 Approximately one mile southwest of the river's mouth lies the Shallotte Inlet which connects the Intracostal Waterway to Long Bay of the Atlantic Ocean.The inlet separates Holden Beach Isle from Ocean Isle and was the actual mouth of the Shallotte River prior to the Intracoastal Waterway's construction and decades of shifting sands.The "Shallotte River" name dates back to at least 1734.