VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Right off Fort Story, Robert McMillen says he captured these pictures of a humpback whale while on a fishing trip with friends.
Leaders at Rudee Inlet Tours have been taking people on tours for the last 4 weeks.
“We are seeing a lot of active humpback whales and also very active bottles nose dolphins and a variety of seabirds,” said Alexis Rabon with Rudee Inlet Tours.
“Every single trip is different. We’re pretty lucky in our area that we do often see them in for the shallow waters, typically well within sight of the beach. They can be right outside the inlet or could be a few miles offshore,” said Rabon.
She says right now they are on the move.
“They send tend to spend the warmer months feeding very intensively in Northern latitudes and then this time of the year that`s where the migration occurs a lot of the reproductively mature animals are heading down to the breeding grounds,” said Rabon.
Experts say that in the Virginia Beach region the whales can be seen usually between December and March.
“We are in the peak migration of animals coming through. We also have a lot of food sources for the animals to keep them here a little,” said Rabon.