Make your curriculum come alive on the Outer Banks!
Kitty Hawk Kayaks offers guided kayak tours in local estuarine environments perfect for incorporating into the curriculums of Earth Science, Biology, Physical Science, Physics, Environmental Science, History and Physical Education classrooms. We can arrange for speakers from many local organizations, and prepare water quality testing, sane netting, service projects, and species identification projects.
One of our most popular tours, the Maritime Forest tour is excellent for first time and younger paddlers. The tour leaves from our store in Kitty Hawk and explores the Kitty Hawk Coastal Preserve, one of the few intact maritime forest environments on the Outer Banks. We generally see many reptiles such as snakes and turtles, as well as many birds. This is also an excellent locale on windy days because of the shelter provided by Live Oaks and Loblolly Pine trees insuring smooth waters, even during Nor’easters!!! This location is also ideal for water quality experiments, salt marsh and wetlands observations and post-trip lessons and experiments because we have some classroom space at our store perfect for such occasions.
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This tour explores the salt marshes sound-side in the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. We frequently spot ospreys, pelicans, herons, egrets, ibis, terns, rails, skimmers, wrens, and warbles just to name a few. During the winter months this location is particularly abundant with migrating ducks, swans, geese and other water foul. We will tour the salt marshes of the Pamlico Sound and visit the old bridge joining Hatteras Island to the Northern Outer Banks across the now closed New Inlet. This location is also ideal for water quality experiments, salt marsh and wetlands observations and presentations from the Department of Fish and Wildlife officials that we can coordinate. Sediment sampling, estuarine health and federal environmental protection discussions are also a great fit for this tour.
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We can organize a paddle out to some restored oyster reef in the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds to observe real oyster reef restoration projects. We can also incorporate a service component where we “recycle” collected old oyster shells by adding them to the reef. Students can see first hand the role oyster reefs play in coastal water quality and underscore the importance of environmental conservation and activism. This location is also ideal for water quality experiments, salt marsh and wetlands observations and presentations from the Department of Fish and Wildlife officials that we can coordinate. Sediment sampling, estuarine health and federal environmental protection discussions are also a great fit for this tour.
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Through a partnership with the Nature Conservancy and the Kitty Hawk Kayaks, we are now offering a hike and paddle in Nags Head Woods. This is the crown jewel in our kayaking program for those who want to hike and paddle. Visit the Nature Conservancy’s Nags Head Woods and hike a ½ mile to the launch site. Then paddle the Roanoke Sound through protected salt marshes and visit Run Hill State Preservation Area. This location is also ideal for water quality experiments, salt marsh and wetlands observations and post-trip lessons, experiments and presentations from Nature Conservancy officials in their on-site classrooms.
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Looking for a way to spice up the PE Department at your school? Come and paddle some of our tour areas with guided kayak instructors. PE was never this much fun while learning something new. All of our kayak tours begin with paddling instruction, boat steering techniques, safety protocols and a description of the tour area and route. Then we hop in the boats and practice our strokes, turning, breaking and paddling backwards. Now we are ready to venture off onto the tour and observe the natural beauty of the Outer Banks and coastal North Carolina. The guide will talk about local flora and fauna, coastal ecology, local history and offer kayaking tips throughout the tour. We will do all we can to make sure everyone is comfortable and having a good time while getting some good exercise in the outdoors.
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