I was going to post this question on Leadenwahboy’s post about his great vacation, but I was afraid to highjack his great story and report of his vacation. So, I thought that I would start a new thread on the subject of Botany Bay. We have family visiting at the end of June and staying on the back side of Seabrook Island, on Horseshoe Creek. And I was wondering if it’s possible to access the Botany Bay by boat? I’d like to take them there for visit. On a map, it looks like Ocella creek runs along the back side of the area. Can you anchor a boat there and wade onto the nearby road? Or, is it ok to go out front and access it by the beachfront? We would like to visit, explore the area and maybe fish the beach.
Good question. I’m not sure. There is a kayak launch on the Ocella creek side. Its 4000 acres so there would be a longish walk if you tied off there and hoofed it. I’ve never seen a boat anchored off the beach there, but I can’t see why not. At low tide you could walk to the front beach by wading across Townsend Inlet and Frampton Inlet. Just some thoughts
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.eyestrikefishing.com #predatorsstriketheeye
In a nutshell…NO.
Sure, you can get to the island in Ocella creek, but it’s VERY shallow back there, and the only “landing” on the island is the kayak/car-top boat launch on the island.
The “road” and bridge leading to the beach access we used to run to and under to get to little Frampton’s inlet when I was young, but could only fit a john boat under the bridge. I guess if you could get to the bridge site/road at last of incoming tide, you could have a couple of hours to explore the beach before catching the outgoing tide out…but I am FAR from familiar with the creek back there nowadays, it’s just too shallow and shelly for me anymore in the fiberglass boats.
What kind of boat will you be using to do these explorations? Lots of good beach to explore on Botany Island itself, you could anchor on N. Edisto side and walk for miles all the way down there.
Also, not sure of the legalities of you being on the beach when it’s closed?
Wadmalaw native
16’ Bentz-Craft Flats Boat
As far as anchoring off of the beach out there, we do it frequently to fish backwards into the surf, but it’s very “swelly” out there, and easy and quick to get turned around and swamped. Wading Frampton’s and Townsend’s inlets is possible, of course.
There’s also the option of going INTO little Frampton’s by boat. I’ve done it a couple of dozen times in the Bentz-Craft. Just go at mid incoming tide, pay attention to where the waves are NOT breaking, and ride a wave into the inlet…you may have to jump out and wade the boat across, but it’s not usually bad.
The bad part is coming OUT into the breakers…very unnerving and it can get nasty in there pretty quickly.
Wadmalaw native
16’ Bentz-Craft Flats Boat
Here’s a video for your enjoyment…
This is a convoy of THREE Bentz-Crafts, first boat is a 16’ center console (converted from side), second my 16’ flats, third a 16’ side console, all powered by 90HP two-stroke Yamahas.
We went in the inlet, surf fished for a few hours, and it got pretty bad when tide started to dump out…this is an EXTREME case of how it gets out there if you decide to go INTO the inlet!
You can see a little ways in when I come off of plane to save a tackle box from going overboard, and see how bad it was out there. The surfers would have been happy that day.
https://www.facebook.com/buddy.dane/videos/1214353288591195/
Wadmalaw native
16’ Bentz-Craft Flats Boat
Could not pull up the video! love to see it, tried to make it out in my 16’ skiff but turned and chickened out! No problem in the whaler!