“As we approached the area, we could both see geysers of water shooting up in the air intermittently…As we slowly idled closer and closer, the whale seemed to be about thirty to thirty-five feet long. As it rolled on its side, it beat the water with a twelve-foot long pectoral fin. We stopped the boat a respectful distance away and silently watched the playful mammal.” *
Humpback Whale Surfaces
A well-kept secret is that the winter months are a wonderful time for whales and visitors to enjoy Virginia Beach. The whales are migrating from northern areas to tropical breeding grounds and linger here annually to feed on large schools of menhaden and bay anchovies. These same huge schools of bait allow Virginia Beach to claim the unrivaled title of “The Striped Bass Capital of the World.” Visiting whales include humpback and fin whales with an occasional right whale. Adult humpbacks are generally 45′ to 52′ long weighing up to 40 tons. Fin whales are the second longest whale species, growing to lengths of 88′ while Northern Hemisphere fin whales visiting Virginia Beach approach a norm of 70′.
