Looking for a memorable family adventure near Kure Beach and Wilmington, NC?
A guided kayak tour with Kayak Carolina is a fun way to explore the water, learn about coastal wildlife, and visit Zeke’s Island Reserve during a Wilmington-area trip.
We signed up for a morning tour and had to be at the meeting point at 7:45 am. I have teens… and they are definitely not early risers. Honestly, I hadn’t even had my coffee yet, and we were about to head out on a three-hour kayaking adventure across the water.
Attitudes were cooperative… but let’s just say enthusiasm was a little low at that hour. But by the end of the tour, everyone agreed it was completely worth it.
That might be the best proof of how good this experience was. These are teens who are not excited about early mornings (and did I mention I hadn’t had coffee). Yet by the time we paddled back, they were talking about our seine net catches and everything Amanda had shown us on the island. The sleepy, slightly grumpy start turned into genuine excitement, and that shift felt like a win to me!
Thanks to Wilmington and Beaches for providing admission to this tour so we could bring this adventure to our readers! All opinions are those of the author.
Watch Our Adventure
Take a quick peek at our trip in our YouTube short.
Paddling Out to Zeke’s Island
Our tour started at the tail end of Fort Fisher, at the Zeke’s Island Kayak Launch. There was a kayak there for each of us, along with a paddle and life jacket. Our guides Amanda and Paige, helped us adjust the foot pegs in the kayaks, and then, we were off. We paddled across the water to Zeke’s Island, an uninhabited reserve only accessible by kayak, canoe, boat, or SUP. We chatted as we paddled, and Amanda pointed out various shorebirds along the way.
Amanda led us to two landing areas on Zeke’s where we explored the shoreline, hiked inland a bit, and learned about the island.
Exploring Zeke’s Island
Amanda showed us all kinds of interesting things on Zeke’s Island, including:
- A wild edible called sea pickle (which really does taste like a crunchy pickle!) It was very salty.
- A “secret beach” that’s covered at high tide
- A rock wall built in the 1800s to help keep shoals from forming and making the Cape Fear River too shallow for boats
Zeke’s Island is an uninhabited reserve with tidal flats, salt marshes, dunes, and ocean beaches. It’s also an important shorebird habitat and part of a protected coastal research area.
The Best Part for Teens: Seine Net Exploring
While at the shore of our second stop on Zeke’s, Amanda pulled out a seine net, a rectangular fishing net with two poles that takes two people to use.
To use a seine net, each person grabs a pole and stretches the net out between them. Then each person taps the ground with the pole while walking forward through the water. We used the net several times and got to check out what we caught.
My kids were so into this.
We found:
- Small fish
- Crabs of various sizes
- Several ghost shrimp
- And the find of the day — a pipefish!
At first, we thought it was a baby Trumpetfish, but after a little Google Lens searching back at the condo, we think it may have been an Atlantic Pipefish, which makes more sense as these are fish found in the area. It’s not something you see every day, and my son, Chris,(who is very into marine life) was quite excited.
Everything we caught was safely released back into the water before we headed back across to where we started.
Even with sleepy teens and no coffee, this turned into an experience we’ll all remember. It’s active and educational without feeling like a school lesson, and gives kids (and teens!) a chance to really interact with nature.
What’s Included with the Tour at Kayak Carolina
The kayak tour included:
- Guide-led experience
- A kayak for each person
- Paddle
- Life jacket
What to Bring
This is definitely an “expect to get wet and sandy” kind of outing.
Be sure to bring:
- Water (it gets hot quickly)
- Clothes you don’t mind getting wet or dirty
- Snacks
- Water shoes or something that can get wet
- Sun protection
How to book your tour
Book your kayak tour on the Kayak Carolina Website. Zeke’s Island is just one of several choices. Prices vary by tour. The Zeke’s Island tour is $75 per person.
Kids ages 12 and up can go in their own kayak. Kids ages 3-11 can go in a tandem kayak with an adult. Kids must be at least 3 years old.
Want to see the rest of our Wilmington adventure?
Of course you do! Here it is: Wilmington, NC With Teenagers- Activities They Actually Liked.
Going to Wilmington, NC? Don’t miss Battleship North Carolina!
(Seriously, don’t.)
