Fuzzy Bus

St. Simons is the 2nd largest of Georgia’s 18 barrier islands and encompasses 31 square miles. This barrier island is the mid-portion of the sandy barriers running from South Carolina to the mouth of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. As you walk along the beaches of St. Simons, you’ll get to discover many changes. Look inland from the surf, you’ll see several interdependent, and unique natural communities, each with its own animal and plant life.

The active areas at St. Simoms are between the beach and the offshore sand bar is called the ‘surf zone’. It’s best to prepare spending a whole day or even a week in order to witness what is called ‘Sand Sharing’; this happens when a storm wave break on the beach and as the wave washes back out, it takes sand with it, depositing that sand offshore on the sand bars and shoals. Then, as the shoals build, waves break over them before reaching the beach, the weakened wave carries sand back to the beach, hence the term ‘Sand Sharing’.

The inter-tidal beach is where the ocean meets the beach. Inter-tidals are usually made up of hard-packed, wet sand, which is covered during high tied and then becomes exposed during low tide . You could spend hours, at low tide, watching all the activity happening in a tidal pool, and each tidal pool will have its own dynamic activities, because they all have some different sea-creatures making for fascinating observations.

At the St. Simons Island, you’ll also get to explore the primary Dunes , which are considered the ‘deserts’ of the beach. These dry and sandy areas are located between the inter-tidals. The dunes build-up, shift, then become stabilized by sea oats. The primary dunes protect the beach meadows, which nurture a variety of woody plants, flowering weeds and grasses. In addition, the all the natural activity on the beach, St. Simons has a Salt Marsh, the Maritime Forest, a Fresh Water Slough, and when in season, you’ll get to see the Loggerhead Sea Turtles and Whales. You can contact a hotel St. Simons offers it’s visitors to find out the best time to come for whale watching and Loggerhead Sea Turtle observation.

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