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Whale Watching
Twenty-two species of whales swim virtually everywhere throughout the rich feeding waters along our coast, making Newfoundland and Labrador one of the most spectacular whale watching platforms in the world. The most numerous species are:
Humpback: (11-13 m long) The world's largest population of feeding Humpback whales is found here. Migrating from the Caribbean, they spend from April to October in Newfoundland waters.
Minke: (7-8 m long) The smallest baleen whale. Its uniquely narrow, triangular-shaped head is black, shading to white at the jaw.Pothead: (4.5-6 m long) Named for its thick pot-shaped head, these long-finned Pilots often travel in large groups and are generally black in colour except for a light shading under the head and on the belly.
Fin: (18-23 m long) The fin has a slender, elongated body with a tall, curved dorsal fin. Its lower jaw is light in colour on the right side and dark on the left.
Sperm: (10-15 m long) The largest of the toothed whales, the Sperm has a wrinkled body that is dark brown/grey in colour.
Blue: (21-28 m long) The largest mammal that has ever lived on earth! The Blue has a very broad "U" shaped head and long streamlined body with small flippers and dorsal fin.
Orca: (7-10 m long) Look for a robust, glossy black and white body, large paddle-shaped flippers and very tall dorsal fin.
Other species of whales commonly seen are the White-beaked and White-sided Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises. We also have millions of seals.
Iceberg ViewingIcebergs, or bergs as we like to call them, are calved from the massive glaciers of Greenland and the Arctic. Enticing and grand, they tell a mighty tale.
These mountains of fresh water may contain glacial ice more than 10,000 years old. What a history! It's the cold Labrador current that carries these ice castles of all sizes to our coastline. Most weigh, unbelievably, between one and two hundred thousand tonnes and some, more rarely, millions of tonnes. There are bergy bits the size of a car and smaller growlers that get their name from the sound they make as they plunge into swelling seas. As unique as the individual berg may be, so are the distinct blueish-green streaks that scatter throughout the pure, dazzling white ice. While you're looking, listen for the fizzing sounds of melting ice or the popping of air bubbles that release pure, clean air that is thousands of years old. Louder booming sounds indicate calving or cracking. Try to find caves, tunnels and waterline notches on the icebergs, or even a bird enjoying a leisurely, cool rest.
Hundreds of these spectacles of the frozen north carve a path down "Iceberg Alley" each year. The best viewing times are in the spring and early summer, yet their beauty and mystique make an impression that will last a lifetime.
