Cape Lookout Sea Kayaking
Awareness - Challenge - Discovery
Cape Lookout $650 May 14-16 2027
Explore the wild and windswept uninhabited islands of Cape Lookout National seashore, now an officially designated International Dark Sky park. We'll load up sleek and stable sea kayaks with everything we'll need, and shove off for an adventure through turquoise waters.
On Cape Lookout, you can tour the historic lighthouse keepers quarters, swim in the surf, wade in crystal blue waters or nap in one of the breezy picnic shelters.
On Shackleford banks, we'll watch the wild ponies meander through camp, stroll for shells on the beach and have a campfire while we watch the Milky Way traverse the sky.
The Adventure
Over three days, we’ll paddle through the coastal waters of Cape Lookout National Seashore, weaving between barrier islands, sandy shoals, and stretches of open water shaped by wind and tide. This is a landscape of shifting horizons, turquoise shallows, and wild beaches where the only footprints might be your own.
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We’ll set up camp on remote islands, explore the shoreline, and visit the historic Cape Lookout Lighthouse, where the coast stretches out in every direction. If conditions and our route allow, we may also explore Shackleford Banks, home to its famous wild horses.
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When the sun goes down, the landscape transforms. With Cape Lookout designated as an International Dark Sky Park, clear nights can reveal a sky thick with stars, the Milky Way rising over the water, and the kind of quiet that’s hard to find in the everyday world.
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This is more than a scenic paddle. Wind, tides, and currents shape our journey, and the route will adapt to the conditions we encounter. We’ll travel as a group, make decisions together, and embrace the unpredictability that comes with exploring the coast by kayak.
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Come ready to paddle, get sandy, and trade a few comforts for a few days immersed in one of North Carolina’s most extraordinary wild places.
What You'll Learn
Over two days of hands-on practice in real conditions, you'll master:
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Gear Selection for Sea Kayaking - What to bring, what to leave behind, and why it matters when you're miles from shore
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Loading a Sea Kayak - Packing is like 3D Tetris. Get it wrong and your boat handles like a drunk whale. Get it right and you'll glide.
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Reading Tide Charts - The ocean moves on a schedule. Learn to read it and you'll never fight the current again.
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Marine Chart Navigation - Maps for the sea require different skills than trail maps. You'll learn to read them like a captain.
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Beach Camping Mastery - Sleeping on sand requires different wisdom than sleeping in forest.
What to expect
We will meet either at Shell Point on Harker's Island or the public boat ramp in Beaufort. Our specific itinerary will be dependent on the winds and tides.
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At the launch point, you'll be issued a kayak, paddle, life jacket and other gear and then learn how to pack your kayak so that it performs well. We'll launch together and stay in a tight group until we reach our destination for the evening. We kayak in the sound, and camp on the ocean beaches of the islands we visit.
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We alter the itinerary to make paddling as safe and easy as possible, but we are paddling in an inherently volatile environment. Please read the info under 'physical fitness requirements' below. Sometimes we will paddle through choppy conditions, against the wind or against the tide, which is both challenging and exhilarating.
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Camping on Shackleford banks is primitive, with no running water or bathrooms. We'll camp amongst the dunes on the ocean side, and depending on where we camp, the walk is between 1/4 of a mile and 3/4 of a mile.
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Cape Lookout hosts a small museum in the lighthouse keepers quarters, a small gift shop nearby and several picnic shelters to get out of the sun. There are also bathrooms and outdoor showers. The beach is a 3/4 of a mile walk on a board walk from where we land.
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What We Provide
Food & Cooking
We'll worry about buying and packing all the food, plus the stoves and pots to cook our meals in. All you need is a mug, bowl and utensils.
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Boats, PFD's & Paddles
We provide the sea kayaks, life jackets and paddles. Our kayaks are the Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145. Our life jackets and paddles are a varied assortment of brands and models in a range of sizes to accommodate different sized paddlers.
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Dry Bags
Packing a sea kayak is like a game of Tetris. All our gear will be packed into dry bags, and then shoved through hatch openings to fill the hatches. Like Tetris, it is easier to fit everything if it is packed into several smaller bags instead of a couple of large bags. We will provide several dry bags for you to organize your gear.
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Safety & Rescue
We carry the equipment to rescue and tow paddlers who either flip or need assistance. These items include bilge pumps, paddle floats, deck slings, tow lines and sponges. We also carry a large, group sized first aid kit. Read more about our safety standards and risk management here
Gear you'll need
We will send a very detailed gear list via email soon after you register, and will have a zoom call to answer any questions. ​
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If you have the basic equipment for backpacking, you have what you need for sea kayaking. This time, you won't need the backpack, just the stuff you would normally put in it. While weight does not matter as much in sea kayaking, our gear needs to be able to physically fit through the hatch openings of the boat. This is why backpacking gear is better suited than car camping gear.
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Low profile, backpacking style tent with rain fly that goes to the ground
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30-50 degree synthetic sleeping bag
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Sleeping pad
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Clothes (the gear list will outline specifics)
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Paddling shoes or sandals​
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If you do not have your own tent, we have a couple of tents for rent. Please email us for availability.
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The Realities of Open Water
Sea kayaking can be calm and relaxing, or incredibly challenging depending on the wind and tide conditions. This is not like backpacking or hiking, where we can take a break when we're tired. You may find you need a break you have to push through until you reach a safe resting point. Sometimes it can feel like being on a treadmill, we can't stop until we reach land.
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If you flip over, it does require a good bit of upper body strength and core strength to get back into your kayak, even with assistance.
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Can you handle it?
This trip is beginner friendly, but more physically demanding than the Intro To Sea Kayaking Overnight. While it is doable for most beginner paddlers, you should have had some experience kayaking or canoeing. There are several sections of open water that are longer and more exposed than the beginner overnight.
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Fitness requirements:
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Be able to swim and tread water
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Enough upper body strength to exit a pool in the deep end without a ladder
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Physically fit in the cockpit of a sea kayak. If you are taller than 6'5" you will not fit in the kayaks. The kayaks have a weight limit of 250lbs (plus gear)
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You can do 10 pushups and 20 sit-ups
About your Instructor
