VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Two orcas gave a local charter boat a special sight on Sunday off the coast of Virginia Beach.
The orcas, also known as killer whales, were spotted by Playin’ Hookey Charters during a seabass fishing trip.
Bill Pappas with Playin’ Hookey says the boat followed parallel to one orca for about a mile before slowly getting closer. On the way back, they saw another orca headed east.
“Truly one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed on the water. Epic day on PHC, and we crushed the fish too,” Pappas wrote on Facebook.
While not common around our area, “orca are incredibly cosmopolitan” and can be found in all the world’s oceans, according to Matthew Klepeisz with the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach.
“Orca are not strangers to the mid-Atlantic and southern U.S. coast and the Gulf of Mexico and all of those waters are considered part of their primary range,” Klepeisz added.
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