The story of being stranded on a desert island is a timeless tale, making up the plot of historic classics such as Robinson Crusoe, as well as yet-to-be-released films such as Castaway 2: Wilson’s Revenge. Insert yourself into this narrative tradition with today's Groupon: for $199, you get a "Fuskie" Beach Day island trip for up to four people and an eight-hour golf cart rental on Daufuskie Island from Daufuskie Discoveries (up to a $538 value). The water taxi to the island departs from Salty Fare Marina in Hilton Head and Savannah Bend Marina in Savannah.
Daufuskie Discoveries shuttles tour-goers to and from Daufuskie Island on a high-speed water taxi that passes through Calibogue Sound and Cooper River in hopes of glimpsing dolphins and other local marine life. Once on Daufuskie’s isolated dry land, day-trippers hop aboard a golf cart equipped with a cargo area, off-road tires, enough room to hold the kids, and the capacity to transform into a mechanical caddy. The seaborne chaperone will also outfit the safari with a map and a basic orientation of the island's layout. Its secluded public beaches, deciduous foliage, thick forest of palm trees, and crisp blue waters beckon nature lovers to bask in the wilderness, and the Haig Point Lighthouse and Daufuskie Museum encourage indoor exploration.
Each group receives portable chairs and one beach umbrella, ideal for lounges beneath the sun after scouring every square inch of Driftwood Beach and Bloody Point Beach for shells. After carting around for the day, journeymen and women meet up with the water taxi a second time for the return trip.
Daufuskie Discoveries
Daufuskie Discoveries creates opportunities to explore Daufuskie Island's lush, historic habitat with customized guided or private outings. An enclosed or open-air water taxi quickly shuttles small groups from Hilton Head or Savannah to the island's three-mile stretch of sandy beach in 30 minutes, with captains tossing out facts about Calibogue Sound and Cooper River. Customers disembark and board their conveyance of choice—golf cart, boat, or shoes—before bursting through the tree line into specific isle regions, such as Bloody Point, which houses the Bloody Point Cemetery and Bloody Point Lighthouse & Silver Dew Winery. Three-hour private cruises skirt the coastline as a guide artfully describes the sun dipping beneath marshes as a hot air balloon deflated by a stampeding herd of storks.