Great staff. Small, private parking lot. Once you get on the kayak, it can be rough getting across the channel due to the wakes of larger, fast boats. But after that, it's pristine and lovely. Went to shark tooth island but no luck there. We saw egrets, a heron, hermit crabs, and fish. Incredible natural estuary. read more

Amazing kayaking experience!! We rented a double kayak for 4 hours and it was $50. It was the perfect amount of time to navigate the estuaries and make our way to shark teeth island where we took our time looking for shark teeth. The weather was perfect and we saw tons of wildlife - birds, crabs, hermit crabs, stringrays, fish, and heard that there were dolphins around (unfortunately didn't get to see any). They provided life jackets and had waterproof bags that you can rent to put your belongings in. Overall an enjoyable experience, would definitely recommend! read more

See all

My aunt who lives at the beach booked a family kayaking trip to find shark teeth. I have kayaked before but I had never found shark teeth prior to this excursion. This 2 hour trip was the perfect amount of time in the sun, we all got just a little bit of color and found a lot of shark teeth! There was 5 of us and we were all able to find some. The short kayaking trip is 1/4 of a mile and does not take that long at all. You have to pass over one main area but it is not too hard to spot the boats. Definitely do not go on a windy day. The wind and current will be pulling you and it will be an arm workout you never expected. We had pretty good weather; sunny, light wind; nothing crazy ! It was a nice day. Definitely would do again. You must make a reservation!!! Go on website or call!!!! read more

See all

We had a wonderful time kayaking. Check in was easy. Communication was great. We will definitely be back.

We had a fantastic experience at BIK. I was an inexperienced kayaker but my husband and teenagers had kayaked before. The staff were awesome and I felt completely confident in my kayak with my son. We took the Eco tour and had an amazing time. I look forward to a longer tour! I highly recommend them for those interested in learning to kayak safely or those who just need to rent the kayak and take off independently. read more

In the Emerald Isle/Swansboro area, there are not many excursions for people visiting for vacation, especially if they visit this area every year (like me). Well, that stops at Barrier Island Kayak. For $40 per person, we received a ~2.5 hour "eco tour", which is a guided tour, complete with the kayak, pfd, and paddles. Our tour guide, Bob, was really a cool dude, and very knowledgeable about local wildlife and history of the area. Turns out we grew up in the same small town and went to some of the same schools. Just had some real friendly service all around, from the guy we met at the counter to our tour guide. Overall, this was a superb experience and I highly recommend anyone visiting this area who enjoys kayaking, or nature gazing to take this eco tour. For an additional $15 per person, you can take the Bear Island tour, which involves about an hour more kayaking in the sound. Will definitely be taking this trip next trip! read more

Barrier Island Kayak - The entry point - Boating Near Me - Cedar Point, North Carolina

See all

Rented kayaks to take my 11 year old to Shark Tooth Island. Reasonable rates and they have sifters you can bring. It's a very quick kayak. We had weird alarm issues with our car and it wouldn't start. One of the staff jumped the car. It didn't work and we had to Uber back to get another key but he offered us water and to sit inside while we waited. read more

Barrier Island Kayak - Boating Near Me - Cedar Point, North Carolina

See all

After trying several kayak places in the area, Barrier Island Kayaks is by far the best! Josh was willing to go above and beyond getting us all setup and started. So many amenities included in the trip. I even seen a group of kayakers struggling to paddle, and there goes Josh on a kayak with speed to get to them. He then instructed them on the beat way to paddle and what direction to take to get to sharks tooth island. I will be sending all my friends to see Josh in the future! Highly recommend! read more

Barrier Island Kayak - About to set off for our trip - Boating Near Me - Cedar Point, North Carolina

5 stars! Highly recommend this place for your kayak and paddle board rentals. The owner (Josh) is knowledgeable and accommodating. Great location with beautiful views and high quality equipment! Free water and ice pops too. Will be returning with my family this summer! read more

