Barrier Island Ecotours

Scott Garrison

2023-12

We took the tour to Capers Island in October 2023. Can't say enough good things about this excursion. The staff and captain were extremely informative, friendly, funny and engaging. Capers Island is an undeveloped barrier island and is truly a beautiful place to spend some time and to see the natural evolution of an island when left untouched. The ride to and back from the island was also beautiful and the crew kept everyone on the boat entertained, including the kids that were aboard. Definitely family friendly. Got to see some dolphins on both legs of the trip. Highly recommend and will do it again on our next trip.

Eric Joyner

2024-04

The sunset dolphin Cruise was the highlight of our week long trip to Charleston. The naturalist was great with kids. We saw dolphins, blue crabs, stone crabs, tons of shells and a beautiful sunset. Capers Island was amazing and wish I would've had more time to explore it. You will not be disappointed with this.

Katie Knostman

2024-04

Our tour with Parker and Helen was fantastic! Parker gave us lots of insight into the barrier island geography and flora/fauna. We saw dolphins and crabs (from preplaced traps) on our way out to Capers Island. Capers itself was just gorgeous - a boneyard beach with skeleton trees and no people in sight.

Bree Spivey

2024-04

Our school uses Barrier Island EcoTours every year with our third graders! We love the boat cruise and the exploration of Capers Island. Nike is our favorite guide! She is so wonderful with children- very patient and funny! The weather didn’t cooperate with us, but we still saw dolphins and had a blast!

Hannah Poole

2023-09

We spent our morning with Parker and Robert and they are second to none! Both very, very knowledgeable and amazing at spotting wildlife. A wonderful couple hour tour starting out in the salt marshes spotting birds and dolphins and pulling up crab traps, then on to Capers Island to look at the “boneyard”. Had an excellent time and learned a lot.

Josh Kuroda

2023-11

We went on the Capers Island tour with Robert and had a fantastic time learning about the tidal salt marsh ecosystem, watching many pods of bottlenose dolphins (some getting within 6ft of our boat), and exploring Capers Island on foot. Robert was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and funny – together with his dog, Ella Belle, they made this tour the highlight of our time here in Charleston.

Gigi Yelton

2023-08

This was one of the best experiences for our family! Celebrating our sons 19th birthday and we caught plenty of fish and lemon shark and black tip shark. Such an awesome beautiful sunset shark fishing cruise! Joseph Cole was the best! Could not have had a better guide! He was so chill relaxed and made everyone feel so comfortable and so knowledgeable!

M Jones

2023-08

What a perfect way to kick off our vacation - we had the absolute best excursion and low country boil. Captain Mike and naturalist Diane were awesome. We enjoyed a beautiful cruise watching all the dolphin and wildlife, a fabulous meal, exploring Capers Island, an amazing sunset, and we learned so many fun facts about the local ecosystem. I highly recommend this trip.

Ryan Silvestri

2024-04

We went on the Capers Island tour in April of 2024. Our captain and guide were amazing - very friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging. We saw lots of dolphins and other wildlife, and the length of the tour was perfect. We had 4 kids with us, ages 8, 6, 5, and 2 and they all loved it as well. I would highly recommend these tours for locals and tourists alike!

Kristyn Fedich

2023-05

This was a highlight of our long weekend trip to Charleston! What a gem of a find!! We had two little ones in tow and they had an absolute blast. Capers Island is absolutely stunning. What an incredible, unspoiled natural habitat. Mike was our naturalist and Captain Rutledge drove our boat. Such nice and kind people; so friendly and amazing with children of all ages! We booked this last minute and we were so grateful there was room - everything was booked up for the weekend! HIGHLY recommend!!!

Dawn Leach

2024-04

We did the Sunset Dolphin Cruise this week and it was awesome! Loved everything about it. Perfect amount of time on the water and the walk to the boneyard beach was beautiful. We saw lots of dolphins and got to see a couple of crabs from the crab traps. Excellent customer service also. We had originally booked the EcoTour for Saturday morning but it's been pretty chilly in the mornings and is supposed to rain so they re-booked us last minute on the sunset cruise a few days earlier without any issue. Much appreciated!

