Education Archives - Coastal Expeditions Beaufort

Turner House Overnight Expedition FAQs

Annie Boyd — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 21:22:21 +0000

A few things to know before your trip:

When does the trip begin? When does the boat return?
On Friday, you’ll meet at our Basecamp on St Helena Island (1928 Sea Island Parkway) at 10 a.m. for a quick orientation before you depart for the island. On Sunday, you’ll be back to Basecamp by 2 p.m.

I have to cancel my reservation, can I get my deposit back?
Deposits are non-refundable. Due to the high demand for this trip, you must make a commitment of 50% payment to claim a spot.

Do you cancel for rain or bad weather?
We will cancel and give 100% refunds if the weather is dangerous (hurricane, tropical storm, etc.). Otherwise, check the forecast and pack the appropriate gear for the season. Be prepared to hike in the rain, cold, wind, or sun.

Is this the same product offered by the State Park Service?
No, SCPRT offers 5 night rentals of the Turner House through their website here: https://southcarolinaparks.com/hunting-island/the-turner-house. Our offering is an all-inclusive, guided, 3 day/2 night expedition through Coastal Expeditions Beaufort. Pricing, duration, offerings, and booking agency vary depending on the product you are interested in.

Will I have my own room and bathroom?
We cannot guarantee that you will have your own room or bathroom due to the family-style accommodations of the Turner and Caretaker House. We cannot guarantee lodging in a specific house. Room assignments are carefully considered for each trip and we do our best to give each group their own room, but it doesn’t always work out this way. All guests, especially solo travelers, should be prepared for the possibility of sharing a room with fellow travelers. If you’re traveling with friends that are on separate reservations but you don’t mind sharing a room with, please let us know.

What is the expected level of physical activity?
We are almost always on the go between meals! Every day, you will walk several miles at a comfortable pace. Our longer hikes will typically range from 5-7 miles. Boat rides, safari-style rides, and kayak trips (weather-dependent) through and around the island may also be on the itinerary.

Do I get an itinerary before the trip?
Throughout the trip, your guides will prepare you with a daily itinerary that will adapt based on the tides, weather, and season. All outings are optional but highly encouraged! Some things to look forward to: Sunrise in the Boneyard, sunset boat cruise, nature hikes, beachcombing strolls, and more!

What if I have dietary restrictions?
We are prepared to accommodate strict food allergies and dietary restrictions. You’ll fill out a questionnaire at the time of booking, where you can inform us about your needs. Please keep in mind that these are group meals and everything will need to be transported to the island and prepared by your guides. We ask that you be as flexible as possible with your diet. For example, if you don’t eat pork or are allergic to shrimp, let us know! But don’t choose this as your weekend to give up dairy or go on a cleanse – this is a biscuits and gravy kind of weekend.

Is this trip suitable for those who have mobility issues?

While you are not required to participate in the guided hikes during the expedition, this is designed to be an active weekend on an undeveloped island with unpaved roads. There are one to two flights of stairs to access the living quarters at the Turner House and Caretaker’s House, and unfortunately no ADA ramps built for these facilities. Please call us if you have any doubts about your ability to partake in this weekend and we’d be happy to answer your questions.

Can I bring personal drinks and snacks?
We will have plenty of food at meals and refreshments for you to access throughout the day. You may also bring personal snacks and drinks that fit in your weekend bags. Alcohol is allowed on this trip but use good judgment.

What should I pack and wear?
We’ll send a packing sheet and additional information prior to your trip. But basically, you’ll need clothes, toiletries, a day pack for excursions, and a reusable water bottle. Dress for the outdoors – practical shoes and quick-drying clothing with layers for protection from the sun and bugs. Multiple layers are encouraged since temperature and weather conditions can change throughout the day. Please check the forecast prior to your trip and remember that it can feel up to 10 degrees colder when we’re out on the water.

Can I arrive late or leave the island early?
If there is an emergency, yes. But otherwise, you need to plan to be on the island for the entirety of the trip. Trip leaders will not make special boat trips to and from the island to accommodate personal schedules.

Is there heat and air conditioning?
Yes! The house is fully equipped with HVAC and hot water for your comfort.

Is there WIFI or cell phone service?
There is limited WiFi available at the houses. Cell phone service is usually pretty reliable on the island due to its proximity to Hilton Head.

Is there coffee?
Absolutely! Freshly brewed coffee and a variety of individual teas will be available daily.

Ready to plan your escape to St Phillips?

Book your spot here!

