Make reservations: The cruise is two hours long and they fill up fast, especially during the summer. It’s best to bring a light jacket or windbreaker just in case so you are comfortable during the dolphin cruise. Here are some tips to make your dolphin tour the best it can be:ĭress for the weather: If it’s slightly cool outside and cloudy, it will be likely even cooler in the open areas of the boat while out on the water. Plus, they guarantee you will see dolphins on your cruise so you don’t have to worry about missing out. The experience was wonderful overall and is a great attraction to plan in your Myrtle Beach vacation. He also made sure to explain how to tell if a shrimp is actually fresh when purchasing them.Īs the demonstration was going on, we headed back to the river and back to the dock. He explained different facts about them as he showed off a sponge, blue crab, sand dollars, hog choker, star fish and mini sharks. One by one, he pulled different sea creatures out of the basket, allowing people to touch them if they wanted to. One of the deckhands grabbed a basket as the fisherman threw over two bags full of items called by-catch for him to show us. Multitudes of birds, from pelicans to seagulls, swarmed around the shrimp boat, waiting impatiently for their share of the pile of sea life on his boat. If you are lucky, you will be able to get a spot on the front narrow part of the bow, which is a slightly higher than the deck and offers an unobstructed view.Īfter a while of viewing the dolphins, the Navigator inched closer to the shrimp boat as the fisherman dumped his net to sort through his catch. The upper level in the front was also great place to get a more overhead look of the action taking place in the water below. Plus, often times there were dolphins on both sides of the boat. Anywhere in the front of the boat was good, because whether you were on the left or right side, the captain maneuvered the boat enough so everyone could get a good look. There were multiple places on the boat where you could get a great view of the dolphins. Sometimes two dolphins would gracefully emerge as if they choreographed their appearance. You never knew when another was going to sweep out of the blue ocean water. They were feeding on the catch that the fisherman was throwing overboard. It wasn’t until we neared the shrimp boat that the first person let out a little squeal and passengers began “oohing” and “ahhing” at the site of the dolphins gently arching in and out of the water. We were instructed that it was ok to shout and yell once the first dolphin was spotted so that everyone could see it. Once in the ocean the ship made its way towards a shrimp boat where we would be more likely to catch sight of the dolphins. For cooler days there is also an indoor seating area complete with a snack bar in case you get hungry during your excursion.Īs the boat leaves the dock for the dolphin tour, the captain points out various landmarks as the boat travels through the calm waters of the Calabash River, past the where the river crosses with the Intracoastal Waterway and out to the open waters of the Atlantic.īirds bobbed up and down in the water as waves swooshed past the side of the boat. Once the crew starts boarding, you will you will step onto the 65-foot Navigator, a Coast Guard inspected vessel which features a sun deck on top and viewing areas and seating around the outside. ![]() ![]() And, of course you can pick up some freshly caught shrimp and purchase your dolphin tour tickets here. When you arrive at the Calabash Fishing Fleet for the dolphin tour, you can stop at their quaint Ship Store which has basically everything you could think of for a fishing trip or other outings including bait, ice, drinks, cameras and souvenirs. The smells of freshly caught fish and shrimp fill the air as well as aromas spilling out of local, family-owned restaurants claiming to have the best and freshest Calabash seafood. ![]() Just a short drive north, right over the border in North Carolina is a small fishing town called Calabash. That’s where Calabash Fishing Fleet comes into play. If you are like me, every chance you get you squint your eyes at the ocean, hoping that choppy wave you saw in the distance was perhaps a dolphin swimming into the sunset. I’ve only seen dolphins once or twice in the year and a half I have lived here and those moments were brief. As I gaze ahead, I hope to see a few fins gliding through the ocean. Here there is a beach access with a straight-on view of the ocean. By Vacation Myrtle Beach Tuesday, October 9th, 2012Įvery day on my way to work, I pause an extra second or two at the intersection of 67th and Ocean Boulevard.
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