Verified September 27, 2026 against SC State Parks, SCDNR, the SC Code of Laws, Dominion Energy, Lake Murray Country, the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Weather Service and rental company websites. Rental rules change, so confirm yours when you book.
On midsummer evenings, a small island in the middle of Lake Murray gets company. Lots of it. Purple martins pour in from every direction, swirl over Bomb Island until the sky seems to breathe, then drop into the trees for the night. The best seat in the house? A pontoon.
The purple martins of Bomb Island
When: Late June through early August, peaking in mid to late July, says Lake Murray Country, the area’s official tourism office. The birds are gathering before their flight to South America.
What time: They arrive around sundown and leave at first light. Dusk is the show.
How many: Discover South Carolina, the state’s official tourism site, puts it at 800,000 to one million birds. Bomb Island (also called Lunch Island) is North America’s largest purple martin roost.
Why it matters: Audubon explains that roosting together keeps martins safer from predators and helps young birds learn where to find food. SCDNR and the lake’s power company protect the island as a purple martin sanctuary.
The rules: No one is allowed on the island during the summer roosting season, so watch from your boat. Stay off year-round, too. Aircrews used Lunch Island for practice bombing from 1942 to 1945 (hence the nickname), and the Army Corps of Engineers says munitions may remain there and in the water around it. Spot anything that looks like an old bomb? Leave it alone and call 911.
The roost can move (the birds skipped the island in 2014), so ask your rental company how it looks that week. And wear a hat. A million birds is a lot of birds.
How pontoon rentals work
Rental companies around the lake rent pontoons by the half or full day, and some add sunset or multi-day rates. Lake Murray Country keeps a list of marinas and rentals. Dreher Island State Park doesn’t rent boats, but staff can point you to companies that do. Expect to:
- Show photo ID and meet the company’s minimum age.
- Pay for the gas you use, plus tax, and leave a deposit or card hold.
- Get a lesson first. Better Boating’s runs about 30 minutes on the water.
- Respect the capacity limit (9 to 14 people on the pontoons we checked). Kids count.
- Find life jackets and safety gear aboard. Ask for kid and infant sizes.
| Company | Where | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Better Boating | Irmo | Renters must be 25. Up to two dogs on some pontoons. |
| Timberlake Marina | Chapin | Half-day, full-day, sunset and multi-day rentals |
| Lake Murray Action Sports | Leesville | Renters must be 21. No pets. |
| Lazy Waves | Siesta Cove Marina, Gilbert | Weeknight purple martin sunset rentals. No pets. |
The catch: day rentals may be due back before the martins arrive (Lazy Waves’ end at 6 p.m.), so ask about evening rentals. Rather not drive home in the dark? Book one of the purple martin tours Lake Murray Country lists.
Where to launch
Renting? Your boat is at the rental dock, with parking and restrooms at the marina.
Bringing your own? Dreher Island State Park, about 30 miles from downtown Columbia and a boat ride from Bomb Island, has three boat ramps, trailer parking, and a park store with snacks, ice, bait and in-water fuel. Adult admission is $6 (2026 rate). At the dam, Dominion Energy’s Irmo-side launch is open to boaters 24 hours a day. More options are in Boat Ramps on South Carolina’s Big Lakes.
At about 50,000 acres and 650 miles of shoreline, Murray is big water. Bring a map.
What to bring
- Photo ID, and your boater education card if you need one (see below)
- Sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and your own shade. Ask if the pontoon has a bimini top (a fabric canopy).
- More water than you think, and a cooler with lunch
- Swimsuits, towels and a dry bag
- Binoculars, and a flashlight for the ride home
- A trash bag. What comes aboard goes home.
What to do out there
Swim. Anchor away from boat traffic, shut off the motor and use the ladder. There’s no lifeguard but you. At Dreher Island, you can swim along the shoreline at your own risk, but not from bridges, docks or boat ramps, or in the marina area.
Tube or fish. Some rentals have a tow bar (see the towing rules), and SC State Parks calls Murray one of the South’s best-known largemouth and striped bass lakes.
Boater rules for renters
- Boater education. Born after July 1, 2007? State law says you can’t drive a boat with a motor of 10 horsepower or more, rental pontoons included, unless you’ve passed a boater education course, hold a boat rental safety certificate (good for 30 days, rentals only), or have someone 18 or older aboard who was born on or before that date or is certified. SCDNR’s Boater Education page explains both courses.
- Life jackets. Every boat must carry a Coast Guard approved life jacket that fits each person aboard, plus a throwable device on boats 16 feet and longer. Kids under 12 must wear theirs on boats under 16 feet. The rental pontoons we checked run 22 to 25 feet, so that law may not cover yours. Put them on the kids anyway.
- Slow down. On Lake Murray, go idle speed within 100 feet of a dock or pier, and within 50 feet of an anchored boat or a person in the water. That includes the sunset crowd at Bomb Island.
- Towing a tube? You need a spotter besides the driver (or a wide-angle mirror) and a life jacket on the rider, and there’s no towing between sunset and sunrise.
- Sober captain. Boating under the influence is illegal.
Weather and lightning
Check the forecast when you book and again that morning, and ask about the rain policy. The National Weather Service’s advice for boaters: if thunderstorms are forecast, don’t go out.
- Head in at the first sign of a storm. If you can hear thunder, you’re likely within striking distance.
- Caught out? A pontoon has no cabin, so drop anchor and get as low as you can.
- Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before going back out.
Pontoon days for every body
A pontoon is one of the easiest boats to board: a wide, flat deck, a gate in the rail and seats with backs. Easy isn’t the same for everybody, though, so ask when you book:
- Is the dock floating or fixed, and how big is the step onto the boat?
- Can a wheelchair roll through the gate and be secured aboard?
- Can staff steady the boat and help people on?
- How far is parking from the dock? Are the restrooms accessible?
- What’s the swim ladder like? What’s the service animal policy?
Save the shady seats for whoever needs them most. For more easy-access trips, see our Accessibility Guide. Dreher Island questions go to the park at 803-364-4152.
Make a weekend of it
Launching from Dreher Island? Camp at the park and take the Dreher Island Shoreline Walk in the morning. Then browse our Boating and Lakes hubs, Every Major Lake in South Carolina, Ranked, and our Wildlife & Birding hub.
Now go outside and play. And look up.