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Bonnethead Sharks

Annie Boyd — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 14:13:12 +0000

Bonnethead Sharks or Sphyrna tiburo are the smallest member of the hammerhead family that can reach up to 4 feet long. They are an amazing indication here in the low country that summer has arrived! The once quiet salt marsh is now full of bonnethead sharks that can be found feeding on a variety of crustaceans and small fish during low tide near the exposed mudflats. Although these sharks are mostly carnivorous, they occasionally eat plants such as seaweed or seagrass making them omnivores unlike their other hammerhead family members.

But, just like other hammerhead sharks, the bonnethead shark has an odd, shaped head that distinguishes them from other shark species. They have a unique shovel shaped head that allows them to make sharper turns and have a wider range of vision when hunting for prey. Not only are their heads different than other shark species, but they are the only known species of shark in the world that you can distinguish females from males based on their heads. Female bonnethead sharks have a smooth round head compared to the males who have a bulge on their head. Recent research has also suggested bonnethead sharks are sensitive to the earth’s magnetic field and likely utilize it during migration to navigate from deep waters in the winter to shallower waters in the summer.

Like dolphins, these sharks also travel in groups of up to 15 but have been seen in the thousands during migration! Bonnethead sharks also excrete cerebrospinal fluid that informs other sharks nearby of their arrival. Bonnethead sharks are a unique and amazing animal that has been listed as an endangered species since 2019 due to overfishing by small scale fisheries. To see these awesome sharks in person join us on a guided boat or kayak tour or enjoy them on your own adventure by renting a kayak or paddleboard!

Post by Ally Jo Salomon (Naturalist Guide)

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Osprey Eyes

Annie Boyd — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 15:08:31 +0000

Osprey are raptors found around nearly every body of water. Some may even migrate great distances in pursuit of ideal habitat. Perched or flying above rivers, ponds, reservoirs, coral reefs and here throughout the lowcountry; our salt marshes. Their simplistic stick nests can be found in dead trees, on man-made osprey platforms and even using channel markers as foundations. The nests are most often positioned in wide open spaces, often right over the water. They are visual hunters who use open perches or flying in their unmistakable M shape to scan the water for fish using their incredible eyesight.

Osprey eyes have four types of color sensors compared to our three, this allows them to perceive ultraviolet light along with the light visible to humans. Along with binocular vision they have an amazing peripheral field as well, giving them a wide range to the sides. Osprey also have dark feathers surrounding their eyes to reflect the sun’s glare bouncing off the water. Even more advanced is their calculation of the refractive index. Determining exactly how deep prey is as water depth changes the angle a fish might appear from above vs under water. Scientists even think they can ‘see’ the earth’s magnetic field which allows precise navigation over long migrations. An osprey’s right eye contains specialized proteins which are thought to perceive the earth’s magnetic fields.

Like most birds of prey, an interesting way to determine the age of an osprey is to look at the color of their eyes. They are born with dark blue or black eyes and after a few days the eyes will change to an amber color. Once the youngsters fledge they typically head on a migration all the way down to South America, amber eyes and all. When they return north after 1.5-3 years, they return with amazing bright yellow eyes, marking them as mature and ready to breed!

Post by Matt Luzon (Captain)

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Underworldly

aaron29902 — Mon, 08 May 2023 20:52:55 +0000

While I was attending Coastal Carolina University, obtaining my degree in Marine Science, there were many memorable experiences I accrued over those four years, but there was one day that brought enjoyment to me that I still try to recreate whenever I can. Let me set the stage for you: It was an early morning during the fall in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. About 15 marine science undergraduates load up into a van and take a short trip to the docks in Murrells Inlet. We jump out of the van, wearing sweaters and pants because it is a little chilly, and grab shallow bins, scrapers and ID books. At first, we all slowly walked down to the floating ramp, a little unsure about how the day is going to go. Our professor tells us to pick a spot, lay down on our bellies, and scrape all that stuff stuck to the dock into the bins, and ID what you find. When I tell you that by the end of our time there, all of our sleeves were soaked, I am not joking. As we scraped, we found so many hidden treasures! Sea stars, tunicates, algae, crabs, sea anemones, flatworms, nudibranchs, and sea pork. We would make our collection, and then run around like fools trying to see what someone found when they would yell “Wow!” or “What is this?”.

It truly was a moment in which all my worries fell apart, and I felt like a kid again.

Working on boats gives me ample opportunity to recreate this experience. Just recently, I took time before a tour at the downtown Beaufort Marina, to lay flat on my belly, and look through the little world that can be found just below the surface. Everytime I do this, my mind is just blown! I grabbed a bright red sponge, as it was the first thing to catch my eye, and instantly, 20ish little baby crabs scuttled out of hiding places I couldn’t even see were there. They ran across my hands and some ended up just jumping off my hands and disappearing in the water (hopefully not to their demise). It’s moments like these that tickle my fancy! After that, of course I had to keep on exploring through the algae, sea pork, tunicates, oysters, and sea anemones that have found a home in such a niche location.

