A Myrtle Beach kayaking trip to remember! Bald eagle, dolphins, egret, cormorant encounters

My first time seeing a bald eagle in the wild! We love kayaking in the marshes near North Myrtle Beach (Cherry Grove inlet to be exact) because is so peaceful and you get to watch a variety of wildlife in their natural habitat. This was indeed icing on the cake…

We started out at sunrise and let in at the boat ramp inside Cherry Grove Park adjacent the Heritage Shores Nature Preserve (highly recommending visiting , free admission).

Best way to start the day: going kayaking in the marsh at Cherry Grove Beach!

After a hearty 30 minutes paddle going against the current as we were trying to reach

Paddling through the side inlet to avoid going against the current

the ocean, we turned around looking for a better way.

We found it right across the dock where we let in. There is a mini inlet going parallel to main channel (Go only at high tide to avoid getting stuck in the sea grass or the oyster beds).

What a world of difference!

While my husband guided the kayak at a leisurely pace, I was able to take photos, enjoy the beautiful marsh views, and look out for wildlife.

We hit the jackpot! A remarkable American bald eagle perched on a pole,

Great reason to go out paddling...a chance to see the majestic American bald eagle!

scanning the marsh in search for a morning prey, oblivious to our presence…

For a long time it stood so still I wondered whether is one of those fake birds you see around the beach.

But it did eventually move when we got really close.

As I was shooting a video of its huge, beautiful wings in full strike, my batteries ran out…go figure! At least I got some nice still shots.

Here is another big bird beauty, a great white egret sitting in a tree in the middle of the preserve.

Great white egret trying to spot its next meal

A double crested cormorant gliding smoothly above the water. Did you know that cormorants dive for food and after catching a fish, resurface, flip it into the air and swallow it head first?

Rewarding wildlife viewing while paddling in the marsh

Our initial attempt to pass “the Gauntlet of Death” (the nickname my husband gave the spot where the inlet meets the ocean and strong waves push against you) failed. But our second try through the side inlet succeeded with ease. We reached the barrier island and decided to take a break.

Where the inlet meets the ocean at the "Gauntlet of Death"...

Another treat in store: bottlenose dolphins feeding offshore. During our extended winter vacation at Cherry Grove Beach we were lucky to see dolphins swimming by the pier almost every day. Here is a memorable video with a pair of dolphins doing a spectacular synchronized jump.

Enjoying a relaxing break from paddling on the barrier island

What else can you ask for? The ocean, sun, amazing wildlife encounters and a healthy dose of exercise at the beach, all free. Happy New Year everyone!

Gorgeous beach vista from the barrier island

Start a new family tradition this year: kayaking along the South Carolina coast!

The magnificent blackheaded bushmaster deadly strike

“If you are bitten by a Bushmaster, it is better to just lie down under a tree and rest, for you will soon be dead”

The snake is in position

You can see this killing machine in action at the amazing Cape Fear Serpentarium in historic Wilmington (1 hour drive from North Myrtle Beach). Featured on Discovery Channel and Animal Planet the serpentarium has the world’s largest collection of venomous snakes.

Admission is only $8 and live snake feedings occur every weekend at 3PM.

There are over 100 species like the spitting cobra, black mamba, green Anaconda, 20 foot reticulated python, Gaboon vipers, Tropical rattlers, giant Fer-de-lance and even a Nile crocodile!

My favorite was the incredible blackheaded Bushmaster to which I’ve dedicated this post. Enjoy!

Blackheaded Bushmaster Facts and Trivia
• One of the rarest animals on earth it can only be found on a small peninsula in southeastern Costa Rica.

• Only snake known to exhibit courtship ritual before mating: the male performs an “upside down sawing” on top of the female.

• Although the bushmaster is the world’s longest venomous snake it has the smallest swallow threshold!

• Its environment consists of elevated forests with cool temperature and continuous drizzle. The Bushmaster adapted so it’s only basking the head in the sunlight keeping the rest of the body concealed.

• Method of catching prey: “strike and hold on” as illustrated in this video below:

What it feels like to be bitten by a bushmaster?

Cape Fear Serpentarium’s founder Dean Ripa is among the few survivors of a bushmaster bite. Initially he felt a strange euphoria. “The room seemed to have grown enormously large, and myself shrinking away. I saw beautiful purple colors.”

It didn’t last long.

Trust in me!

• 15 minutes: nausea, uncontrollable drooling, intense throbbing and fast rising pulse

• 20 minutes: projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea

• 25 minutes: chills, blood pressure drops, burning pain in the kidney area, rapid breathing

• 30 minutes: severe abdominal pain, continued vomiting and diarrhea, fluids oozing from swollen bite area

• 35 minutes: body numbness, inability to speak, undetectable blood pressure, feeble pulse

• 40 minutes: conscious but disinterest in fate, undetectable blood pressure and pulse.

You can guess what happens next…

Ready for the thrill of your lifetime?

Amazing Sunset Beach Photos: Quiet and Relaxing Family Time

Need some peaceful time at the beach, close to attractions and civilization yet away from the big city resorts crowds? Sunset Beach NC is your answer. The beach is located off highway 17 just 30 minutes drive from North Myrtle Beach and 1 hour from Wilmington NC.

Tips to know before you go
1. If you stay more than 3 nights then rent a house on the beach. I use Sunset Beach Realty ; their website has good search and filter capabilities and lots of photos for each available house. Otherwise try Sea Trail Golf resort.

2. Get a house on 2nd or 3rd row and skip the ocean-front. You’ll save hundreds of dollars and not miss on the view and distance at all. Sunset Beach is really narrow; all houses are very, very close to the beach. Most “back” houses are newer, taller and have better amenities. As you can see from the slideshow below the ocean views and sunsets are incredible.

3. For food, best thing to do is to get super-fresh mouth watering fish from Bill’s Seafood (located on the island) and cook it at the house. I’ve had the most delicious, sweet and tender scallops ever. And I don’t even like scallops! 🙂

4. There is only one old-fashion one-way bridge connecting the town (your best groceries option) and the beach. Every hour, 15 minutes exactly before the hour, the bridge closes to let the boat traffic pass thru. So plan accordingly…if you do get caught no worries the whole thing lasts for about 15 minutes and is quite entertaining to watch. Be mindful of the ongoing construction for the new four-lanes overpass bridge scheduled to open in 2010…that will bring lots more traffic, noise and commerce to Sunset Beach. So go now while it’s still peaceful and quiet!

5. Things to do for kids: At the beach: Body surfing on boogie boards (very popular with boys), biking, walk around the Bird Wildlife sanctuary and collecting shells (the beach is a shell Mecca, you’ll see full size beautifully colored oyster, clam, conk, and whelk shells); In and around town you can visit the Ingram Planetarium, the Museum of Coastal Carolina on Ocean Isle (10 minutes drive from Sunset) or go to Myrtle Beach and check out Alligator Adventure “The Reptile Capital of the World”.

If you’re brave enough take the 45 minutes drive to historic Wilmington to see the world’s largest collection of the rarest and most venomous snakes. It’s fierce and well worth the $8 admission price!