Local Character | Captain Thomas Shanahan

The Bluff | Spring/Summer 2025

Tell me about where you grew up.

I was born and raised on Broad Creek in Hilton Head and I’ve been boating and fishing since I was a tiny kid. I got into the industry when I was eight. I’d go down to Shelter Creek Marina and beg the charter captains to let me clean their boats. I joined a crew full-time when I was twelve and worked on boats from then until college.

Where did you go to college?

I went to school at the University of South Carolina and, believe it or not, I majored in biomedical engineering! I joined the Coast Guard when I was twenty-two where I did six years specializing in counter narcotics and search and rescue operations. When I was in the Coast Guard, I traveled all over North, Central, and South America and told myself that if I found a place that was more beautiful than where I grew up, I’d move there. And well…here I am. When I got out of the military, I came straight to Palmetto Bluff. I was lucky that there was a dockhand position available. I was able to turn that dockhand position into a captain’s position and start the Wilson Landing Captain’s Program. It all came full circle.

Tell me about your first visit to Palmetto Bluff.

I was basically raised on this property. My dad was the commercial superintendent with Frazier Construction and built all of Wilson Village and the original inn. When I was a kid, I’d get dropped off at the guard gate after school and dad would pick me up. I have old pictures of myself on the original ruins of the Wilson Mansion!

What is something that people don’t know about you?

In 2012, I was guiding fishing trips off the coast of Hilton Head. One day I got hit by a stingray on my wrist, severing ligaments, arteries and tendons and rendering me completely incapacitated. The Coast Guard actually came out to get me and their professionalism was so impressive. I was like Wow, this is something I could see myself doing. It took a couple years after that for my wrist to fully heal and to clear medical waivers before I could join. That was the worst pain of my life. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemies!

What is your favorite place at Palmetto Bluff?

The top of the Moreland Treehouse, without a doubt. Maybe it’s the big kid in me, or maybe it’s the view, but I often make it a point to get off the boat and climb up to the top.

What’s your most marked characteristic?

I struggle talking about myself, but I think I’m driven. When I get a vision for something I work really hard to make it happen. The Captain’s Program here at Palmetto Bluff is an example of that. I saw a need for our members to get more in touch with the outdoors and over the course of four years, we have introduced hundreds of members and thousands of guests to our Lowcountry waterways. I really don’t think it’s possible to fully understand the beauty and the riches of this place without experiencing it from the water.