I used my 10x macro lens that I attached onto my phone to really see the hustle and bustle of this underwater world. I focused on the hydrozoans that were “blowing in the breeze” of the Beaufort River tide. They looked so alien to me. (Side note: I took a microscopy class at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center, and the theme was “Are movie monsters based on microscopic organisms?”. We deemed the answer to be a hard yes.) They looked kind of like flowers growing out of a bush, but imagine the flower petals as alien tentacles, and the center of the flower like a bright pink suction tube that looks like it’s ready to suck in unsuspecting prey at any moment. Around the suction center was a bouquet of Spaghetti O’s noodles. While staring at these weird creatures, I caught a view of something even weirder. Skeleton shrimp. Let me explain what these little (super little, like teeny tiny) guys look like. Imagine a shrimp that’s skinny, long, transparent and has Captain Hook vibes (These shrimps have hooks for hands. I know these movies are becoming more and more outdated – Peter Pan came out in 1953…). Now, imagine a skeleton for that shrimp. Imagine that the back end of that skeleton is holding onto the stalks of the hydrozoans, and is doing crunches over and over and over again, ripping those hooks-for-hands through the water. That is your Skeleton shrimp (movie monster, am I right?). These little guys hold on with tiny little legs and tears through the water to catch their next lunch. They are basically the underwater version of Praying Mantises (I wonder if Skeleton shrimp females eat their mates, too? #whorunstheworld[girls]).

Skeleton Shrimp on a hydrozoan stalk

Okay, so I didn’t want to write this blog to talk just about skeletons doing crunches. What I really wanted to talk about were these cute little creatures I saw on the hydrozoans. So cute that if they created a stuffed animal version of it, I would be the first person in line yelling “take my money!”.

Sea slugs. Nudibranchs. Sea hare. Sea bunny. Have you heard of it? These are all terms people use to refer to sea slugs (although a sea bunny is technically a nudibranch, not a sea hare, and a sea hare is not a nudibranch, but nudibranchs, sea hares and sea bunnies are all sea slugs? Very confusing.)

They say that all nudibranchs are sea slugs, but not all sea slugs are nudibranchs- kind of like all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles can be a square? From here on out, I will refer to them as sea slugs since that is the all inclusive term.

Sea slug on a hydrozoan stalk

Right there, hidden in the hydrozoans, was a community of sea slugs riding the stalks of the hydrozoans as if they were a roller coaster cart holding onto the tracks. The term “sea slugs” is very accurate. Think of a slug with a long slimy body, and two tentacles coming out of their head but add a very large handlebar mustache that is well kept but is so long that they hang low and “blow in the wind”. Add short, pointy, translucent dreadlocks that protrude from the sides of the body and look like there are curled up spaghetti noodles on the insides of them. Their body color is tan, but their upper tentacles are speckled with white like snow-capped mountains, and there is a white stripe with a splash of orange in between them. Running down the back of the sea slug are various splotches of white and orange. Like I said, adorable, right? And they are just minding their own business! Eating, sleeping, reproducing (found many hydrozoan stalks covered in sea slug eggs), and repeating. These teeny tiny animals that you can barely see at all, have their own piece of real estate in the city of Beaufort (hard to afford these days), within a safe neighborhood where they can make friends, date, and raise their babies. They have created a life in a world that looks nothing like the worlds we live in, and yet, it’s normal to them. If you have ever read or seen “Horton Hears a Who!” (A Dr. Suess book. Do kids still read these?), I am Horton, and these sea slugs are the Whos. Just like Horton, it really makes me readjust my perspective. We live in such a big world, but there are so many teeny tiny worlds within, and that just amazes me.

After I’m starting to get dizzy from dangling my head over the side of the dock, I have to sit up, and escape the underworld to find a bit of relief. The mystery remains with me for a few more minutes, but then I get thrown back into the stressful human world that just seems way too complicated. A place a sea slug would scoff at. Those few minutes of child-like wonder was still worth it, though. Those few minutes of forgetting that I even exist, was a few minutes of solace that we all could use. So, if you ever feel like you need a moment that removes you from hardships, maybe just stick your head underwater and search through the fouling that grows on a dock.

Post by Annie Boyd (Education Coordinator)

Does this sound like an experience your child would enjoy? Check out our kids camps we have offered this summer!

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