Though barren for millennia, the Earth’s oceans recently enjoyed a population glut after a well-orchestrated SeaWorld jailbreak filled the waters with all manner of aquatic life and gift-shop sarongs. Catch a glimpse of the feral ocean-dwellers with today's Groupon from Chesapean Outdoors in Virginia Beach. Choose between the following options:
- For $27, you get a 2.5-hour guided kayak tour for one (a $55 value).
- For $99, you get a 2.5-hour guided kayak tour for four (a $220 value).
Chesapean Outdoors exposes nature lovers to the wilds of Chesapeake Bay with professionally guided tours that wend through the picturesque marine environs of the nation’s largest estuary. Tours feature sit-on-top kayaks that require no previous experience to maneuver, making even the lubbiest of landers a master of the waves. Tour-goers can choose between two options when making reservations: a dolphin-watching tour or a tour through First Landing State Park. On the 9 a.m. dolphin tour, kayakers paddle out to the mouth of the bay, smack into the middle of the bottlenose dolphin's annual migration. Dolphins congregate in the area to mate and raise young, turning the bay into a combination cetacean singles' bar and nursery, with the majestic beasts regularly jumping out of the water to impress dates or to remind their kids who's in charge. Dolphin sightings occur on about 90% of the tours. In addition to extreme bottlenose proximity, 'yakers can expect to see brown pelicans, ospreys, gulls, terns, and sandpipers flying overhead, and occasionally sea turtles and cow-nosed rays puttering about the deep.
Those who rightly fear that the dolphins' highly developed psychic capacities will allow them to divine even the deepest and darkest secrets of our human psyches can stay closer to the shore with the First Landing State Park tour. During the tour—usually in the early morning or late afternoon—paddle jockeys propel themselves through the maritime forest and wetlands that make up the park, feasting eyes hungry for avian fare on the herons, egrets, and kingfishers that populate the area. Halfway through the jaunt, boats are grounded and paddlers take a short hike to White Hill Lake to see the large numbers of osprey nests. At the end of the tour, mollusk maniacs can gaze upon the ancient oyster beds of the bay and learn about new efforts to reintroduce the delicious bivalve to the area.
Literally paying it forward, Chesapean and Groupon will donate $2 per Groupon sold towards the JT Walk, one of the largest ALS fundraisers in the country. Additional donations are welcomed.
Groupon Says
The Groupon Guide to: Taking Vacation Photos
Prolonged exposure to season-long serialized dramas has vastly reduced the space available to store our own memories. Free up more brain-space for your favorite shows by keeping your vacation memories where they belong—in photographs—using these handy vacation snapshot tips:
- Before photographing any tiny birds, make sure to scream at them to hold still.
- Make your photos "artsy" by turning the camera upside down.
- You can already see what's in front of you. Why not take a photo of your face to remember your reactions?
- For a timeless look, shoot all your home movies in Kodachrome, the only film solution that makes your children appear to be made of shiny metal.
- Don't bother photographing any famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower—there are plenty of pictures of those already.
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