Whale Watching Worldwide

Cetacean watching in Virginia is based in Virginia Beach, where a local aquarium runs whale watching trips
from January to mid March and dolphin watching from mid April to mid October. Trips run for two to three
hours. Emphasis is placed on the educational content of these trips, with naturalist guides going on each
cruise. Other operators run general cruises and fishing tours from Virginia Beach that include opportunistic
dolphin watching.
North Carolina to Georgia:
Cetacean watching from North Carolina to Georgia is characterised by small operators running short, boat‐
based dolphin watching trips. Most operators in the region are small, one boat businesses. Many boats
have a capacity of fewer than ten passengers, although there are some larger operators particularly in North
Carolina and Hilton Head, South Carolina. The abundance of small operations is possible due to the
sheltered waters, resident dolphin populations and proximity to tourist areas.
While one North Carolina operator advertises seasonal whale watching opportunities offshore, nearly all of
this area’s dolphin watching takes place in sheltered waters, either inside the Outer Banks of North Carolina
or in the estuarine waterways of South Carolina and Georgia. Trips are short, at around two hours, cost $20‐
$30, and often guarantee dolphin sightings. Level of dedication to dolphin watching varies with operators
and within the region. North Carolina operators often feature wild horse watching on the Outer Banks,
while options to catch fish, watch birds and see alligators are common throughout the region.
A considerable amount of informal land‐based dolphin watching occurs from Cape Hatteras National
Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore and Cape Fear Coast CVB in North Carolina, while in Georgia,
Cumberland Island National Seashore also has significant, but informal land‐based dolphin watching. The
most popular of these, Cape Hatteras, receives around 2 million visitors per year. Although dolphin sightings
are common, most visitors are not dedicated dolphin watchers, and are there to surf, windsurf or enjoy the
coastline generally.
Main species:
Large cetaceans:
humpback whale, fin whale,
North Atlantic right whale
Small cetaceans:
bottlenose dolphin
Tourists:
International 5%
Domestic 95%
Types of tours: Dolphin watching often from smaller craft.
Watching of larger, pelagic cetaceans on larger
vessels offered seasonally in New Jersey,
Delaware and Virginia
Average adult ticket price: $35 (whale watching),
$29 (dolphin watching)
Estimated employment
375
numbers:
Main whale watch season: Whales: mainly March to September.
Dolphins: year‐round.
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Julia Clark, Keith Rittmaster at Cape Lookout Studies Program and all the operators who
participated in our research.
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