Boating and Skiing Around the North Myrtle Beach and Sunset Beach Areas Along the SC/NC Border
How Do You Get There?
I am not fortunate enough to have access to a big lake to waterski on, but I think I've got the next best thing. I ski on the Intracoastal Waterway around the Sunset Beach (map), North Carolina, area. As I depart in my boat from the North Myrtle Beach Marina in Little River, South Carolina, I steer my boat north by the Little River docks and around the Calabash, North Carolina, bend. From there, you can either make a starboard turn to the right and go to the ocean through the Little River Inlet, but I prefer to make a port turn and head towards Sunset Beach for some skiing.
Waterskiing Conditions
My waterskiing season typically lasts from April to November. Although, I have been known to throw on my drysuit and tackle those off-season months. The average weather here during the peak months has an air temperature of 84 degrees and water temperature of 77 degrees. Not bad, huh?
One downside to skiing in this waterway area is that I have to be aware of the tides, since is it fed by the ocean, which is less than a mile away. Because the waterway tends to be narrow in some stretches, there is limited room to turn the boat around effectively while towing a skier. I learned this lesson the hard way which resulted in buying a new prop for $500 when the boat unexpectedly ran into some shallow water on a turn.
The depth of the water in the center of the waterway at high tide is on average 16-18 feet, but when low tide rolls around the depth tends to drop a good six feet or more. This means you can get into some really shallow water at the edges. For this reason, I recommend checking with a tide chart before planning your waterskiing outings and try to do your skiing in the area of three hours before and three hours after high tide.
Where Are My Skiing Limits?
The boat idles and the first skier hits the water right alongside the waterway hole at Ocean Harbour golf course. There are always golfers there to cheer my crew on. I'll ski from this point until I can't go any farther at the Sunset Beach bridge. This bridge is an old one-lane swing bridge heading to the island that opens once an hour, on the hour, for through boat traffic. And beware. After the bridge opens, you might as well pull all skier in the boat and sit until the boat traffic passes by or your skier will get beat to death with wakes.
Things Accessible By Boat
After a long day on the water food is usually an enticing thing on the menu. There are several restaurants in the area in which are accessible by boat. For casual dining on an outside deck try Doc Holidays Island Grill at 1525 13th Avenue North (803) 249-6111,Vereens Marina in North Myrtle Beach. A little further south is Barefoot Landing. There you will find lots of restaurants with several featuring waterfront dining. For a walk on the diverse side in Barefoot Landing try the House of Blues.
Area Marinas
This area has no shortage of marinas and outlets for watersports. Marinas relevant to my skiing area are: Coquina Harbour Marina at 1 Marina Village, North Myrtle Beach (803) 249-9333; Harbourgate Marina at One Harbour Place, North Myrtle Beach (803) 249-8888; and Captain Jim's Marina at River Road, Calabash (803) 249-4575 . My drystorage marina is the North Myrtle Beach Marina at 4430 Belle Marina Road in Little River (803) 249-1000.
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Forever In Your Wake,
- Julie Bostian
- Waterskiing Guide
- Waterskiing Guide