VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Aquarium has daily dolphin watching tours in the summer and this is the best time of year to see the pods in action!
As we pulled away from the dock on the Atlantic Explorer at Rudee Inlet, it didn’t take long to see a playful pod of dolphins splashing around just outside the channel.
The crew says these bottlenose dolphins are dining on something local and in season: Spanish mackerel.
These tours are available all summer long. Occasionally, the Virginia Aquarium continues to host them into the fall if the dolphins have not yet migrated south.
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“This is a fantastic time of year to see dolphins, and another cool aspect about May, June, and July is [that] its calving season, so you’re starting to see babies with their moms, said Mike Mizell from the Virginia Aquarium.
The hour-and-a-half cruise has a tour guide, so you'll learn lots of facts about dolphins and other marine life.
Fun fact: Dolphins are actually whales. They are simply smaller, toothed whales and share many characteristics with their larger sea cousins.
The cost to take the dolphin tour is $28.95 for adults and $23.95 for kids — you can book online with the Virginia Aquarium.
The Virginia Aquarium dolphin tour is a fun and educational family adventure that positively represents Hampton Roads.
