Virginia Beach Encourages Visitors to Have Fun on Their Off-Hours

Virginia Beach is great for sports, but when the games are over, the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau wants planners to know that there is plenty to keep visitors occupied. The CVB, therefore, is beginning a promotional campaign for water sports in the area.

As the sandy beaches grow warmer, visitors can revive themselves in the refreshing waters that surround the Virginia Beach area. During the warmer months, the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, as well as a variety of other waterways, become a playground with a range of water activities for all ages and travelers. Visitors can swim, surf, boogie-board, windsurf, paddleboard, jet ski, parasail, dive, kayak, canoe, sail and boat the waters of Virginia Beach. Many local companies offer recreational equipment for rent while several outfitters offer surf and paddleboard lessons and camps for those wanting to learn to “hang 10” in a safe environment. For more information and images, visit www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com/pressroom.

Try Something New by Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP): Skim across the water by propelling yourself with only a paddle while standing on a large, floating board. SUP is a great way to explore all of the scenic waters of Virginia Beach. Rent a paddleboard to view the sunrise or sunset or experience an up-close encounter with dolphins. Surf & Adventure, Chesapean Outdoors, Beach Eco Tours and Tula Adventure Sports offer SUP lessons and classes that make this sport easy to learn. For a real challenge, try yoga on a paddleboard or a SUPer Fit Class at Tula Sports. Each class involves balance and strength in your core with push-ups, squats, sit-ups and yoga positions.

Take a Kayak Adventure And Explore the Great Outdoors: Scope out all of Virginia Beach’s exciting wildlife from the seat of a kayak. Enjoy the thrill of paddling alongside Atlantic bottlenose dolphins during their summer migration while catching glimpses of brown pelicans, ospreys and other sea birds. Also available are kayak tours in the calm waters of First Landing State Park, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park. Take a break mid-voyage to explore the parks or grab a bite to eat at either Blue Pete’s or Dockside where you can tie up your kayak. Rentals are available at Back Bay Getaways, Chesapean Outdoors, Surf & Adventure and Tula Sports.

Learn to Shred the Waves at Surf Lessons and Surf Camps: Geared for both kids and parents, surf lessons and camps guide participants through beach and weather education and safety, surfing etiquette, equipment knowledge and learning how to read the ocean’s tides, rip currents and swells. Outfitters offer individual instruction, 2-hour classes, one-day, 3-day and 5-day camps. For female thrill-seekers who prefer girls-only lessons, Surf & Adventure features 2-day Chica surf camps. And for a sneak peak at the pros, each August the world’s top professional surfers and an estimated 300 amateur surfers travel to Virginia Beach to “ride the curl” in North America’s oldest surfing contest, the East Coast Surfing Championships. This year marks the 51st anniversary of the competition and will be held August 15-25.

It’s Smooth Sailing with Pirate Ships, Wildlife Boat Tours, Rental Boats and Jet Skis: Take a Virginia Beach Pirate Ship Adventure for a fun-filled family cruise with pirate songs, entertainment and educational lessons on the water for the whole family. All the lads and lasses that are 21 years of age or more can take the Club 21+ Cruise for dancing, listening to music, sampling the libations or mingling during this 1.5 hour voyage. Cruise the Creek in a 50-passenger pontoon boat, the Rudee Explorer, provides a glimpse of one of Virginia Beach’s undeveloped salt marshes. Take a Dolphin Watching Boat Trip to observe bottlenose dolphins in their own natural habitat and learn about the Virginia Aquarium’s research. If interested in venturing out on your own, rent a boat or jet ski. Visitors can rent a boat hourly, half day and full day at Marina Shores Marina or rent a sport boat for an hour at Adventure Parasail. Jet ski rentals are available at Rudee Inlet through Adventure Parasail.

Grab Your Flippers and Go On a SCUBA Diving Excursion: Explore the ocean from a fish-eye perspective and get up close and personal with turtles, rays and a variety of fish. The most popular areas to dive are the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Chesapeake Light Tower and Triangle Wrecks, which is an artificial reef composed of four liberty ships. There are full and half day dive charters at LDC Adventure Outfitters, Virginia Beach Fishing Charters and Dive Quarters.

14 Miles of Waterfront Property to Splish and Splash: There are 14 miles of beach that are free and open to the public. In the Virginia Beach resort area, beautifully-landscaped pedestrian beach entrances are easy to find located at every numbered street along the boardwalk. If you seek a more relaxed day at the beach, visit Chesapeake Beach, also known as “Chick’s Beach,” for a more tranquil spot along the scenic Chesapeake Bay. Swimmers will enjoy the bay’s protected shallow waters. For a secluded environment, the Sandbridge area on Virginia Beach’s southern shore is quiet and just 20 minutes from the main resort area.

Virginia Beach entices visitors to “Live the Life” year-round. Located in the southeastern corner of the state in the Coastal Virginia region, Virginia Beach is four hours southeast of D.C. by car and within a day’s drive or less from two-thirds of the U.S. population. For visitor information, call 1-800-VA-BEACH (800/822-3224) or visit www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com for online trip planning. For media information and digital images, click on www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com/pressroom. Please follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vabeachcvb and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Virginia-Beach-Live-The-Life.