Shark fishing- Part one!

Shark Fishing..

So, we decided that we would splurge a little on our vacation and plan one big activity while we were visiting Hilton Head, S.C.
That one activity: SHARK fishing!
The boys and I were so excited, we couldn't hardly wait! Sweetie well!  He was wondering what his family was so excited about.... see he doesn't like fish...he doesn't touch fish... he doesn't even eat fish. So, when his family suggests this activity, he was outvoted. Ever the trooper he got us to our destination. A little company tucked into some oak and maple trees thick with hanging moss. Coming through the tall metal gate, one is greeted by the owner, a fisherman tanned by hours in the sun. Motioning toward a small picnic table under a canopy of sorts he handed us a clipboard with some maritime rules and regulations.
The next order of business was gathering the chum. Chum we found out is a parts is parts mixture of ick that is thrown out into the ocean to attract sharks to the area.  (Are ya excited yet?)

I found out the boxes of chum are so nasty smelling that they keep them frozen! Several boxes of bait (which we later found out was squid) were loaded onto the small boat. We were blessed as we were the only group on the boat!

It didn't take long for us to really enjoy just being out on the water! We got to see the HarborTown Lighthouse, and a party boat! This boat sells ice-cream and beer to anyone who pulls alongside.

DO NOT FEED the ALLIGATORS!


On a recent trip to Hilton Head, SC we got to experience alligators. There were signs everywhere asking folks to "Please don't feed the Alligators."  This pond was in front of our grouping of condo's, so we looked for this guy every day. Most of the time he spent sunning himself, he didn't growl or move toward anyone that got near him.
This is as close as our traveling gnome would go...

Playing in the Atlantic, Hilton Head, S.C.

The Atlantic Ocean.
Our family has visited the Atlantic more than any other ocean. It's funny how the beaches along the eastern coastline of America are different. This beach was flat. Meaning unless we dug into the sand, we had no problems with it.
We learned all about high and low tide and when to go catch a wave and when to go looking for shells.
On Hilton Head, in the early morning when it was low tide at its farthest out point, we went out to the beach with high hopes of scoring some shells.
It was pitch black out there except for a few stars. Armed with flashlights we spooked many crabs scurrying back and forth on the beach. We found several small broken shell pieces, a pair of goggles, two pairs of sunglasses, and a toy turtle.  We walked quite a bit of the beach before we all agreed there wasn't much there. We headed back to the condo, and back to bed!