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Spend four hours aboard a small charter from Shem Creek Boardwalk searching sandbars and shoreline pockets for fossilized shark teeth and perfect shells. This family-friendly boat tour blends easy swimming, natural history, and local coastal flavor for a memorable Lowcountry half-day.
Spend four hours aboard a small charter from Shem Creek Boardwalk searching sandbars and shoreline pockets for fossilized shark teeth and perfect shells. This family-friendly boat tour blends easy swimming, natural history, and local coastal flavor for a memorable Lowcountry half-day.
Book with Lowcountry Coastal Excursions
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by Lowcountry Coastal Excursions · Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
At the edge of Mount Pleasant where the tidal creeks thread into Charleston’s brighter waters, Lowcountry Coastal Excursions runs a four-hour Shark Tooth & Sea Shell Hunting Tour that turns a boat cruise into a hands-on treasure hunt. Departing from Shem Creek Boardwalk in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the trip threads out over shallow sandbars, along marsh-lined channels, and onto classic Lowcountry shorelines where fossilized shark teeth and whole shells wash up with the tide. The trip’s rhythm is low and practical: a scenic cruise across Charleston waters, stops at quiet sandbars and shoreline pockets, and time for swimming, photos, and sorting finds on the boat’s deck. The geological hooks are simple and fascinating — Pleistocene-era shell beds and reworked sediments concentrate shark teeth and mollusk remains, and tidal action exposes them on sandbars that are otherwise invisible at high tide. Shorelines here are edged by cordgrass and salt marsh flats, and the shallow bars give the water a translucent green-blue that reveals the seabed at shoulder depth. Families and small groups, up to eleven guests, find this format welcoming: minimal hiking, lots of motorboat access, and a patient crew that helps point out likely spots. The vessel carries a Bluetooth stereo and a cooler for BYO refreshments, and on calm days the captain will anchor for a swim where the sandbar slopes gently into waist-deep water. Practicalities are straightforward — bring sunscreen, buckets or mesh bags for sorting, and a willingness to kneel in the sand and sift. What makes this boat outing special in the Charleston recreation scene is the combination of living coastal ecology and accessible fossil hunting. It stitches together the region’s seafood and maritime heritage with a direct, tactile connection to deep time: the same currents that make Charleston a working harbor also unearth fragments of ancient seas. Lowcountry Coastal Excursions places you on those currents with local knowledge about where to look and when. This tour is ideal as a relaxed morning or afternoon on the water for visitors based in Charleston or Mount Pleasant who want an active, family-friendly half-day. The company’s weather policy prioritizes safety — trips are monitored and may be adjusted for storms — and small-group limits keep the experience personable. Whether you come home with a fistful of shark teeth or a handful of perfect scallop shells, the day yields both immediate seaside rewards and a clearer sense of how the Lowcountry’s tides and sands shape what washes ashore. Book early during spring and fall when tides expose the richest sandbars; small-group charters of this size move quickly to productive spots, so arriving on time and communicating mobility needs to the operator ensures the captain can tailor the route for kids, older guests, swimmers.
easy.
4 hours.
Light: able to board a small boat, stand and kneel briefly, and wade in shallow water.
Departures are from Shem Creek Boardwalk in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; check your booking confirmation for the exact meeting point.
Yes — guests may bring refreshments and alcohol if 21+. The crew provides a cooler and ice.
Yes — the tour is family-friendly and accommodates up to 11 guests, but children should be supervised around water and while sorting finds.
On calm days the captain may anchor at a sandbar for swimming; trips of three hours or more allow stops and swims at select locations.
Trips are monitored closely; if conditions are unsafe the operator may reschedule or cancel with a full refund per their weather policy.
Yes — casual collecting of loose shells and fossilized shark teeth on exposed sandbars is allowed; avoid digging or removing intact sediment formations.
Shem Creek has long been part of the region’s working waterfront and seafood economy; the creek area supports shrimping and small-scale fishing that shaped Mount Pleasant’s coastal culture.
Collect only loose shells and teeth, avoid trampling cordgrass and oyster beds, and pack out all trash; small-group charters help reduce disturbance to sensitive shoreline habitats.
Lowcountry Coastal Excursions is a Mount Pleasant, South Carolina–based operator offering hands-on boat tours and fishing charters in the Charleston area. The business provides a variety of trips including shark tooth and seashell hunting tours (3- and 4-hour options), a 1.5-hour sunset boat tour, Crab Bank Island sandbar adventures departing from Red’s Ice House, inshore fishing charters (3- and 4-hour), shark fishing charters, 3- and 4-hour bachelor party cruises, and a five-day Kid’s Fish Camp. Tours run through Charleston Harbor and nearby estuaries with routes that include views of the USS Yorktown, Ravenel Bridge, Fort Sumter, and Castle Pinckney. Shark tooth and seashell hunting trips focus on shoreline and sandbar searching for fossilized teeth and shells, while inshore fishing charters reference redfish and flounder in local estuaries and note wildlife such as dolphins, sea turtles, and otters. The Kid’s Fish Camp is a five-day instructional program that teaches youth casting, knot tying, species identification, crabbing, and includes a tournament. The Crab Bank trip highlights the seabird sanctuary and restoration story. The business is based in Mount Pleasant and concentrates operations within Charleston-area waterways. Reservations and scheduling are available through the company’s booking channels.
Book with Lowcountry Coastal Excursions