Last year, I rented a skiff for 5 days. My family and I maximized use of the boat, hanging out in…read moreTeach's Hole, fishing in the sound, and a day trip to Portsmouth Island. The boats are well-maintained. They are used Outer Banks rental boats, so don't anticipate pristine conditions; expect functional and dependable. The reservation process is fast and easy, and the owners (Farris and Chrissy) are friendly and live on the Island which is a plus if you have problems. For experienced boaters, you'll find Farris super easy to work with. If you're inexperienced or have never navigated the Pamlico Sound, I strongly recommend a check ride with Farris. He'll determine how much attention you need. This is a solid outfit, and they are flexible and will go out of their way to meet your needs. Super pleased with my experience!

Called on a Sunday and they gave us really good details on best weather days. Was a deal to rent…read morefor 8 hours! Showed us everything we needed to know before our adventure! Gave us ideas on where to go! Enjoyed sandbars, exploring Portsmouth, and floating in the water! Will definitely rent again next year! The Hunt's

What a fantastic experience! It was easy to book, with great communication, and the ride was more…read morethan I was expecting! The entire process was explained and as it was my first time parasailing, I felt at ease and had a wonderful time!

Had a great time! Would recommend brining a GoPro or something to catch the view from up top!read more

This is a twofer review. We went on 2 tours with the Austins while on Ocracoke for a weeklong…read morevacation recently. This is our second time to go on the ATV Tour and jthe first time for a new tour they are offering, the Sand Bar Cruise. Both are fantastic! We have such a great time with these down to earth folks. First on the ATV Tour...you show up at their office/umbrella stand that is adjacent to the Jolly Roger Marina on the main drag in Ocracoke on Siler Lake Harbor. Bring these thing with you for certain: SUNSCREEN, GOOD BUG SPRAY. Other items you will need: Water, a few snacks if you are bringing kids and maybe some beach towels. Wear your bathing suit under your clothes. You jump in the boat with Wade (a native Ocracoker...very nice) and a guide and off you go (at a great clip) to Portsmouth Island. It is about a 15 minute boat ride. When you get there Wade will beach the boat and help you off and then he leaves you on the island with your super nice quide. You then hop on some ATV Mules (some with windshields, some without-try to get one with!) and away you go. She will take you to the edge of the Historic Portsmouth Village. Before you get there she stops and lets you DRENCH yourself with bug spray. Because this is a deserted island and a National Park, they don't do commercial mass spraying which is a must on the Outer Banks. THE BUGS ARE TERRIBLE!!! It is almost not worth going to the village because of this, but it is a really neat place. The place is like it was left when the last permanent resident left (back in the late 60's I believe). There is a life saving station with all kinds of informative displays including a replica boat. There is the post office, a really nbeat church that really shows the damage of Hurricane Emily and about 6 other houses. It is a walking tour and it is quite a hike and very buggy, but I swear it is worth it if you have any interest in this sort of thing. When you are done looking over the village, you will dash back out to your ATV (they aren't aloud in the village and you have to park where the bugs are the worst..so run!) and then you go back out the the beach where there are practically NO BUGS. There is great shelling here as hardly anyone takes te private ferry (that costs about $200@ car) so you have the beach all to yourself and for the remander of the tour (which is 4 hours total) you go check out the beach and look for shells (we always find big conch/welks!) You ,may even see some fishermen on the beach. While we were there one pulled in a STINGRAY! They let it go while we were there, thank goodness. Then back down the beach to meet Wade and he takes you back to Ocracoke. This tour is expensive (hence the deduction of 1 star) it is $85 per person. But I really think it is worth the money. NOW for the Sand Bar tour. This is the BANG-FOR-YOUR-BUCK experience on Ocracoke Island. It was WONDERFUL! You get on The Native Son, the Austins' new Pontoon Cruiser. It is very nice. THINGS TO TAKE: sunscreen, towels, chairs, a filled cooler, your beach book-basically whatever you would normally take to the beach with you. They have plenty of room on the boat. When we went , Wade and his wife and kids went with us alond with about 15 other people. The boat holds about 30 or so people and so you are very comfortable on the ride out to the Sand Bar. You go about 2/3 of the way to Portsmouth Island and Wade very smoothly and professionally steers you to the barely visable patch of sand and you disembark. You are on the tour for about 3 hours, and in that time, the Sand Bar keeps getting bigger a the tide is falling the entire time. The area you can explore is almost unlimited. The water on the sandbar varies in depth, from about 6" deep to over your head swimming holes. And all this is about 2 miles off shore! It is SO NEAT. While we were there my nephews (the buddied up with Wade's kids, Hayden and Colby) caught about 20 crabs and we found about 40 sand dollars!! It was so nice. Before we left the sandbar was about as big as half a football field exposed. We just turned our kids loose (ages 13 and 10). They had the most fun we had on the whole trip. This is the best deal on the island. $40 for the adults and $20 for the kids! You can't beat that with a stick! And there was even a coupon in the 'Sunny Deals' guide that is in every store for $5 off the adults! Fantastic. We will DEF be going back for more sand bar tours with the Wade Family. BOIL IT DOWN-If you have the cash go on...BOTH! If you are having to choose between the two, We like the Sand Bar Tour...no bugs and tons of laid back fun. If you need to be a little more entertained, the guided tour of Portsmouth Island is for you. Both are fun...its all about your prefrence.

