Castnets & Critters™ Eco Tour with 

Live Oac

Hilton Head Island's Adventure Professionals
  • Castnetting
    Fishing lowcountry style! Watch as your guide demonstrates the art of throwing a castnet.
  • Blue Crab
    A great meal for many, including redfish, bonnethead sharks, and people! Also an important critter in the marsh ecosystem.
  • Dolphins
    Dolphins are a part of almost every one of our outings, and you can expect to see them along the way for an adventure like this.
  • Castnets
    Learn about one of the most important tools of fishing in the lowcountry.
  • SUV Deck™ Boats
    Cruise in comfort on one of our SUV Deck™ Boats.
  • Experienced Guides
    Experienced USCG-licensed captains lead every outing, and they know their way around the local waters.
  • Critters
    A regular on our shores during late spring and summer is the Cannonball Jellyfish, one of the many *non*-stinging jellies.
  • Menhaden
    Menhaden, aka "Pogies," are an important baitfish on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, feeding countless larger species.

Castnets & Critters™ Eco Tour

The waters of the Lowcountry are a soup full of living creatures. Let’s see them up close! We’ll include a seasonal assortment of educational activities, well suited to shorter attention spans and young minds, like castnetting, crabbing, and dolphin watching.

Castnetting is a Lowcountry tradition. The simplicity of the cast net makes it as much a fishing tool as a work of art. These are the things we value as a way of life on Lowcountry waters: The beauty of a great cast, the net approaching a perfect circle in the air and the soft splash as it contacts the water, encircling the bait fish.

The experienced guides of Live Oac are glad to share this "art" with you on any of our custom tours. Whether you're looking for a lesson or just want to watch it happen, let us show you how.

We often carry a cast net on board, but please voice your request during the reservation process and we'll be sure to include it as part of your custom adventure.

Shrimping-specific programs occur in late summer and early fall, but there are other things of interest we can cast net for outside that time. We have mullet year-round, best targeted near low tide. Baitfish like menhaden are usually found in open water and threadfin herring are caught along the tidal current rips at certain times of year.
  •   1½ HOURS
    The 1½ hour trip is our most popular eco tour length, and seems to be that "just right" amount of time for fun on the water without overdoing it.

    We do offer a variety of programs from 1 hour to 2½ hours or more, and we're glad to customize any adventure, even if you'd like to spend the better part of the day on the water.
  •   ALL AGES
    This trip is available for All Ages of participants.

    Children must be accompanied by an adult.
  •   BACKCOUNTRY
    The Backcountry includes the inshore waterways like tidal creeks, marshes, rivers & sounds. These are typically calmer water excursions, where you don't have to worry about your "sea legs". Crossing the Hilton Head Bridge from the mainland gives a great view of some of the backcountry waters we explore.
  •   MAR‑OCT
    This trip is offered from approx. March thru October, as long as weather cooperates. Temperatures are important both for your comfort aboard as well as determining wildlife behavior. Certain trips may be available on request further outside this range if it's unseasonably warm and we can expect the trip to be a success.
  •   FROM $278
    From $278 for an SUV Deck™ Boat private charter up to 6 guests.

    Includes Boat, Fuel, and your Guide (a USCG-licensed captain)

    Due to fuel volatility, current rates are confirmed on our reservation site via the "Book Now" link. We try to keep this data current. 

LIVE OAC HILTON HEAD ACTIVITIES: