Man meets manatee in Virginia Beach

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - A Virginia Beach man befriended a "sea cow" Friday at Rudee Inlet, long enough to nickname the manatee 'Gus.'

York Fee, 30, lives on the sea and says he has never seen a manatee.

"It's one of the coolest things I've ever seen," Fee said. "I've been calling him 'Gus.' I was sitting there and talking to him."

Early Friday morning, Fee was doing work on his boat when something came up the side, making noises and flapping in the water.

"I was spraying him down for ten minutes or so [with a hose], and then realized I needed to grab my phone for some evidence of this," Fee said.

The evidence recorded with pictures shows a full-grown manatee in Rudee Inlet.

"At the time I didn't know it was a manatee," Fee said. "It was looking up at me, and I thought I had some bad tacos last night."

'Gus' hung around 20 minutes, and Fee said he did not want to leave.

"He kept showing his belly, and kept rolling around as I kept spraying him off," Fee said. "He liked it and was flapping his flippers."

Maggie Lynott with the Virginia Aquarium's Marine Animal Care Center said manatees are not unusual in Virginia Beach especially in warmer months. They come here to eat the vegetation.

"People will offer fresh water hoses or even greens, and it is something we would like people not to do because it keeps them around in high boat areas," Lynott said.

Lynott says manatees are often identified by the propeller cuts on the back and belly.

If you see Gus or any other manatee, call the Stranding Response Team at 757-385-7575.