My wife and I booked a morning trip during a recent stay on Ocracoke. We loved this excursion. Our…read moreguide, Mark, was personable and responsive to the desires of the group; my wife wanted to see one house in particular in the village, and he made sure we did. The ATVs were well-used but ran great and were a blast to drive on the beach. We would most definitely do this again. Well worth the money.

Friendly and very helpful. My go to tackle/bait store in OBX. Always a selection of fresh mullet or…read moremenhaden

Great selection and fresh bait as well as helpful staff across the board. Highly recommend for…read morethose like myself coming from out of town

Love this place . A must on our OBX trips. Friendly service,great vibe. Love their merchandise…read more Just all around great stop.

Best shop in OBX for reasons which should not be explained. Great place to stop in and learn.read more

Great bait and tackle store, one stop shop for tackle, bait, ice and beer! I have visited multiple…read moretimes while on the island for the past 10 years and the owners have always been helpful. Excellent selection of tackle and accessories. See you again this Spring and Summer!

I went in to ask a question regarding fishing in the area. The gentleman that greeted us, for lack…read moreof a better description, had a major attitude. He literally rolled his eyes three times. When I need fishing gear, bait,or a fishing license while I'm in Ocracoke, I will find somewhere else.

I have an autistic kid and she love being on a boat. I was in Avon and wanted to take her out in…read morethe sound. After contacting a few charter places who were very unhelpful I contact Sam to set up a time. He was extremely easy to work with, understood my circumstances and gave me all kinds of options. It was great for both my daughter and granddaughter. He was game for anything we wanted to do and I wouldn't hesitate to book him again. None of the other charters wanted to work with me but Sam was a peach.

Sam is a great guide. He put us on the fish in Pamlico Sound with long gut tackle. We drifted in a…read morespot, nothing hitting. He moved to another and BANG. With several drifts over the same area we hit our limit on trout

If you have a favorite fishing hole, then this is a fisherman's oasis! Dillon's is a nice little…read morepit stop in Buxton! It's stocked to the gills with everything for anglers! Bait, fishing poles, tackle and other fishing gear! You'll also find sundries, emergency gear, sunglasses, hats, windbreakers, waders, sunscreen and anything else you can think of to fill your tackle box, cooler or beach bag! But that's not all folks! Upstairs is a "reel" cool souvenir and beach shop loaded with towels, clothing, mugs, koozies, magnets, jewelry, candles and other great catches!! The nautical section caught my eye and I found an awesome lightly woven turquoise blanket that was just why I needed! They had some pretty decorative pillows, tons of lighthouses, mermaid décor, beachy pictures and signage, and loads of gifts and nautical souvenirs for the tourists and the locals alike! If you love Java... you'll love the coffee bar a latte! The beverage menu is appealing and the coffee concoctions are far from the daily grind! Unless you like a regular cup of Joe, they have that too!! So if you're in Hatteras, stop in Buxton and give this one-stop shop a gander! You'll fall for it hook, line and sinker!

Looks like a great spot for fishing gear, but their coffee is terrible. Dillon's corner has a huge…read morebanner out front advertising their espresso bar, so I came in for a coffee. Staff was very nice and friendly. Unfortunately, their coffee was just awful. Their cappuccinos were made with 5oz of "espresso" pulled that is completely over extracted from a pre ground pod, topped with ~2oz of extremely scorched milk. Seriously the worst cappuccino I've ever had. And it was $5 per drink. If you need bait, fishing gear, or anything else, this might be a great spot, but if you see the giant banner advertising their espresso and think of coming for a coffee... steer clear.