North end of the island
I put in at the north end of the island with the intent of paddling
around the ocean side of the island and coming back in Masonborro
inlet. Many of the put in locations at the north end are not usable
at low tide unless you like dragging your kayak across mud flats and
oyster beds. Even though it was only an hour after high tide, the
"channel" out to the north inlet was still less than 8 inches deep in
some areas.
As I rounded the north end of the island and headed out Mason inlet,
there didn't appear to be an inlet. I was looking at a solid wall of
6 foot waves breaking over a shallow sand bar. The waves along the
beach looked smaller and it looked like if I paddled parallel to the
beach for a hundred yards or so and then turn out into the ocean, all
I had to deal with were a few 2-3 foot waves. If the water was
warmer, I would have gone for it. But, I turned around and headed
back towards the intercoastal.
Both inlets open at the same time. The old inlet is on the left and the new inlet on the right
Later in the afternoon, I walked out the the end of the island to get
a better look. At low tide, it's obvious where the bar was. The
waves were also much smaller and manageable. I blame myself first and
Google second for not looking into this before heading out. I knew
that Mason inlet was recently
moved, but I had no idea that Google map data was that old.