Stephanie Grizzle

2023-07

We had a wonderful time on our Eco-tour! Our guide was Robert, who was so knowledgeable about the history of the islands. He was the best!! I can’t wait to come back! This is a must when coming to Charleston.

Rachel Rehl

2023-05

Our family had the best time on the Barrier Island Ecotours. Robert was amazing with our children who asked him about 800 questions on the boat and while exploring Caper's Island. Ella the boat dog was super cute and friendly too. Definitely a highlight of our trip to the Charleston area!

Tina Swartzlander

2023-08

We had a fantastic time on the Dolphin Sunset Cruise. Nike and Wahoo were a great team. We saw lots of dolphins and Wahoo was able to let us see a local fisherman reel in a 8 foot shark. It was my 16 year old daughter’s favorite part of our Charleston summer vacation.

Mark Coxon

2023-09

My family of three booked a private charter for inshore fishing and some sightseeing. We were lucky enough to get Capt.Joseph, I can’t say enough good things about the trip. My son is 3 y/o and my wife is not big into fishing, Capt Joseph was very knowledgeable, friendly and made our day by being so good with our son, helping him fish, catch a shark, teach him how to use different baits and just overall was a great time to be around. From booking the trip to the time we dropped off, the entire experience was seamless and enjoyable. Kudos to whoever owns/operates this place and thanks again Capt Joseph.

Jillian Friedensohn

2022-05

Our family’s 3.5 hour boat ride with Captain Robert and his sweet dog Ella Belle was the highlight of our trip to Charleston!We brought our 4 young kids ages 1-8 and we had the best time. Robert was extremely engaging, knowledgeable, funny, and such a nice guy! He was a 4th grade teacher for 15 years and it shows how much he loves kids. There was an autistic girl on our boat who asked a lot of questions and he was amazing with her.This experience was way more than a simple dolphin tour you can do most places. This was an amazing educational experience where we got to see and touch sea-life and explore an island. We will remember this for a long time and will do it again next time we return.

Amber Connor

2023-05

This was an incredible tour! The weather was iffy at first but the captain stayed hopeful and sure enough we ended up with a beautiful sunset sky! Capers island was so amazing, the shells and trees really blew us away. The captain was funny and informative and super nice. He felt like a good friend we’ve known for years. Highly recommended!! You’ll come away having learned so much.

Kathryn Patti

2022-05

We booked the Blue Crabbing excursion for our family of six (kids ages 3-9) and it was the highlight of our vacation. I cannot say enough wonderful things about our captain (Rutledge) and naturalist (Mike). Both made the experience unforgettable. Our kids were captivated by everything Mike taught them about the animals and ecosystem of the salt lake marsh. The kids loved seeing all of the dolphins and learning about prey and predator. Catching crabs on Capers Island was awesome and an experience I’m sure our kids will never forget. The crab and shrimp boil at the end was delicious and even our picky eaters tried and enjoyed everything. We are already talking about doing another tour with Barrier Island Ecotours the next time we come to Isle of Palms to vacation. This excursion was worth every penny. Thank you to Rutledge and Mike for such a wonderful afternoon!

Lisa Marie

2023-05

Once again Shane and Amos out did themselves! We charter a boat every year for our girls week trip and every year it's an amazing experience. This year we tried an early charter and did some fishing and we had a blast! Having our oyster roast and low country boil on Goat Island is the icing on the cake. We all love being able to enjoy the setting at Goat Island. This is SO much more than "just a fishing trip" or "just an eco tour"! What a trip - we've already booked our 2024 event! Also - do like we do and hire a local photographer so you can enjoy the day and live in the moment and let someone capture all the memories - we used William Thornley Photography - he's gone with us for several years and is familiar with Shane and Barrier Eco Tours!

Dana F

2024-02

Great adventure for families with school age kids and anyone who likes dolphins, birds, sea animals and exploring! Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, we did see dolphins, and the time to explore the island was fabulous (so many shells and crabs!). Highly recommend!

