Imagine yourself cruising along over glassy waters aboard a 24 foot skiff, the sun is beginning to nestle into the horizon, and bottlenose dolphins breach and play just off the bow. The sky is filled with the brilliant colors of a summer’s eve, the sweet smell of the open water hangs in the air, and you have never seen your children so transfixed and mesmerized as they are right now by what they behold. This is a true Outer Banks moment that every family has to experience. This is how memories are made.
The bottlenose dolphin of the Outer Banks are one of the most spectacular wildlife viewing experiences that the area has to offer. It is estimated that there may be as many as 500 of these marine mammals that make their home here in our estuaries during the summer and Outer Banks Expeditions is pleased to offer your family the opportunity to experience these most graceful and mysterious creatures first hand. Arguably one of the most intelligent creatures on Earth, you will learn all about what makes the bottlenose dolphin top dog in coastal North Carolina. From echo location to observing the intricate social dynamics of dolphins, your family will never look at this mammals the same way again.
This trip starts out navigating the tidal creeks of the salt marsh in search of wildlife. From there we take off across the open water to a labyrinth of islands. At the islands we will check out one the primary brown pelican rookeries in the region where hundreds of these once almost extinct birds raise their young and continue the circle of life. But pelicans and dolphins are not all that we will experience. Both wildlife and history abound on this trip, as does the complimentary bottle of wine for our guests while on the water. Ospreys will surely make their way into your experience be it both while they are fishing and also when we stop in to check on the progress of their nests. We have even seen loggerhead and green sea turtles basking at the waters surface just next to the boat.
Outer Banks Expedition’s dolphin cruise is unlike any of the other dolphin watch trips on the Outer Banks. Instead of 20 plus people aboard, we want to offer you and your family a personalized and intimate experience on the water. We limit our participants to 6 per trip which allows us to provide you with a richer experience.