Jekyll Island is known for attracting bikers, hikers, beachgoers and anglers, but one trending outdoor activity, stand-up paddle boarding (also known as SUP), has been sorely missed on the island – until now.
Turtle Tides Jekyll is the island’s latest recreational business specializing in kayak and paddle board rentals on Jekyll Island. Owners Adam and Jamie Sanders decided to take the leap into providing Jekyll’s guests with paddle board and kayak tours while working aboard Captain Phillip’s Charters and Tours. (Adam is also a certified boat captain, with the husband-and-wife team guiding wine cruises and dolphin cruises for Captain Phillip several nights each week.)
“It all started out by word of mouth,” Jamie says. “People were always asking, ‘Where can we rent paddle boards and kayaks?’ so we decided to meet the demand.”
Adam and Jamie teamed up with Rob and Tasha from the original Turtle Tides located on Saint Simons Island to introduce the popular brand of paddle boards and kayaks to Jekyll Island guests. Turtle Tides not only provides paddle board tours, but also manufacturers and sells their own private label paddle boards.
Turtle Tides isn’t looking to limit themselves to traditional paddle boards and kayaks, either. The team is currently expanding their watercraft lineup to include the innovative Hobie Mirage Eclipse, an eco-friendly self-propelled watercraft combining a handsfree kayak with a high-performance stand-up paddle board, as well as a sporty lineup of water bikes manufactured by itBikes, both of which are perfect aquatic alternatives for cyclists and bike enthusiasts alike.
If it’s your first time experiencing stand-up paddle boarding, or you are new to the area, the guided tours are the way to go. $60 lands you a two-hour tour aboard a Turtle Tides paddle board or kayak, while $75 gets you two-and-a-half hours of shark-tooth hunting across Jekyll’s westerly waters. These trips take guests to little-known locations in search of prehistoric fossilized shark teeth, and judging by the photos we’ve come across on Facebook, are well worth the trip.
If you’d rather go it alone, you can rent a paddle board or kayak by the hour: $60 for four hours, or if you’re planning an all-day excursion, $80 for eight hours. Turtle Tides Jekyll is also a huge supporter of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center located on Jekyll Island, and donates a portion of their bookings to the center to support local research, rehabilitation, and conservation efforts.
Heading to Jekyll Island this summer? Let Adam and Jamie of Turtle Tides Jekyll reserve your kayak or stand-up paddle board (SUP). Turtle Tides Jekyll delivers boats and boards to Clam Creek on the island’s north end, or the Jekyll Island boat ramp located at the end of the dirt road next to Tidelands Nature Center off South Riverview Drive. Call 912-571-2567 for more information or email turtletidesjekyll@yahoo.com. Be sure to check out their website at www.turtletidesjekyll.com, and like them on Facebook.
Love Jekyll Island? Then be sure to check out our travel guide “Local’s Travel Handbook: Jekyll Island”, available now on Amazon.com.
