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Hilton Head: Shrimp Trawling Boat Cruise & Take-Home Catch

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/15

Duration2h

GroupUp to 28

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Hilton Head shrimp trawl cruise sorting catch with crew

You’ll board a real working boat in Hilton Head, help sort through nets full of local sea life with friendly crew, learn about Lowcountry shrimping traditions, and maybe even take home your own fresh catch—all while soaking up salt air and those marsh views you won’t forget.

Step-by-step itinerary

Shrimp trawling boat cruise experience

Check in at Vagabond Cruise office
Pay $9 vehicle entry fee to Sea Pines Resort
Depart from Harbour Town Yacht Basin
Explore salt marsh ecosystems and food web
Observe sea creatures and shrimp in nets
Receive packaged shrimp if caught
View Harbour Town Lighthouse

The Experience

The first thing I noticed stepping onto the Tammy Jane was the way the wood felt under my sandals—kind of sun-warmed and salty, like it’s seen a lot of days out here in Harbour Town. Our guide, Captain Nick, waved us aboard with that easy Lowcountry drawl and immediately started talking about how shrimping isn’t just work—it’s kind of a dance between tides, weather, and luck. I liked that. The engine rumbled to life and we glided past the lighthouse, gulls yelling overhead (they know what’s up). There was sunscreen in the air and this faint smell of brine that stuck to my skin for hours after.

I didn’t expect to actually get my hands dirty but when they pulled up the net—wow. It was wriggling with all kinds of things besides shrimp (someone next to me squealed at a blue crab). Captain Nick handed me a pair of gloves and just grinned. “Go on,” he said, so I did—sorting through seaweed, little fish, even a horseshoe crab. It was weirdly calming, like sifting through a box of old keepsakes. There was this moment where everyone got quiet watching a pelican swoop down nearby; you could hear nothing but water lapping and someone’s kid whispering about wanting to be a fisherman now.

If you’re lucky—and we were—you get to take some shrimp home at the end. They bagged ours up right there on deck; it felt oddly special holding something you helped pull from the water yourself. The whole thing only took two hours but honestly it felt longer in that good way where you lose track of time. Oh, and if you try to say “shrimp” in Gullah like Captain Nick does? Be prepared for him to laugh (I definitely butchered it). Still think about that view back toward Harbour Town Lighthouse as we docked—sky turning soft pink over the marshes.

What’s included

Your day includes a two-hour open-air cruise aboard the Tammy Jane departing from Harbour Town Yacht Basin, hands-on participation in sorting the day’s catch alongside local crew, an introduction to Lowcountry commercial shrimping traditions, plus—if luck’s on your side—a bag of freshly caught shrimp to take home after your adventure.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Vagabond Cruise