Paddle NC, Swansboro

Great company and people running it. We had a blast kayaking and enjoying the scenery. We even saw dolphins close by! We highly recommend this rental company. Their gear is top quality. Service is superb. Prices are reasonable. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. They also offer eco tours.

Excellent experience. Rented two singles and a tandem to paddle to Bear island. Took a bit longer than we anticipated due to a low tide. Employees were extremely friendly, helpful, and laid back.

My daughters and I had such a great time! It was my daughter's first time in a kayak and left feeling confident. Mark was our guide and he taught us quite a bit about the environment and the equipment. We did the Eco Tour. I will definitely be coming back. This is a must experience for anyone living in NC or visiting.

Great tour. It was a little dicey crossing the ice but we made it! Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. We saw hermit crabs, blue crabs, stingrays, egrets, herons and found numerous shark teeth! Very cool trip. My 11 yo daughter had no trouble piloting a single kayak by herself (she's had a bit of experience). Be aware if you are on the larger side you might be wedged in tight. These kayaks were narrower than I was used to but it all worked out. Bring a bag for collecting sharks teeth and seashells. And a hat and water bottle are needed too. Have fun! Happy Paddling!

Wow, this was the worst kayaking experience my family has ever had. We are a group of experienced kayakers, and we were set to take an intermediate, four hour trip to Bear Island. It was a nightmare. Three of the eight boats were broken. We also had one a pregnant woman who had NEVER kayaked before put into our intermediate trip group. The weather was awful, and the company seemed to know that before they send us out. The wind AND current were against us, and it made the trip to Bear Island much harder than it was even supposed to be. On top of that, the novice, pregnant kayaker could not handle her own kayak. Our group switched boats half way through to let her on one of our tandems with one of our people. The paddle up was still miserable. Once we arrived on the island we only had 30 minutes before we had to head back. We were all exhausted at this point, but the paddle back wasn't as bad for most of us. Unfortunately through the pregnant woman couldn't paddle anymore and our kayaker couldn't power the tandem alone all the way back, against the current. They were stranded on a sandbar and had to wait for the manager (who insulted her once he got there) to tow them back. It was awful. The guides, bless them, tries their best and were great. However, the company was so unprepared, unprofessional, and unapologetic I would NEVER recommend them.