My oldest daughter (16) and I did 2 salt marsh tours this September, a 2 hour and a 4 hour. We have been kayaking before, and have done several 2 hour salt marsh tours in previous years (yet they are all different, as the tide, weather, and wildlife are always changing). Each time has been great. The guides are all wonderful, it is a family business so you get that feel of extra care and interest in you as a customer, not just another body to put in a kayak. Kayaks are easy to use and you do get some instruction if you've never used them before. No body on any of the tours we've taken have ever capsized or fallen out, though Paul does tell us (hopefully cautionary?) tales of less careful kayakers. The salt marsh tour is peaceful, and Paul is very good with his bird and reptile id's, and knowing where to find the animals. We got a treat this year on the 4 hour trip, with a stop at Drunken Jack Island (we did have to drag our kayaks a bit through the salt marsh, as even at high tide there are super shallow areas). I'd always wanted to go out to it, and it was a very beautiful hammock island with large, beautiful live oaks and a very tall hill (for coastal SC). Good price, excellent service, this is American business at its best! Thanks Black River Outdoors! read more

Rick and Lance led 7 members of my family and I on what was easily the best experience of our 7 day stay in the Murrells Inlet area! We explored the salt marsh for 4 hours and saw a tremendous amount of wildlife. We had a dolphin swimming with us for about 20 minutes. Sometimes he would surface just feet from my daughter's kayak! She says that the dolphin actually looked her in the eye. We also saw sea turtles, crabs, fish, oyster beds and birds, birds and more birds. This is a birders paradise! Rick is very knowledgeable and caring naturalist with a quirky sense of humor who conveys information in a balanced manner so that the adults and children in the group could understand importance of the marsh ecosystem. Some dad jokes and bad puns kept the mood upbeat. Lastly, if you are a bird watcher, Rick is your guy. Every bird we saw he was able to identify and give information about. This trip was absolutely worth the money and I do not say that lightly. We vacation on a budget so value for the dollar is important. The return on investment far exceeded my expectations! Thank Rick and Lance read more

BRO successfully turned a lemon into lemonade. My initial visit was the Salt Marsh Kayak Tour in Murrells Inlet SC on 5/15/22. Things turned bad when a short way out I discovered the boat taking water. Upon beaching it and flipping it over I discovered a crack. After repeating this a short time later, I returned to the launch point, cutting my trip short. David, our guide was most helpful in helping me empty the kayak both times and he promised to contact the owner of BRO to explain what happened. Before I arrived home, I received a text from Sheena apologizing and offering a complimentary return trip at my convenience. That tour took place on 5/31/22 at the same spot and was terrific. The tide was high, wind was light, company was good and our guides Ashley and Hastings were excellent. We explored the creeks and basins of Murrells Inlet and saw some wildlife. Great all around. Because BRO acted promptly to rectify the situation, I now regard the first trip as an adventure and a great topic of conversation. I will definitely tour with BRO again, at all of its launch points. read more

I've been on kayak tours all over the country, and I have to say that this was one of the better ones I've experienced. Black River provided decent sit in kayaks that tracked well with all the parts in working order along with nice Warner paddles and appropriately sized MTI life vests. We did the 2 hour swamp tour, and our guide Nick did a great job. He took the time to make sure everyone was comfortable in their kayaks, with their gear properly adjusted, and assisted us into the water. The tour started out in a protected calm area which gave everyone a chance to get comfortable with paddling. From there it was a relaxed paddle across the lake and up the river to a lovely stretch of creek. Along the way Nick pointed out plenty of wildlife and provided details about the local ecosystem. We saw snakes, turtles, birds and even an alligator. It was all around a delightful adventure and I would not hesitate to recommend it to others. read more

Our family of five, two adults and three children (10,7, and 3) took the 2.5 hour salt marsh tour at 6:30 am with Mandy as our guide. We had two tandem kayaks and one junior kayak for our 10 year old. Life jackets were provided and were clean and fit well. Mandy, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating to our family. She helped our two older children experience pluff mud for the first time, and even helped our daughter get back into the kayak and rinsed afterword. The ride out was very easy and the sunrise on the water was gorgeous. The tide did start coming in on our way back, but Mandy did a wonderful job keeping us together and recommending routes that the kids could easily navigate. We saw sea turtles and many, many birds. I would highly recommend trying a kayak tour and seeing what our beautiful SC salt marshes have to offer! Can't wait to return for the same tour or one of their other tours. read more

