Guides

 

Captain; Joe Lotts has been guiding since the young age of fifteen. After discovering his love and tremendous passion for the outdoors, Joe attended and graduated from Brevard College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education. While living in the mountains of North Carolina, Joe sharpened his kayaking and guiding skills in whitewater rivers and steep mountainous creeks. After moving to Charleston, Joe worked other outdoor nature programs mastering the skills needed to provide the best guiding service in the region. After 13 years of experience, Joe has branched off to start Charleston Outdoor Adventures, LLC, the leading outfitter of Folly Beach, South Carolina.  “Here at COA we will create an outdoor experience and memories that will be cherished for life”.

 

Manager, Tripp Copeland, from Winton, N.C., discovered his love of the outdoors at an early age. Spending his summers in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, he grew an appreciation of the East Coast and its waters especially. Tripp followed his passion to Brevard College, where he graduated with a degree in Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education. He started guiding naturalist kayak tours in 2003 in Beaufort, N.C. From there, he moved to Charleston, S.C., where he has been guiding ever since. Living in Charleston, he has developed a great enthusiasm for the Lowcountry and a wide knowledge of its estuaries and wildlife. Now working for Charleston Outdoor Adventures, Tripp is excited to be working with a company that shares his views on the importance of promoting awareness about local environments and ecosystems.

 

 

Captain, Will Mckenzie,

  Cooper Smith was born and raised in the Lowcountry in Bluffton, South Carolina. After leading Kayak Ecotours on Hilton Head Island for two years, she now attends College of Charleston and is in her senior year. Majoring in Geology and Environmental Sciences, taking Marine Geology and various biology courses, has aided in her already present knowledge of the local wildlife and processes seen in the Charleston area. In her second summer at Charleston Outdoor Adventures, she looks forward to creating an exciting journey into South Carolina’s unique estuarine systems.

 

Anna Sullivan:Formally from Woodstock, NY, Anna is a 2011 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology with a masters of science in Deaf Education. She has lived, kayaked, taught, and traveled in Australia, Hawaii, Colorado, New Mexico, and now South Carolina.  Fluent in American Sign Language, Anna is a traveler extraordinaire and dolphin tamer. She spends her free time outside biking, running, swimming, dancing, hiking, hula hooping, and watching the sunset. She looks forward to taking you on a unique, fun, and exciting tour through Charleston’s beautiful salt water estuary systems with that earth lovin’ attitude. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll catch her doing yoga on a paddle board early in the morning or hula hooping under the sunset.

   

Betsy La Force: Growing up on Hilton Head Island, Betsy has been surrounded by intriguing wildlife her entire life.  Her passion for the natural environment inspired her to become a kayak guide in 2008.  Leading kayak tours for three summers on Hilton Head and in Charleston, Betsy is comfortable and experienced instructing paddlers of all ages and levels.  She graduated from the College of Charleston in 2012 where she earned her degree in French language and International studies.  In her second summer with Charleston Outdoor Adventures, Betsy is excited to continue learning about the ever changing ecosystem that lives in the salt marsh.  Her favorite aspect of leading tours is finding common ground with people from all walks of life on the beauty that nature provides.

  

Brad Weiss

Christopher Ellis  stems from Ashville, North Carolina. Growing up on the cold water near Brevard, Chris loves being out on the water. Now studying Wilderness Leadership, Experiential Education at Brevard College, Chris is ready to take you on a great tour on either a kayak or stand up paddle board.

 

Benjamin Powers