We forgot to take pics but wanted to leave these guys a review- Roadside rental with put in located next to the Waterway Inn. Knowledgeable & patient guides made our experience enjoyable. We've done fresh water kayaking with our current so this was our first experience like this. Easy access in and out. We felt safe and never unattended. They offer guided tours too. About 2.5 hours long. Maybe slightly longer. They provide a map and wet bag to protect out stuff. Lift jackets provided too. Over all great experience! Anyone can definitely do this. First timers or not. Reasonable prices. Check them out! read more

Easy booking experience. We went on a holiday weekend so we were with a decent sized group. Still fun and the guides were friendly and attentive to everyone. All the staff were very friendly. Only one of our group had done any kayaking before so we did the 2 hour eco tour. Great time out on the water with one stop on a small beach to look for shells and shark teeth. If in the area again we may try a longer tour now that we know what it's like. Parking is pretty limited as far as I could tell but the hotel next door let us park there. read more

See all

The kayaking was really fun, our family had a good time. It is not a long trip to the island and you get to explore the waters freely, as long as you are back in time. Great experience, highly recommended. read more

We were here in the off season and called for appointment to rent a kayak. As we generally don't travel with our kayaks in the winter but the weather was stellar and we couldn't resist. Gentlemen was super friendly and knowledgeable. Good 2 person kayak with rudder. We followed his advice for the estuary and shark tooth island and had a blast. Amazing area to kayak. So much nature and even got some shark teeth on the island. Highly recommend this company and area for a day of family fun. read more

Barrier Island Kayak - Boating Near Me - Cedar Point, North Carolina

See all

Went out today with Bob as our tour guide. My family and another went with kids ages 9-14. Had a great time on the Eco-tour for about 2.5 hours. Bob was the best guide you could ask for, for a group of beginner kayakers. He was patient, knowledgeable, and just knew so much about the areas we went through. We found about ten sharks teeth in no time at all, saw Osprey diving and catching fish, snow egrids, fiddler crabs, hermit crabs, blue crab and more. The kids had such a great time they were asking to go back the next day. Unfortunately, the money tree only grows so much, but was worth every penny spent on the tour. Looking forward to next year. read more

Barrier Island Kayak - Boating Near Me - Cedar Point, North Carolina

This was a amazing place! 4 of us rented kayaks and each was single kayaks( they also had for two but thought be better if we try on our own ) for a good amount of time we were out on the water. We had a great time loved it and can't wait until we go again. read more

Barrier Island Kayak - Boating Near Me - Cedar Point, North Carolina

The folks here were super-friendly and helpful and provided great service. They got us into the water quickly. Affordable family fun - we enjoyed exploring the area in our rented kayaks. Bring sunscreen! read more

We did the 2 1/2 hour guided tour. It was our first time ever being in a kayak and it was easier than we thought. Emma was a great guide. We went to Shark Island and I actually found a shark's tooth; I can't wait to show it to my students when school starts. We saw all of the marsh nature, very cool. I would highly recommend this tour. read more

See all

It's easy to pass by this business each day and never really pay much attention to it. But when you want to get out on the water, make sure you come here. I took my son and his friend for a couple of hours of stand up paddle boarding. The guys working there were great. Very personable and very helpful. We had been out on SUPs a few times before so they didn't waste our time with a lot of instruction. We were oufitted with some very nice cruiser boards from YOLO and we quickly got on the water. We had a nice combination of calm water and small waves to keep us sharp on our balance. One thing you always get on a SUP is a new perspective on the water and a view of things you'll never see from the road. We traveled through open water and grassy areas. We had fish jumping out of the water all around us. We went fast with the current and struggled to move going against the current. We were in the Sound around Cedar Point and Swansboro and it couldn't have been any better. Great time on the water. We met the guys from Barrier Island when we came back in and one of them spent a goof bit of time talking about the SUPs we rode and what he liked and didn't like about the boards. I'm looking at buying a couple of boards so I appreciated his time. Very good experience, both on the water and dealing with the guys at Barrier Island. If I want to SUP again before I get me own board, I will definitely come back here. If you want to get on the water, consider this place. read more