Took on the 4-hour Salt Marsh tour early last month with guide Paul. The morning tour provided a little exercise along with a detailed history lesson on the immediate area. It was obvious to me Paul is heavily invested in his position and his expertise and knowledge of both history and wildlife took this experience to the next level! Among the many highlights, my wife spotted a sea turtle swimming directly towards her kayak. Although she was the only witness, I believe what she saw based on the preemptive scream that came when my back was turned. We walked out onto the jetty and saw some Loons fishing in the calm waters on our way to the anglers at the end, one of which reeled in a dogfish shark, it was sweet! My biggest takeaway was that the guide inspired me to get more serious about birding as a hobby. I've already identified a few new species in my backyard. Thanks Paul and Black River, see ya next time! read more

This kayak tour was the highlight of our trip to Myrtle Beach! We did the Cypress Swamp 2 hour tour. Our guide Richard gave us a quick tutorial on how to paddle the kayak which was very helpful for me since I had never been in a kayak before! He treated us like we were his friends right off the bat! He provided us with a tandem kayak since my kayaking companion was blind. He also kept that fact in mind on the whole adventure and was amazing at describing in detail the animals and vegetation that we encountered. He pointed out so many creatures that I would have never been able to spot on my own and even caught a snake for us to hold and look at up close! If you are going to Myrtle Beach and looking for a fun adventurous way to experience nature there, I would highly recommend this tour! Thanks Richard for a fantastic adventure! read more

Booked same day 45 minutes before tour started after traveling to SC from Philly for vacation with my daughter and boyfriend. Very easy to book, gave me a discount as well- wound up being at least 50 bucks cheaper than expected. 115 for the three of us. 2 hour bird watching tour kayaking. Our tour guide Spencer was so amazing! friendly knowledgeable and accommodating. She called before the tour started as I wasn't there right on time and directed me to the tricky entrance point. Gave great instructions on kayaking and when the tides got high along with the currents coming in strong on the way back I got super winded rowing my daughter and I and she picked up on that, tied us to her boat, and helped us get back to shore safely. Thanks everybody! Great time. Give Spencer a bonus shes a life saver lol read more

When I booked this trip, I was excited. When we arrived for our 2 hour salt marsh trip, our guide (a retired woman in her mid-60s, I sadly can't remember her name, but she does all of the 6:30am tours) was ready and waiting. Not only was she knowledgeable about kayaking but she had a wealth of knowledge to share about the salt marshes and it's inhabitants. She had wonderful historical anecdotes to share. We will definitely be doing this trip again! I wish that the site had been more clear about the longer tours. Our guide told us there are substantial breaks; it's not just 4 or 6 hours of straight kayak paddling. It's a great tour for an experienced or novice kayaker. My boyfriend had never been out before and he loved it! read more

This trip was by far the best event of our week long vacation to the Grand Strand! I took the 2-hour evening Georgetown Harbor Historic kayak trip on July 28, 2016 with my Son and his friend (two 17-year olds). It was AWESOME. Our guide Paul was amazing. He calmed me fears about kayaking and he gave us a great historical over of the Georgetown Harbor area. I'm so glad that I went on this adventure with my Boys. It opened their eyes to a different activity outside of their normal high school functions. What a great way to end our summer vacation. Can't wait to do it again next year and I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to learn about history of the low country while getting a little bit of exercise! read more

My husband, daughter (age 7) and son (age 4) and I did the 2 hour cypress swamp kayak tour. We have never been kayaking. We used two tandem kayaks and they were easy to use. The guides were amazing and very knowledgable. We got up close with a lot of wildlife. It was amazing. I was kind of worried about the kids enjoying this. My daughter is kinda afraid of trying new things and my son is very energetic and it's hard for him to sit still. They both did really great and really enjoyed themselves. The relaxed easy going nature if the guides really helped. I would highly recommend doing a guided tour, even if you've never been kayaking before or have young children! I think this is a great activity for all ages! read more

