If you get in a kayak at ten on an August morning in Georgia, you have to expect to pretty much be stew by noon. Yep, I was a hot and disgusting mess, but it was so worth it.

I’d signed on to a two-hour tour with the 4-H Tidelands Nature Center on Jekyll Island, one of the Golden Isles on the Georgia coast halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville. Our guide, Corinne Zelie, is a program specialist at the nature center. Which means she does pretty much everything from admin tasks to taking people like me out in kayaks.

Our group was tiny, just Corinne, a couple visiting from North Carolina, their adult son who lives in Atlanta, and me. We paddled around in a salt marsh while Corinne pointed out the wildlife. It was low tide and the birds were hungry. We watched roseate spoonbills clack their bills in the muck, feeling for shrimp. Lots of herons and egrets were out, too. We cruised over oyster beds and saw a zillion shells.

Corinne took us to a water outlet pipe that always attracts manatees. We saw a couple of manatee noses pop up for a breath of air, and a manatee back. The water was murky, so we couldn’t see the bulk of the manatee.

The most exciting part for me? This was my first time kayaking with dolphins and sharks! Okay, little sharks. I said, “Corinne, how big was that shark, about four feet long?”

She said, “Uh, maybe two.”

Nah, I’m going with four.

A two-hour trip costs $60 for a single kayak or $116 for a tandem. Want to stay out three hours? That will cost you $70 for a single or $135 for tandem. Call (912) 635-5032 for trip times, reservations, or additional information. Remember your sunscreen and water bottle.

Teresa Bergen owns the Veg Travel & Fitness site. An outdoor enthusiast, she’s on a quest to kayak or SUP in every US state and Canadian province. Teresa is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the Wellness Tourism Association, and the author of Easy Portland Outdoors.