Like an unexpected gift, the sighting of dolphins along the Outer Banks delights and amuses many summer visitors. Many people view these chance encounters as a treasured highlight to a relaxing vacation and will happily spend hours observing the dolphins' antics. What few people realize is that they are likely viewing the same group of dolphins, day after day and summer after summer. Some bottlenose dolphins will spend their summers in the waters of the Outer Banks and then migrate south for the winter only to return again in the early summer the next year. This early migration has led some people to call them the "Retirees of the Sea."

A dolphin sighting from Jennettes Pier

Besides viewing the dolphins at a distance from the beach you might have a chance encounter with a dolphin while kayaking or sailing. The most certain way to get "up close and personal" with a dolphin is to take a ride on one of the popular Dolphin Watch boat trips. While no guarantees can be offered on these trips, they usually have a better than 90% chance of encountering dolphins.

One benefit of a Dolphin Watch trip is to be able to get really close to the dolphins, since they usually swim right near the boat. If you look closely you might even be able to see that the dolphins' fins (which appear smooth at a distance) are actually covered with nicks and scratches. It is these marks that dolphin researchers have used to identify over 300 dolphins in the Outer Banks. The most famous of these is Onion, perhaps the easiest dolphin to identify on the entire East Coast. Onion and his family spend their summers in the Nags Head area, and their winters off of Beaufort, N.C.

Dolphins were first documented to inhabit our sound and ocean waters by the original English explorers, prior to the founding of the Lost Colony. These explorers found that native tribes were well acquainted with the dolphins and even hunted them for food. Since Onion's group is known to have inhabited these waters for well over a decade, it is even possible that his ancestors have been living in these waters for several centuries. They might even be our oldest Local Family.

But are they dolphins or porpoises? Many people believe that the two terms are interchangeable, when in fact they are vastly different species. The main way to distinguish between them is simple: porpoises have a blunt, whale-like head while dolphins do not.

A dolphin in the sound

Dolphins perceive the world in ways that are well beyond the scope of our own senses. Whereas we rely mainly on sight and hearing and retain the senses of touch, taste and smell, they have had to adapt in different ways to suit their aquatic environment. While sight, touch and taste are important, their primary source of information is hearing-which they have developed to an extraordinary degree. Sound travels through the water nearly 5 times faster than through air and can be heard over much longer distances below the surface. They have highly developed hearing abilities, and a large portion of their brains are devoted to the analysis of sounds.

The coastal bottlenose dolphins that frequent our sound and ocean waters return to Oregon Inlet, Roanoke, and Croatan sounds every year as soon as the waters warm and the fish they feed on are in abundance. Dolphins are social animals, and they spend their entire lives in the company of other dolphins. The pods of 3 or 4 (and up to 40) dolphins will range in age from newborns to fifty years old, and physically mature adults range in size from just under 6 feet to nearly 12 feet, and weigh from 330 lbs. to 1430 lbs. The bottlenose dolphin shows a more striking range in size between individuals than any dolphin species.

Living together in the protective sound waters improves their chances of finding and catching food, increases the likelihood of spotting and avoiding predators such as sharks, makes it easier to encounter a suitable mate, provides a source of willing and available babysitters to look after the calves, and increases the learning potential of youngsters. Often these pods will band together to succeed in foraging for food, encircling groups of tiny fish and corralling them against the surface of the water which acts as an impenetrable barrier (the fish can often be seen jumping frantically into the air in a desperate bid to escape) and taking turns diving into the tightly packed shoal to feed on the fish. In some cases, the dolphins may stun the fish with exceptionally powerful echolocation clicks with their tail flukes.

A close encounter with a dolphin in the wild is a thrilling and memorable experience. Who could remain untouched by the amazing agility of a bottlenose dolphin as it leaps into the air beside a boat, or as it exhales a breath of air causing a cloud of spray to shoot 10 feet into the air before disappearing under the surface again, or a young calf breathing out of the water in stride with its mother, never missing a beat? These are the kinds of experiences that stay with people for the rest of their lives.

 

Jimmy's Seafood Buffet

Jimmy's Seafood Buffet

Home of the Crab Leg & Lobster Buffet for 25! years! Jimmy’s Seafood Buffet is a great stop for an all you can eat affordable dinner extravaganza. The buffet offers over 100 different items. It even serves Jumbo Alaskan crab legs and Jumbo steamed shrimp, something you will not find on any other buffet in the OBX. The buffet offers a variety of seafood and non seafood options. Try some of Jimmy’s seafood options and load your plate with blackened tuna, Louisiana crawfish, steamed scallops and mussels, fried oysters and deviled crabs. Not in the mood for seafood? Fill your plate with steak, pineapple glazed ham, fried chicken, BBQ ribs, and fettuccini Alfredo to name a few. The buffet also offers a kid section. Let your kids load their plates with chicken tenders, mac and cheese, and corn dog nuggets. Don’t forget dessert! The buffet also offers soft serve ice cream and a plethora of baked goods. 

 

It’s been 25 years since Jimmy’s Seafood Buffet opened its doors for the first time. Since that inaugural summer, the goal has remained the same: provide customers with a tasty, fresh array of seafood full of Caribbean flavor.

 

Elizabeth Dowless and her husband Jerry had always worked in restaurants in the Outer Banks, so when the opportunity to open Jimmy’s Seafood Buffet with a couple of friends arose, it was an easy yes. The Dowlesses bought out the business in 2003, excited to turn Jimmy’s into an Outer Banks staple. When Jerry passed away later that year, Dowless knew she wanted to continue pursuing their dream on her own.

 

Dowless went all in on the concept of a fresh, flavorful seafood buffet and her hard work paid off. Jimmy’s Seafood Buffet is a beloved fixture of Outer Banks dining, with customers returning year after year for the fresh fare.

 

“Customers keep in contact with me throughout the winter. I get people every day asking me when we’re opening for the season, and customers book their vacations around our opening,” Dowless says. “I absolutely love getting to see familiar faces come back to see us each year. I love seeing them lose their minds over the buffet! Their excitement is what I love most about my job.”

Buxton Woods

Buxton Woods

Perhaps the reason that this area of maritime forest goes unnoticed, (an area which in fact comprises the majority of Frisco Village), is simply because the oceanfront beaches just yards away are too alluring to ignore, and garner the lion's share of vacationers' interest. This is understandable, as when most folks think of an Outer Banks vacation, they envision miles of unspoiled beaches, refreshing ocean waves, and plenty of room to spread out a beach blanket, and Frisco's beaches have all of these attributes in spades.

Sound Feet Shoes

Sound Feet Shoes

Sound Feet Shoes is family owned and operated. Sound Feet has been in the retail shoe business for over 70 years, opening their first store in 1953. They provide the best customer service and are the only Outer Banks’ area full service shoe store since 1987. Now, the family owned business boasts eight stores in the region, including two outlets. Their shoe specialists can help you find the right fit and comfort for your family’s needs.

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