The sea islands that extend along the Eastern coast of South Carolina and Georgia have a history and a style all their own. From the sandy beaches of Edisto Island, SC to the isolated beauty of Cumberland Island, GA, the South Atlantic coast boasts a variety of islands that appeal to the dreamer in each of us.
The Atlantic Ocean not only defines each of the sea islands, it unites them in an eternal symphony, creating a rarified music where the waves meet the shore. Each sea island has a distinctive personality and seems to be dusted with a special magic. Some are developed, with internationally-acclaimed resorts and luxurious amenities; others remain desolate, with seabirds nesting among stands of native cypress, tupelo and oak trees. The remarkable diversity among the Carolina and Georgia sea islands helps to create a unique geographic and cultural environment in the waters of the Atlantic.
Thousands of years ago, the sea islands were part of the mainland. In fact, most of the coastal sea islands were formed during the Ice Age, when the polar caps began to melt and sea level around the globe slowly rose, flooding low lying areas along the Southeast coast to create modern-day sounds and leaving patches of higher ground exposed as a chain of offshore barrier islands.
With 198 miles exposed to the Atlantic Ocean and more than 500,000 acres of coastal marshes, South Carolina is a liquid paradise with deep ties to the sea. Sixteen barrier islands guard the Carolina shore like sentinels of old, protecting the mainland from hurricanes and sever storms.
Before the Civil War, many of the Carolina sea islands featured enormous rice and cotton plantations, leading too much of the islands’ antebellum wealth. Sea Island cotton, in particular, commanded extremely high prices on the market and was widely recognized as the finest American cotton.
South Carolina’s neighbor to the south, Georgia boasts an equally historic and hypnotic coastline. Although the coastline measures a mere 120 miles, more than 800 miles of shoreline wind along the state’s coast, creating a rich coastal plain that swells daily with the tides. Georgia has more than five million acres of wetlands, 90 percent of which are located in the coastal region.
The Peach State boasts more barrier islands than any other state. Its barrier islands are home to fresh and brackish waters that host migratory birds and provide a rich habitat for fish, shrimp and oysters.
Although the pristine beaches that ring the sea islands may seem to have been forgotten by time, they are, in fact, undergoing constant changes over time. Islands change shape as the wind, sun and sea conspire to redefine them over hundreds and thousands of years.
Hunting Island, SC, for example, has been fighting the sea for several centuries now. One of South Carolina’s loveliest state parks, Hunting Island, is quite literally, being reclaimed by the sea. Its lush palm and oak forests are being consumed by the ever-encroaching waves and even the best efforts of the U.S. Marines to halt the erosion by moving massive sand dunes in the path of the sea appear to be in vain.
Nevertheless, each sea island tells a unique story of colonial, revolutionary and Civil War history and of the complex relationship between civilization and wilderness. The magic of the sea islands, it seems, lies in the rich diversity of each ever-changing land mass, surrounded on all sides by the singing sea.
A Sea Island Guide:
Daufuskie Island, South Carolina: Daufuskie offers a glimpse of what other sea islands were like before bridges and causeways opened them to development. Most native residents of Daufuskie Island are descendants of freed slaves, who have made their living oystering and fishing for decades. The subject of Pat Conroy’s, The Water Is Wide, Daufuskie Island has a timeless quality and is still accessible only by boat. Daufuskie has, nevertheless, begun to be developed as parts of the island have been transformed into exclusive gated communities.
Edisto Island, South Carolina: Located 50 miles southeast of Charleston on SC 1