With the restaurant we work at closed for the first two days of the year, we decided to take advantage of the time off by going on an adventure. When we planned our camping weekend last January, we discovered that whale watching is a thing in Virginia Beach. It was disappointing to learn that they had to cancel the whale watch trip due to bad weather. When we found out that we would have a few extra days off we decided to go on a whale watch.
It was a beautiful day, some cloud cover but temperature in the mid-50s. After a nice breakfast at Shorty’s Diner, we had an uneventful trip to the beach. We arrived at Rudee Tours just before boarding started and took our place in line. We wanted to go to the top-level but so did everyone else. Instead, we found a spot on the right side of the boat.
As we meandered our way out of Rudee Inlet, the sky was a spectacular display. The clouds were starting to break up, creating a beautiful pattern in the sky with the sun peeking through. It was chilly on the water but, ready with winter coats, hats and gloves, we were comfortable. The crew pointed out interesting birds on our way out to the spot where whales had been seen about six miles out.
Whale watching is not an exact science. I have been on one before, in Massachusetts. It was a disappointing trip with only a few whale sightings and no visible tails. I hoped we would have better luck this time.
After about 45 minutes, the boat suddenly slowed. There was a whale close by. In just a few minutes, we saw a spray of water rising from the ocean followed by the whale’s back and dorsal fin. He flipped his tail as he dove back under. Our guide let us know that when you see a tail flip like that, it usually indicates that the whale is diving deep, which means we might not see him again for another 20 minutes.
Nicely, the whale had other plans and just a few minutes later there was another spray of water. We went to the upper deck for a better view but realized that our place near the back of the boat was a great spot. As the boat made adjustments to keep up with the whale as he moved, we could simply move across the back to whichever side he was on.
At some point, the clouds thinned out, leaving us with the magnificent reflection from the low-lying sun on the water. I mused the thought of how wonderful it would be if the whale came up in the middle of that sunbeam. After he came up another three or four times, the boat readjusted again. I was looking directly into the sunbeam when my dream came true. Not only did the whale breach, but had a lovely tail flip too. It is one of my favorite pictures of the day.
The whale surfaced every few minutes while we were out there, even coming within 30 feet of the boat. As we headed back to shore, the guide mentioned that this was the most whale activity they have had this season. We settled back into our seats for the ride. This time we were facing shore so there was more to see. I attempted to take a picture of the lighthouse, but we were too far out. The 200x zoom on the camera does not work well on a boat that is moving. Every rock of the boat is extremely exaggerated at the end of the camera lens.
As I watched the hotels on the beach getting closer, the guide pointed out that dolphins were swimming beside us. Just after she pointed them out, two of them leaped out of the water together right in front of me. A few seconds later another pair jumped. I reached for the camera, but that was all we saw of them. Just as we slowed down and started the turn into the inlet, a flock of 13 pelicans flew just in front of us. I have never seen that many flying together before. It felt like we were having a magical day!
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