Full collection

Every photo, by area

All 84 photos in our collection, sorted by part of the island. We add more as we take them.

The beachSand, sea oats and the lighthouse

About 12 miles of beach end to end: 9+ miles in the Town of Oak Island, plus Caswell Beach and the lighthouse at the east end.

Oak Island Lighthouse above the dune shrubs under a blue sky, Caswell Beach — Photo: Sockie West

Oak Island Lighthouse beside the red roofs of the old Coast Guard station, Caswell Beach — Photo: Sockie West

Oak Island Lighthouse rising behind sea oats on the dunes — Photo: Sockie West

Oak Island Lighthouse seen across the beach and dune grass with summer clouds — Photo: Sockie West

Sea oats on the dunes under big white clouds — Photo: Sockie West

A fishing boat just off the beach on a calm day — Photo: Sockie West

Blanket flowers, red and yellow, growing wild in the dunes — Photo: Sockie West

Davis CanalDavis Canal

The quiet canal behind the beach houses, best seen from a kayak. Paddlers put in at the town launch at SE 31st Street.

Davis Canal on Oak Island from a kayak, July 2021

Davis Canal on Oak Island from a kayak, August 2021

Davis Canal on Oak Island from a kayak, July 2026

ParksParks and marsh boardwalks

Picnic shade, marsh overlooks and boardwalks out over the water.

May Moore Park sign among the pines, Oak Island — Photo: Sockie West

Marsh view through the pines from the May Moore Park overlook — Photo: Sockie West

Pier out over the marsh at May Moore Park under pine branches — Photo: Sockie West

Clouds reflected in still marsh water at May Moore Park — Photo: Sockie West

Wooden boardwalk out to the salt marsh at May Moore Park — Photo: Sockie West

Floating dock on the marsh at May Moore Park — Photo: Sockie West

Veterans Park: the fishing pier and lawn on the Intracoastal Waterway, 21 seconds.

The marshMarsh, parks and wading birds

Salt marsh between the canal and the waterway: herons, egrets, ibis and long evening light.

Salt marsh on Oak Island, September 2026

Salt marsh on Oak Island, September 2021

Salt marsh on Oak Island, September 2023

WildlifeIsland wildlife

Birds and animals around the island, photographed by Shane Gillespie.

Great blue heron silhouetted against a sunset sky over the marsh, Oak Island — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Great egret in close-up, yellow bill and white plumage — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Tricolored heron wading at the edge of the marsh grass — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Tricolored heron standing in shallow marsh water — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Sandpiper at the water's edge on the Oak Island beach — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Willet feeding in the surf wash on the beach — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Great blue heron perched in a pine tree — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Male northern cardinal in bare branches with green leaves behind — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Northern cardinal perched in a pine tree — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Gray squirrel sitting on a broken branch against a blue sky — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Tricolored heron standing on a dock post — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Tricolored heron hunting in the marsh reeds — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Male northern cardinal on a bare branch — Photo: Shane Gillespie

Tricolored heron standing upright on a post by the water — Photo: Shane Gillespie

SouthportSouthport waterfront and a Cape Fear sunset

Across the bridge: the shrimp docks and waterfront at Southport, then the marsh, Battery Island (an Audubon bird sanctuary off the Southport waterfront, seen from the water), Old Baldy lighthouse and the sun going down over the Cape Fear River from an evening boat tour.

Southport waterfront and Cape Fear River at sunset, October 2026

Old Baldy lighthouse on Bald Head Island at sunset

Old Baldy lighthouse on Bald Head Island at dusk

Battery Island, the Audubon bird sanctuary off Southport, seen from the water

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Hire a proLocal photographers

Want your own beach portraits or a print for the wall? These photographers work on the island. Independent businesses, not affiliated with us; we don’t take a fee. Listed A–Z from their own websites, checked October 2026.

Brenda Torrey Photography — Wildlife and real-estate photography from Southport; herons and turtle hatchlings on the island.
LTL Photography — Family, couple and senior sessions from Southport, on the Oak Island beaches.
Nick Noble Photography — Sunrises, moonrises and the lighthouse; prints and a Southport–Oak Island calendar.
Snapp-Shot Photography — Family beach sessions, maternity and seniors; based on Oak Island since 2006.

Our own photos, taken on Oak Island, Caswell Beach and Southport by the people who run this site, by Shane Gillespie (wildlife) and by Sockie West (lighthouse, dunes and May Moore Park). Some are cropped; none are AI-generated or AI-enhanced. Tap any photo to see it larger. Photos © their photographers; please don’t reuse them without asking (feedback page).