Bad service ,rude,kayaks are out of date price is to high. I wouldn't even give a one star but you have to

What a truly AMAZING day! Ended up doing a half day of kayaking and we couldn't have picked a better spot to rent from! Not only is it inexpensive ($40 for a half day) but the equipment isnt falling apart, or old. The guy( i do not remember his name and for that i am sorry) helped us out from start to finish, always with a smile! From adjustments to the kayak to telling us where the best clamming was, he was nothing but the epitome of southern hospitality!! Great clamming in the area, beautiful scenery, just a fantastic day! If i could give this place higher than 5 stars i would! read more

It was very easy to book a kayaking trip with them.. Emily took us out on the tour and since its early in the season it was just the three of us and Emily which made it really nice .. She told us several things about the island as we paddled around and then we stopped on shark tooth island where we got to look for teeth.. Which we found several.. Overall it was a great experience and was a beautiful morning out on the water.. read more

We were initially looking to rent a tandem to make it out to Bear Island for a weekend of camping, but unfortunately we found out that all Bear Island campsites booked for the weekend. Unfortunately we didn't find this out until we arrive in Swansboro. The folks at Barrier Island provided us with information on an excellent alternative and gave us directions and meal suggestions for the best local seafood. After an amazing weekend of camping an paddling around the waterways we were looking to go to a public beach for a little more fun before heading home. Again they gave us some local info on some of the best places to go. Unfortunately after I got home I had realized I had left some gear in one of the kayaks, but no problem. The folks at Barrier Island are shipping it back to me. All in all everyone here was EXTREMELY helpful and went out of their way to make sure that we had an OUTSTANDING weekend. I am typically not one for writing reviews, but hopefully others will read this and have just as GREAT of an experience. read more

Low key, easy rental at an ideal location. Great staff make this the perfect water escape. The price is right to grab a kayak and head for the open water. read more

See all

8 of us rented kayaks for an early morning unguided excursion around the islands. Staff was great and very helpful, including route recommendations and what to look for. Mixture of single and double kayaks, all in great shape. Take a break from paddling at shark tooth island - fun to search for the teeth and observe the hundreds of small crab on the shore. Fair price. We will definitely come back when in the area again. read more

Excellent experience with a knowledgeable and patient guide. I went with my 12 year old son who was able to navigate a kayak on his own but we were offered a two person kayak if we wanted. Bob was very knowledgeable of the area and pointed out facts and wildlife along the way. Equipment was well cared for and safe. Highly recommend. read more

I love this place! My brother boat flipped over and the manager was on his way in a matter of seconds to help him. The next time I come to NC I will definitely visit this place again! read more

We rented a double kayak for 2 hours for $40. The girl who helped us was super kind and helped us get situated. She gave us a map and a bad to protect anything we didnt want to get wet. The map showed the different places we could go and it was helpful. We had lots of fun and will definitely be renting from here again in the future. read more

Very negative experience. Guide didn't tell us strong tidal current. We were very endangered. White Oak tidal running in strong. We were caught be tide wind. Excessive force to escape. Kayak and guide underperformed. I do not recommend. read more

Barrier Island Kayaks in Swanboro, NC is the best place to go for everything from a casual paddle with the fam, to paddle/fish for trout and red drum to full on British Canoe Union (BCU) training in sea kayaking skills. It's all about location and this is where you want to be. There is a lot of variety between the White Oak river, marsh creeks all the way out to the surf in Bogue Inlet. It's a short paddle to Hammocks Beach State Park and Bear Island, one of the east coast's top kayaking destinations. So what are you waiting for, get on down there and see Lamar and his guides. And getcha a cheeseburger at the BP Station grill. read more

Had such a great experience! The place is super easy to find. The kayaks were in awesome shape. The owner helped make sure the peddles and rudder were all set and working properly. He gave us a quick lay of the land and told us about some great spots to kayak to get out and walk around. read more

Great place to get out on the water. Staff was so helpful and equipment top notch. We'll be back!!!!