On our first morning at the beach, we had to wake up early to be down at the marina by 8:30 to leave at 9:00 for an eco-tour. We still had some time to enjoy the views of the sea from the nice condo Laura and Erik had rented for the week.
When we got to the marina, we had to wait a half hour until departure.
Luckily, our kids spotted a min playground in the middle of the parking lot, so we killed some time there.
Simon loves anything with a steering wheel, especially up high, because he likes to imagine he is flying an airplane.
Alice had a different idea of fun.
Finally, it was time to board the boat--a large pontoon boat that held maybe 40 people. Here is a description of the three hour cruise from their website:
Capers Wildlife Exploration
Enjoy a 3.5 hour boat excursion as we venture to Capers Island, one of the few remaining undeveloped barrier islands. We will cruise through winding tidal creeks to find diverse wildlife living in this salt marsh environment. Common sightings include bottlenose dolphin, osprey, pelicans, bald eagles, herons, egrets, and more. Along the way we'll employ various nets and habitat traps for an up-close look at some of the rarely seen marine creatures that thrive below the surface. As you arrive on Capers, you will have about an hour and a half to explore its pristine "Bone-yard Beach" and interior freshwater ponds. Capers provides excellent opportunities for shelling and bird watching.
The kids didn't really enjoy the boat ride that much, since they just wanted to get out and go swimming. Luckily, we finally arrived at Capers Island, and the kids headed for the water.
The kids loved playing on the beach, finding creatures, and sitting in the tide pools. But the best part was getting stuck in the muck. We'd even read a book about this very thing for the previous night's bedtime story.
Back at the condo that afternoon we had lunch, took naps, and checked out the beautiful pool surrounded by palm trees (which I forgot to photograph). It was high-tide in the evening and there was literally no beach, as the waves came all the way up to the dunes.
