Paddling recommendations in Cape May NJ?

Hi, I’m looking for a quiet, scenic, preferable winding water to do some kayaking , in or near Cape May. Does anyone have any suggestions? I’m taking a 1st time kayaker and she has said she is not comfortable in big open water. We both want to relax and enjoy some wildlife. We will be paddling a Perception Sole, and a Loon. Thanks! :slightly_smiling_face:

Have a look at ;
https://www.njpaddle.org or https://www.jsska.org/
But you need a membership for both to view lots of the stuff.

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My family and I used to vacation on the Jersey Shore usually just a little bit farther north at Avalon and Stone Harbor. I used to bring a kayak and poke around the inland sounds and channels behind the barrier islands.

Quite interesting and a chance to see quite a lot of bird life. But be sure to check the tide tables. If the tide goes out unexpectedly a big sound can turn into a mud flat too shallow to paddle back to where you started.

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I would never do such a thing!

(Fortunately we were close to a deep water channel so it was only a short drag…)

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Never fun. It happens to most of us at some point.

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Thank you for the tips, especially about the tides. We ended up putting in at Spicers Creek Boat Launch. There was plenty of free parking, free launch, and even borrower pfd’s (we had our own). From there were were able to explore Cape Island Creek (paddle left from dock), and Cape May Harbor (paddle right from dock). In the harbor we went as far as the the inlet where we were lucky enough to see a large group of dolphins. The creek was loaded with wildlife, beautiful grassy, quiet off shoots. I’m still smiling as I think of when I turned a quiet corner and came face to face with 6 turtle heads!