Travis Eidle

2023-09

The capers island tour is amazing! Diane is the best! We learned so much about the ecosystem and saw so much wildlife! Dolphins, an eagle, sharks, crab, and other birds. All ages will love this tour! I can't believe it took me 3 years to hear about it. Great date option or to take friends or family when they are in town.

Tim Winters

2022-05

Last night, our last evening in Charleston, my wife, daughter and I took the sunset dolphin cruise with Barrier Island Ecotours. What a great way to wrap up a quick out of town getaway to one of our favorite cities. This was our first time taking an ecotour and after last night it will not be our last!Courtney, Capt. Griffin and Moses were all amazing! Courtney was knowledgeable and quick witted, a perfect combination for a skilled tour guide. Moses, Courtney's trusted four legged pooch, provided great entertainment as he walked our vessel and leaped whenever dolphins were spotted. Capers Island, wow!I would highly recommend Barrier Island Ecotours to any first time or longtime visitor to the Charleston area.Services: Guided tours, Group cruises

C Hedge

2022-05

The 3.5 hour Capers island wildlife exploration tour was, hands-down, the best boat tour I’ve ever done. Captain Mike and his dog/first mate Pollie were very friendly, and Mike taught us a lot during the ride about the various kinds of wildlife we saw along the way. The ride to Capers island is through the saltgrass marshes on the inland side of the Isle of Palms so it’s almost like taking an airboat tour in the Everglades. Saw lots of different waterbirds and multiple dolphins on the ride out. Once we got to Capers Island we had about an hour to explore on our own. The beach had a very different feel from the Isle of Palms, more untouched and wild. Several tide pools where we found starfish, horseshoe crab, and even a live whelk! If you walk far enough along the beach, you can get to the “bone yard” where there are a lot of cool dead trees along the beach, as well as being able to go into the woods. Saw an immature bald eagle and several ospreys while on the island. All in all a very cool experience.

Nicholas D'Souza

2024-03

Michael was the best! His knowledge and experience out in the ocean gave my girlfriend and I an intellectually stimulating experience. It was hands on as well. Definitely a memorable experience for a lifetime! We got up and close with nature and Capers Island. Stunning views- it will boost your imagination!

Michelle O'Malley

2023-08

Saw dolphins and sea turtles while on the boat, then they dropped us off on Capers Island where we got to explore Bone Yard Beach and it was amazing!

Corinna Gedye

2023-05

Mike & Helen are excellent tour guides. They are very fun and engaging. We learned so much about the wildlife. We saw a lot of dolphins. Capers Island was so fun to explore. The low country broil was delicious. Thanks for the fun morning tour.

Kimberly Leyman

2023-05

ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND THIS TOUR!!!! This was probably the best thing we did on our vacation. We loved it! It was so educational. Our guide, Robert, told us all about the sealife of the lowlands. It was way more than we expected. You won't be disappointed!!

lati mom

2022-05

I wish I could give this more stars! We went on the blue crabbing excursion and it was amazing! It was perfect! We saw lots of dolphins, birds, an alligator and other wildlife. It was very educational AND so much fun! All my kids (ages 4-16) loved it! You could easily hear everything as we cruised along. Then, we went crabbing the “old school” way. It was a blast! Following that, we had watermelon & a crab boil on the beach. We will definitely come again if we visit SC again! Earlier in the week, we tried a dolphin tour on the Sea Thunder in North Myrtle Beach…we tried to see dolphins on 2 different tours and never did. The boat was too loud to hear the captain. The Eco Tour was 100 times better! I can’t recommend it enough. We spent 10 days on the SC coast and tried several different tours…this was, by far, our favorite!!!

Megan Love

2022-05

We were able to go on a school field trip with Barrier Island Ecotours and it was amazing! Mike was our naturalist and Rutledge our pilot. Mike has a great sense of humor and showmanship while teaching kids of all ages. I texted my husband before we even made it to the island at the end of our stop that we all needed to come back (he was home with the other kiddos) because it was so cool.

Mary Aulick

2019-05

We took our 4 kids on the sunset dolphin cruise and had an absolute blast! Our captain was super nice and accommodating and our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and great with fielding all the curious questions from our (age 8 and under) crew. A must do for any family visiting or in the area!