winter whale watching on Ocracoke Island

At first I thought it was just a really big dolphin, but then it surfaced again and blew, and I knew I'd spotted a whale! We watched and oohed and ahhed for almost an hour, thrilled with each sighting. The dolphins were putting on a show as well, feeding at low tide a dozen yards from shore, and the sky was spectacularly blue and strewn with altostratus clouds, just for good measure.

Three minutes of internet research suggests we could have been seeing Sei whales, although I think the fin was more rounded. Note to self: put some binoculars in the beach vehicle.