kayaking in Outerbanks??

Hello,

I%26#39;m heading to South Nags Head area and would like to plan a day of kayaking somewhere within a 30 min drive. Dont know where to rent or where to go as I am new at this. Tried it in the Florida Keys and loved it. Any suggestions??

kayaking in Outerbanks??

You have several options. Kitty Hawk Kites and others offer kayaking tours where they supply you with a guide and a kayak. These are the big plastic stable kayaks suitable for a beginner. I watch people go on these tours as our kayaking club members are out on the same bodies of water kayaking. If you are new to it, this is how I would start out.

reservations.kittyhawk.com/Info.aspx…

You can also rent kayaks from Oceanatlanticrentals.com or from Kittyhawkkites.com or moneysworth.com and take them out on your own. The sound offers a lot of places to kayak and the water is only 1-8 feet deep in most places. Below the Oregon Inlet is a place called New Inlet which is a great place to kayak if it is not too windy. Wind above 5-8 mph will ruin your adventure in open water and the water at New Inlet is only 1-4 feet deep and I have seen many people just get out and walk back if the winds are too high. Those big plastic stable kayaks are not the most efficient models, but they are good for beginners.

If it%26#39;s windy, pick a place that is wooded and protected. The tour people know the places to go and Ginguite Creek is a great place. You put in off Bob Perry Rd in Kitty Hawk. Kayaking the area south of Tail of the Whale restaurant in Nag Head is a great place too.

kayaking in Outerbanks??

Lori, there are 14 Outer Banks rental agencies listed in the activities section of the web-based coupon and tourist book called www.SunnyDayGuide.com Its a great site to browse thru. Take a look!

Steve

Hi Lori,

First if you do a tour I would recommend going through Kitty Hawk Kites, Kitty Hawk Sports or Kitty Hawk Kayaks. They%26#39;re established and reputable.

-First spot: Jean Guite Creek which runs through Kitty Hawk Woods out to the Kitty Hawk Bay. Your best place to launch is Kitty Hawk Kayaks which is located just after the Wright Bros. Mem. Bridge. It is nestled in between a car dealership and Island Flags. It%26#39;s in the same building has a coffeeshop. The reason I recommend them is that they rent kayaks and they have a private launch right at the beginning of the creek. The creek itself is a beautiful, easy paddle and it%26#39;s unique b/c you get to cross under a covered bridge (so bring the camera)!! Once you reach the Kitty Hawk Bay it%26#39;s still relaxed paddling has the bay is sheltered.

http://www.khkss.com/kayaking.html

-Second spot: Pea Island Wildlife Reserve. There are many tours for this spot, but I don%26#39;t recommend them b/c it%26#39;s such an easy paddle a tour guide really isn%26#39;t necessary. Sunset Paddles are really popular at this destination. I recommend renting a kayak and launching it from the New Inlet Launch (which is a small paved parking lot on the right hand side of Rt 12 if you%26#39;re heading south - it%26#39;s about 5 mins. before the sign for Mirlo Beach/Rodanthe - see pg 8 on link for a map). Don%26#39;t recommend launching from the Pea Island Visitor Center.

library.fws.gov/Refuges/peaisland02.pdf

-Last spot: Alligator River Wildlife Management Area. First off this one is more than a half hour from Nags Head, but it%26#39;s worth it. I also would probably recommend taking a guided tour trip on this one if you%26#39;re new to kayaking. This is located about 20 mins. inland via Manns Harbor from Manteo. You can launch at the Buffalo City Road boat launch which takes you out onto Milltail Creek. Milltail Creek winds down about 4 miles down to Alligator River. The creek is easy paddling and the water is a unique ';coffee'; color. Besides the water color there are two things unique to this paddle: 1) You may just spot an alligator b/c they%26#39;re here and we%26#39;re approaching their mating season which basically coincides with the summer months. (This at first was intimidating, but there has never been a reported attack on any kayakers. Better to go in a group like a tour though for safety in numbers.) 2) Along the creek you%26#39;ll pass a broken-down little shack which I believe must have been used has part of a moonshine operation. If you read the history on Buffalo City, NC it used to be major player in the moonshine industry during prohibition and the liquor made it%26#39;s way all the way up to places like NY. I highly recommend this trip even though it%26#39;s a little further out.

fws.gov/alligatorriver/…20tearsheet.pdf

Here%26#39;s somebody%26#39;s blog from the internet which will give you ideas %26amp; trip descriptions:

http://home.comcast.net/~wwrivrrat/obx.htm

Last but not least there%26#39;s a book on Kayaking in NC where 2/3s of the book are dedicated to OBX trips. It%26#39;s written by Pam Malec who used to lead tours for Kitty Hawk Sports. The book can be found in the Outer Banks at The Manteo Booksellers, Kitty Hawk Kites or Kitty Hawk Sports. It%26#39;s also available through Amazon and Barnes %26amp; Noble.

amazon.com/Guide-Sea-Kayaking-North-Carolina…

Thanks so much for all the great advice. This has been extremely helpful. I%26#39;m really looking forward to my trip!!!!