Walking On The Waters Of Shem Creek-Stand Up Paddleboard Style

I parked my truck near the Water's Edge on Shem Creek and made the necessary preparations. I put my keys and cell phone into a plastic bag, grabbed my sun glasses, and bank card. The rental shack of Nature Adventures Outfitters is attached to Mt. Pleasant Seafood. It would be my first time paddleboarding.

I signed up for the three hour rental for $28 and was instructed to wait on the outdoor carpeted area next to tables stacked with life jackets. "Are you an experienced paddleboarder or is this your first time?" the attendant inquired. "First time," I excitedly responded. "Pick out a life jacket and wait for the guide to give you some tips." A young couple and myself would be paddling solo. The guide was giving final instructions to the group ahead of us.

It was now our turn. The guide instructed me to raise my arm as high as I could and told me to bend my wrist down. He adjusted an oar according to that height. He did the same for the couple. He demonstrated the fundamentals of proper paddling and showed us how to raise ourselves to a standing position on the board. "Does anyone have electronics on them?" he asked. "I do," I said and showed him the plastic bag containing my keys and cell phone. He pulled out a blue pouch with a snap on it, put the plastic bag into it and instructed me on how to roll it up to waterproof it. He snapped it to my life jacket. We were now ready to embark on our adventure.

We went down a ramp covered with pluff mud-soaked carpets to the edge of the creek, which was six feet lower than high tide levels. It was low tide. We proceeded to mount the boards one at a time starting in a kneeling position. With the water levels so low, standing would have been trickier. I pushed off with my paddle into the gentle current and pointed the board towards Charleston Bay.

For now, I wasn't confident enough to stand up. I remained kneeling and experimented with the proper paddling basics. After a few strokes, I was comfortable with my technique and picked up my speed. The board glided over the water. There was a strong wind coming in from the bay that made paddling more strenuous. Under the present circumstances, I decided to take pictures on my return, with the wind at my back. Cruising past the restaurants, shrimp boats, and the end of the boardwalk, I entered the open waters with Crab Bank Island straight ahead, my first planned destination. Thank goodness, the boat traffic was light.

As I neared the island, the chatter of the feisty gulls grew louder. Ten feet in front of me an enormous figure rose from the water. To my surprise, it was a manatee. My encounter with the lumbering giant of the coastal waters was brief. It slipped below the surface out of sight, but not forgotten. The tip of my paddleboard grazed the shore of the island as I kept a watchful eye for its reappearance. It had parted company, but forever etched in my memory.

The pelicans were indifferent to my presence, but the gulls danced and voiced their disapproval. I soaked in the aura of Charleston's coastline and began to take pictures. I was joined by two other paddleboarders, one was a local and the other was from Washington DC. Shortly after, the young couple arrived. We sat on our boards and shared some friendly, southern style pleasantries. I was the last to leave the island. It was time for me to take my paddleboarding to the next level, standing up.

The stiff breeze blissfully nudged me along. The return to Shem Creek was quicker. I removed my cell phone from the pouch and began to click away. Dolphins effortlessly swam past no more than four feet away. I floated next to the massive shrimpers, cruised along side tour boats, sat on the floating docks by the boardwalk and people watched with my feet on the board, briefly saw another manatee, and waved to tourists on the decks of the restaurants and bars.

With the low tide, the underbelly of Shem Creek's dock system was exposed. A skeletal labyrinth of pillars both old and new, some fractured by the wear and tear of age and the salty life. It was both eerie and beguiling. A tangled decoupage of wood, stone, roots, netting, and marine debris partially covered with crustaceans common to the area.

I would circle back at the bridge and let the incoming current carry me for another glimpse of the Shem Creek waterfront. Even though I had seen it many times before, I was now seeing it from a dolphin's vantage point. I did that several times before turning into my entry point thoroughly gratified with my paddleboard excursion.

 

A Park With A Beautiful Boardwalk And An Awesome Panaramic View Of What We Love About Charleston

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. In the near distance, the spires of the Ravenel Bridge rose
above the trees. The periodic ominous clouds and a rolling rumble of thunder reminded me there were storms in the area. No surprise, they were in the forecast.

Opportunistic sea gulls squawked overhead, patiently waiting to pounce on discarded bait. Pelicans cruised the surface of the waters below for any unsuspecting prey. Several dolphins playfully splashed close by.

On moored boats across the waters, shrimpers fussed with their nets while listening to music. A crane stood motionless in an opening of a weather worn structure on the tall docks. An endless succession of boats of all sizes had been parading past since my arrival. It is one of the busiest waterways flowing into Charleston Bay for recreational watercraft.

A family with young kids tended fishing rods and crab traps under the covered section at the end of the boardwalk nearby. My fishing rod was propped against the wooden rails of the long boardwalk, baited line trailing in the slow moving current. I kept one eye on the rod tip for the slightest hint of popping motion and the other eye on the groups of paddleboarders and kayakers floating past, sometimes too close to the fishing line. We were competing for the same water space.

Fellow anglers politely called out to the groups to warn them away from their line. An unsteady paddleboarder, obviously new to the experience, plunged into the water while trying to maneuver around one of the near invisible lines. I called out to him, "How's the water." A fellow paddleboader answered back, "You should jump in and find out." I was just being friendly but I believe by his response he felt inclined to defend his buddies damaged dignity.

I started a conversation with a woman on a paddleboard. I inquired, "Do you live here or are you visiting." She informed me she was from Erie, PA. "Where are you staying," I asked. "In downtown Charleston, with friends," she replied. She was joined by five other paddleboarders. She asked me to take a picture of them and send it to her email. Conversations come easy on the boardwalk. People are here to relax, have fun and enjoy the unequaled beauty of the creek's marsh scenery.

One of the angler's fishing line began to peel off his reel. It was something big. He grabbed his rod and pulled the tip back hard. The long tug of war began. Reeling it in would be a challenge with all the boats coming in and out of the creek. My guess was a stingray, which turned out to be correct when it momentarily surfaced and showed itself for verification. He battled the ray for over twenty minutes before it finally surrendered. Bringing it up onto the decking would be impossible, so he walked the fish down the boardwalk to the steel floating docks where he pulled it up, took pictures, and released it back into the rising waters.

 

These are the scenes you will see from the 2,200 foot long boardwalk that extends from its park entrance on Coleman Blvd to near the mouth of Shem Creek. It is called Shem Creek Park. The $2.5 million park and boardwalk were built and inaugurated in 2011. It includes a 250 foot floating dock where visitors can tie their boats. At the entrance of the boardwalk, you are greeted by Pete the Pelican, a 9-foot-tall sculpture covered with marine debris collected in waterways during the 2011 Beach Sweep. Pete the Pelican has been there since April of 2012.

The Charleston Water Taxis departs from the floating dock at Shem Creek Park. Visitors and locals staying or living in the Mt. Pleasant area can take the Water Taxi directly to downtown Charleston. Boats land at the Maritime Center next to Aquarium Wharf. Taxis run every hour so you can take one of their hourly boats back to your destination. Please call 843-330-2989 for pickup prices.

Shem Creek is known as "a seafood and water lover’s paradise". After a relaxing chill on the boardwalk, take the opportunity to visit one of the many restaurants and bars. The Palmetto Breeze also departs from Shem Creek.