Ocean Seining at Kiawah Island: An Ancient Fishing Technique Is Used to Educate Families about Marine Life
Every summer at Kiawah Island, surfing the net takes on a whole new meaning for families. On the 10-mile-long barrier island, just south of Charleston, adults and children alike learn answers to some of a beachgoers most common questions by helping pull a 20-foot-wide net through the shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Under the supervision of qualified resort naturalists, participants help scoop up the seine net and deposit the contents in a portable aquarium set up on the beach. The naturalists then discuss each catch in detail, which can include Starfish, Hermit Crabs, Comb Jellies and Sea Anemone. Each person is also shown how to carefully handle the organisms. Everything that is caught is returned to the ocean at the end of the one-hour program.
Ocean Seining is an ancient way to fish in the shallow waters near shore. Fishermen or scientists choosing to seine either work from land or a small boat. At Kiawah, the resort has been using the technique to educate guests for 15 years.
The fee is $7 per person for guests of Kiawah Island Resort and is held daily outside the Kiawah Island Inn. The tide-dependent program runs from Easter through September. Check at the resorts Night Heron Park Nature Center for exact start times. Reservations are recommended due to high demand.
Kiawahas beach is often used as the center for many of the resorts nature programs held during the summer. During peak season, the resort employs 15 naturalists to conduct scores of nature tours, and an additional 15 counselors to oversee family activities. Some of the programs include Loggerhead Crawl, Gator Walk, Family and Teen Kayaking and Nature Photography.
Each program is part of an island-wide commitment to nature that has seen Kiawah named "Americas Best Wildlife Getaway Beach" by the Travel Channel in 2002, and also become a founding donor of the South Carolina Aquarium. The resort has even transplanted over 150 live oak trees at the site of its new hotel, The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, which opens in March 2004.
Kiawah has also established natural habitat conservancy to support the islands wildlife, which includes 220 species of birds, 30 species of reptiles and amphibians and 18 mammals a list of which is available at the nature center. Resort guests can opt to donate $2.00 to the Kiawah Island Natural Habitat Conservancy upon checkout.
If You Go:
Where to stay: Kiawah Island Resort
Phone: Toll free: 800-654-2924.
Online: www.kiawahresort.com
Accommodations: 150 room oceanfront Inn, 600 villas and homes (all AAA Four Diamond rated). Opening March 2004: The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, a luxury, 255-room oceanfront hotel and spa.
Summer rate range: $199 per night (Inn) to $13,500 per week (oceanfront home). Family/Golf packages available.
Amenities: Five golf courses including The Ocean Course, home of the 1991 Ryder Cup and 2003 World Cup, 27 tennis courts, eight restaurants, 30 miles of bike trails.
