What we do
Our Vision at Coastal Eco Adventures is to offer one of a kind informative and intimate boating adventures for families and small groups of friends. For us it's about the quality of the experience rather than a boat ride based on capacity. Your private charter for up to six passengers will take you to remote beaches, uninhabited islands, sounds, tidal creeks, and nature preserves.
Are the grandkids coming to the Wilmington area and wondering what to do during their visit? We focus on multi-generation family fun and design extraordinary hands-on marine educational experiences for all ages.
Our Mission
Coastal Eco Adventures establishes partnerships among aquaculture businesses, environmental educators, small businesses, and non-profit organizations to increase awareness and protection of coastal ecosystems, water quality and natural habitats of the North Carolina coast.
We support mariculture farming operations by promoting the North Carolina Oyster Trail’s goal of creating the “Napa Valley” of oyster production as an economic “triple bottom line” industry by:
· Supporting economic development along the coast.
· Expanding employment opportunities in traditionally rural underserved communities.
· Improving the environment through habitat restoration, improved water quality, and resilience to storms and climate change.
Meet Our
All-Women Crew
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Captain Karen Dunn
Owner and Operator - Coastal Eco Adventures
Karen is a United States Coast Guard Licensed Merchant Mariner with nearly 50 years’ experience boating and blue water sailing the waters from New England to Florida, Bermuda, Bahamas, and the Caribbean Sea.
As a North Carolina Certified Environmental Education Instructor for more than ten years, Karen creates exciting hands-on experiences for families and visitors of all ages to publicly owned marine preserves, sounds, bays, marshes, and ocean reefs. Presentations focus on sustainable aquaculture, barrier islands, salt marsh estuarine ecology and their unique flora, fauna, and natural systems.
Cathy Meyer
Coastal Naturalist
Cathy Meyer is a coastal naturalist and writer. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Fairmont State University. With an insatiable curiosity about the coastal environment, Cathy has always been drawn to the natural wonders of the seashore. Countless hours have been spent over 40 years, walking coastal beaches in North Carolina and many other shorelines in the United States and beyond. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of the coastal environment, its ecosystems and inhabitants, as a freelance coastal educator. For over 10 years, Cathy has been an enthusiastic Masonboro Island field trip instructor teaching groups of schoolchildren and adults. With Coastal Eco Adventures, she is our coastal naturalist.
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Mandy Uticone
Owner/Operator Carolina Beach Oyster Company Aquaculture Specialist and NC Oyster Trail Farmer
Mandy Uticone is an oyster farmer in Stump Sound, NC. She graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies from UNC Wilmington and has taught marine science for more than 15 years, sharing her passion for the ocean. Mandy continued her education receiving an Aquaculture Science associate degree and worked in the aquaculture industry on oyster farms for four years before starting and operating Carolina Beach Oyster Company in 2020.
Mandy’s goal is to provide healthy, local, and sustainable seafood to area restaurants and educate people on the oyster farming process from seed to shuck. In her free time, she loves to surf, kayak, and talk oysters even when she isn’t on the farm!
"Skimmer"
Hurricane FunDeck 198
Welcome aboard your private chartered vessel with all USCG required safety equipment. The fiberglass tri-hull and open floor plan design delivers more space for passengers and fun on your Coastal Eco Adventure! You’ll cruise in comfort with the shallow draft versatility and deck boat stability of “Skimmer”.