We had a terrific tour on Friday. We chose the 4-hour cypress swamp tour with the stop at Sandy Island. The kayaking into the cypress swamp was gorgeous! The spider lilies were the highlight for me. I had seen these flowers years ago and was wondering what they were called. Seeing them in their natural habitat was great. Richard is so extremely knowledgeable about all the plant and animal life, and made the tour so very interesting. I appreciate all that he added. I would recommend this tour to anyone - whether or not you have kayaked before. The 4-hour tour was a bit demanding for me, but I would definitely do it again. I plan to come back and experience another season. read more

Sheena, Stephen, and Hastings were amazing. I went on a kayak fishing tour with my dad and Steve was our guide. He worked so hard, but the fish weren't biting that day. We still had a lot of fun and had a few bites. My dad caught a spinner shark and a little hammerhead, and I got a blue fish, croacker, and flounder. We saw some loggerhead turtles, blue crabs, and many other native wildlife critters. Not only that, but later in the week my brother, his fiance, my fiance, and I took a Salt Marsh tour with Hastings for my brother's birthday. He was so knowledgeable and kind. It was a great time! I highly recommend Black River Outdoors for every level of adventurer! read more

I booked my first ever kayak fishing trip with Black Water Outdoors. I had lots of questions prior to booking the trip and all of my questions were answered within a few minutes of asking them. Stephen was my guide for the day and was a wealth of knowledge. He was professional and very considerate. He showed me some techniques to catch flounder and I was able to catch 3 during our 4 hour trip. I also caught several croaker and a small gag grouper. I would definitely book another trip and request Stephen as my guide. This is definitely a professionally ran business that cares about their customers and want their customer to have a great time. read more

We had a fabulous time on our river adventure! The Salt Marsh tour was rerouted as the winds were too strong to kayak; so Richard and Chris took us to another spot. A cool river that ran backwards. We saw a couple of turtles, birds and a snake - not too much wildlife to see at This time of the day- but it was very interesting and fun to explore. Richard and Chris were excellent guides , both with deep knowledge of the area and a love for the water. A really great experience, we were glad we did not miss. We highly recommend Black River Tours. A great company that offers a unique perspective of Myrtle Beach surrounding waterways! read more

My wife and two young daughters took the four hour tour yesterday and had a wonderful time. It's impossible to put a value on the four hours spent with Richard and his passion for education and Nature preservation. It was a day we will never forget and we know it will be the same for our children. We feel lucky that our expense to take this trip was so beautifully invested back into all of the great things that our children learned. I can not understand how Richard, his family and staff do this every day with such passion as if it were their first time. Thank you and bless you and your staff. Great work all. The King Family- NY read more

We were unable to do the salt marsh excursion because of high winds. We had the option of kayaking the Waccamaw River, and it was wonderful. The guides were informative, patient with those of us who needed help navigating our kayaks, and they were enthusiastic. Paul, the snake naturalist, found a rare snake - the rainbow snake - and was persistent in catching it so that we could all observe this rare snake. I was also impressed with the knowledge he had of the snakes and how gentle and respectful he was when handling them. Thank you. We will be back to do another excursion. read more

We took the 6pm Georgetown harbor history tour with Paul as our guide. This was our first time kayaking so we were a little nervous, but we wanted to do something adventurous because our14-year-old daughter was getting tired of beach/shopping days in Myrtle Beach. It turns out this kayaking trip was perfect for her. She loved it! Paul took good care of us--no need to be nervous at all, told us the interesting history of Georgetown, and pointed out birds, an alligator, and fish that jump out of the water. We will definitely plan another trip next year! read more

This was our second time paddling in the salt marsh with Black River and it was another great experience. We did the 2 hour evening tour from Murrell's Inlet. Richard, our guide, has tons of knowledge about the birds, fish, and ecosystem. He kept a good pace so we were never bored but also never struggling to keep up. He has a great sense of humor and kept the whole group (4 in our family + 5 others) engaged. I highly recommend the tour. I'm deathly afraid of snakes so I will never do the river tours, but I will definitely be back to the salt marsh!! read more