I am planning a Hilton Head Island beach vacation this summer with my family and have recently become concerned since reading posts on this site. Is the ocean water at Hilton Head really that unattractive for swimming, i.e., murky brown and muddy? I know the water can get stirred up in the waves, but is it at least appealing to look at or swim in offshore beyond the waves(blue or green)? I was looking forward to inviting ocean water for swimming. How about Kiawah or St. Simon's, is the water quality for swimming better there?

The first time we went to Hilton Head Island, I was shocked at the color of the water. It was brown and murky. I was quite disappointed, but have returned to Hilton Head a couple of times after. Hilton Head is a lovely island, and an enjoyable place to visit, but if it is clear blue water you are after, you will not find it there.

I have not been to Kiawah, but have been to St. Simon's Island. We found the water to be about the same as Hilton Head. We had a great time on St. Simon's, though, and would go back again. We have been down to Amelia Island, enjoyed that vacation too, and the water was clearer there.

The nicest, clearest water, and whitest sand, IMO, is on the gulf coast of Florida. I hope I've helped.

After hearing what a great beach HH boasted we were a bit let down with the water color. I think most of the Lowcountry is like that with all the tributarires coming in. Having said that, the charm of South Carolina is wonderful, we have been up & down the coast. It is a great state with nice people & delicious food.The water color around Kiawah & Isle of Palms is a liitle better but not much.This year we are trying Pensacola Beach to see if the water is as nice as everybody says!

The water in Hilton Head IS NOT muddy. Where on earth would the mud come from?

Now there is such a thing called creek mud but that is indiginous to tidal creeks not the ocean.

The Atlantic Ocean is very similar in makeup, color, sand, tempurature, and wave size from the point on Florida's coast around Cape Canaveral, where the Gulf Stream breaks off the coast of Florida and heads out to sea up through the North Carolina Beaches.

This area from Mid Florida about midway through the Outerbanks gets the last vestiges of the Gulf Stream water (it makes a HUGE turn) which is why the water temp averages within 2-5 degrees of such a very large area and why the ocean in the southeast gets so warm as opposed to the Mid Atlantic and Northeast.

The one exception to this generalization would be the Jacksonville Beaches only in regards to water tempurature. The JAX beach water temps are a couple degrees cooler than those directly to the North and directly to the South of them because of the curvature of Florida and the curvature of the Gulf Stream.

In case you aren't familiar with the Gulf Stream, it is the largest and fastest body of water in any of the oceans and keeps Great Britain from being arctic.

Now, that said, what effects the ocean in Hilton Head is WEATHER! I don't live very far from Hilton Head and I live on the ocean so I think I'm qualified to give you this information.

Weather is the biggest thing that will effect the way the ocean looks right now.

Is there a storm 100 miles off the coast? That will make the seas very rough. Rough seas churn up stuff on the ocean floor reducing visibility.

You see, it isn't ugly water, it is reduced visibility.

Is it a windy day? You get choppy seas hence, reduced visibility.

Are the waves coming out of the Southeast? Then the water has an extremely high visibility but the ocean is choppy. The water will also be a very bright blue color.

Is the water calm? The wind isn't blowing and the water is a pretty blue green.

We also sit on a continental shelf. The continental shelf is shallow and is about 50 miles wide. Shallow water is usually a breeding ground for lots of things that grow.

The Atlantic Ocean in the southeast is a vibrant growing aquatic life filled area of water. That doesn't produce the highest visibility but neither is it an underwater desert.

The Atlantic Ocean looks different every single day of my life. It also calms me and fills me with a sense of peace.

I hope that allays some of your fears.

If you are looking for 100 feet of visibility, you may want to head south of Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, and the Keys.


By the way, the water at Kiawah, St. Simons, and Amelia Island will be just like the water at Hilton Head. Different on any given day.

Pat, the tidal creeks have nothing to do with the color of the ocean water.

It would be like trying to clean a dirty car with a Q-tip.

As usual, Go Travel is right.

The Atlantic ocean is a different color from the Gulf and the Carribbean. It's not dirty.

You can sit by the pool and look at still, blue water. Enjoy the drama and mystery of the real ocean while you're in HH.

I can't add much to GoTravel's excellent summary, except that the *brown* or *murky* water you're talking about is simply nice, clear water with lots of sand in suspension. On HH and other beaches along the southeast coast, there is often quite a bit of wave action. Those wonderful waves crashing onto the shore stir up sand in the water.

One thing we've noticed in our hometown (Myrtle Beach) is that when the waves subside, and the sand settles back down, the water itself is extremely clear.

All of that said, for crystal clear water in the U.S., the only place I've seen that is the Florida panhandle.

The water may not be clear, but it has never seemed muddy to me. I grew up on the gulf and would take hilton head over it any day. Great waves for body surfing when a storm is coming or going, much less crowded (at least where we go), and great for taking walks. Hilton Head itself is just a much classier and attractive than the majority of Florida in my opinion. I love to snorkel and the caribbean would be my ideal destination, but that's not what Hilton Head is about. It's a great, clean, attractive island for a nice relaxing family vacation.