kayak Hilton Head builds every tour around finding them. Island Head paddles Skull Creek on the north end, where dolphins are regular too.
Sightings are wildlife, not a promise, but on a 2-hour tour they are common, and dolphins often surface a few yards from the kayaks. The guides keep the group together and let the dolphins come to you. Federal law bars chasing, feeding or touching them. For a dolphin trip without paddling, see our guide to boating on Hilton Head, which covers the dolphin cruises.
Hilton Head Kayak Rentals
For a kayak rental on Hilton Head without a guide, most outfitters rent kayaks and paddleboards by the hour or for 2 hours: Outside at Shelter Cove, Kayak Hilton Head and Saltmarsh on Broad Creek, and Crooked Creek on Jarvis Creek, whose cards are above. Each gives you a briefing on the tide and where to go before you launch. For a week, Outside’s shop in the Plaza at Shelter Cove rents kayaks to take away, and Soul SUP and Forest Beach Surf & Cycle deliver paddleboards to your rental; both are on our Hilton Head water sports guide. Two more places rent kayaks:
Read the guideKayaks from $33.99 an hour, double kayaks and canoes $46.99 and a triple canoe $59.99, for the 11-mile lagoon inside Palmetto Dunes.
80 Queens Folly Rd, Palmetto Dunes.
Visit Website ↗Kayak and paddleboard rentals on Skull Creek, along with its jet skis and boats.
Hilton Head Harbor, 43 Jenkins Island Rd. (843) 842-4754.
The Best Kayaking in Hilton Head
The calmest paddling is in the tidal creeks, where the marsh grass breaks the wind. Here are the five places the outfitters use, and what each is like.
Broad Creek
Broad Creek kayaking on Hilton Head is the classic trip: a wide tidal creek that runs about seven miles into the middle of the island, with the most dolphins and the most outfitters. It carries boat traffic near the marinas, so the tours head for the quieter side creeks.
Jarvis Creek
A narrow, winding creek on the north end, off William Hilton Parkway, with almost no boats. Crooked Creek Kayak Company paddles here, and it is the best pick for a first-timer who wants quiet water.
Skull Creek and Pinckney Island
Skull Creek runs between Hilton Head and Pinckney Island, a national wildlife refuge with wading birds and eagles. Island Head’s tours leave from Hilton Head Harbor here, and the C.C. Haigh Jr. landing on Pinckney Island is the place to launch your own.
Calibogue Sound
The open water off Harbour Town, where H2O Sports paddles. It is wider and choppier than the creeks, so it is best in the morning, before the wind picks up.
The Palmetto Dunes Lagoon
An 11-mile lagoon system winding past the villas and fairways of Palmetto Dunes, sheltered from the wind and away from the boat traffic on the creeks: a gentle paddle with young children. Rent at Hilton Head Outfitters.
Off the island, Bluffton’s May River has its own kayak tours and a sandbar to paddle to.
Launching Your Own Kayak
The best Hilton Head kayak launch is the Marshland Road landing, 97 Marshland Rd, a gravel ramp for kayaks, canoes and small boats at the calm, no-wake head of Broad Creek. It is very shallow at low tide, so launch within a few hours of high tide. Beaufort County’s two bigger boat landings take kayaks too:
Under the Cross Island Parkway bridge at 68 Helmsman Way, onto Broad Creek. About 45 parking spaces and a courtesy dock; watch for boats using the ramp.
Read the guideOff US 278 on Pinckney Island, just before the bridge onto Hilton Head, onto Mackay and Skull Creeks and the refuge. About 90 parking spaces and a courtesy dock.
Tides, Weather and When to Go
The tide here rises and falls six to seven feet twice a day, and it runs fast in the creeks. Paddle out against the tide and come back with it, and stay off the oyster beds, which cut hulls and feet. Check the day’s times on our Hilton Head tide chart; a guided tour takes care of this for you.
You can kayak all year. The water averages 76°F in May, 81°F in June and September and 85°F in July and August, so summer paddlers only need to plan for getting wet; from November to March it drops into the 50s and 60s, so dress for a spill. Summer afternoons bring thunderstorms and the most wind, which is why the sunrise and morning tours are the calmest. Month by month figures are on our Hilton Head weather guide.
Paddle Boarding on Hilton Head
Stand-up paddle boarding on Hilton Head works best on the same calm creeks, at slack tide. Outside runs intro lessons, family lessons and SUP yoga; Island Head and H2O Sports run guided paddleboard tours, and Saltmarsh runs SUP tours. For a board for the week, Soul SUP and Forest Beach Surf & Cycle deliver.
Kayak fishing trips are on our Hilton Head fishing guide, and jet skis, parasailing and tubing are on the water sports guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to kayak in Hilton Head?
Yes, in the creeks with some care. The main risks are the strong tidal current, sharp oyster beds, summer thunderstorms and heat. Wear the life jacket, paddle against the current first, stay out of the marsh at low tide and come in if you hear thunder. Alligators live in the island’s lagoons and ponds; give them room. A guided tour handles the tide and the route for you.
Where is the best kayaking on Hilton Head?
In the tidal creeks behind the island, where the marsh grass breaks the wind. Broad Creek has the most dolphins and outfitters, Jarvis Creek on the north end is the quietest for a first-timer, and Skull Creek runs along the Pinckney Island wildlife refuge. The sheltered Palmetto Dunes lagoon is the gentlest water to paddle on your own.
How much does it cost to kayak on Hilton Head?
Guided tours run about $40 to $50 for a single kayak and $75 to $95 for a tandem, for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Rentals start around $34 an hour in Palmetto Dunes and $35 for 2 hours at Saltmarsh.
Where can you see dolphins while kayaking on Hilton Head?
Broad Creek is the best bet, and most dolphin kayak tours paddle there: Kayak Hilton Head, Saltmarsh, Lowcountry Watersports and Outside all launch onto it. Skull Creek, on Island Head’s tours, is good too.
Do I need experience to kayak on Hilton Head?
No. The guided tours are built for beginners, and the guides show you the basics before you launch. Rentals are for paddlers comfortable on their own; Kayak Hilton Head asks for some experience. The sheltered Palmetto Dunes lagoon is a gentle place to try on your own.
Can children go kayaking on Hilton Head?
Yes. Children ride in a double kayak with an adult: under 13 at Kayak Hilton Head and Crooked Creek, and Lowcountry Watersports takes ages 5 and up. Outside runs Kids in Kayaks trips.
Where can I launch my own kayak on Hilton Head?
At the Marshland Road landing, 97 Marshland Rd, a gravel ramp for kayaks and canoes on the calm upper end of Broad Creek, or at the Cross Island and C.C. Haigh Jr. boat landings. Launch near high tide at Marshland Road.
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