Wow. Five blogs on Newfoundland so far. Just one more to come after this and then we will move on. I promise. One of the things that was a must for me while out in Newfoundland was whale watching. I needed to do this at some point. So, come along as I share my Whale Watching tour with you all.
Picking the Tour
There are lots of places to do whale watching in Newfoundland, as long as you go during the whale watching season. For Newfoundland, the best time to see whales is July to mid-August, though the season is from the middle of May till September. There are so many tours to choose from, and each will offer a slightly different experience than the next. I, personally, only went on one while I was out there. However, we did meet a couple who had gone on a different tour and they said it was slightly different. I don’t think you can go wrong. The tour we chose was Iceberg Quest Tours, I’ll link them below.
We didn’t book before going to Newfoundland, so finding one that had availability was quite tricky at first. However, persistence paid off and we got a slot for our second week in Newfoundland. I could hardly wait.
The day of
So, the instructions told us to dress warmly. We grabbed sweaters, rain jackets, and switched out our sandals for socks and shoes. And before you ask, yes it was necessary. It gets quite cold out on the ocean. They also recommended a hat and gloves, neither of which I had with me, so I had to go without. I do recommend gloves. My hands were cold as I stood posed with my phone ready to take a picture of any whales I saw. We arrived an hour early to check-in and then had time to go walk around a bit before coming back for the safety talk. This took place 15 minutes before the start of the tour. After the captain greeted us and introduced the team, we boarded and picked our spots on the boat.
The tour begins
As everyone was boarding, there was a couple that was looking for a seat. Since I knew I wanted to walk around once we got going, I gave up my seat willingly. While we waited to get going most of us started up conversations with each other and took pictures. A couple asked if we could take a photo of them and in return they took one of us. Everyone was really friendly. Then the boat was leaving the dock. The captain started talking about the harbour, pointing out anything that we may want to take photos of. He also talked about the history of St. John’s. Once we left the shelter of the harbour, the water started to get a bit choppy and he made sure to remind us to hold onto something so we wouldn’t fall or get hurt. The crew moved about the boat, offering to take photos for people and sharing their knowledge as well. During the times when the captain wasn’t talking, we got to listen to some fun music that just fit with being out on the water.
Whale Watching
Once we got out to the ocean we soon found a flock of puffins. The captain told us about them and other seabirds and told us to keep an eye out for whales as they would be feeding in the area as well. Sure enough, the boat filled with gasps of delight as a whale surfaced in the distance, coming up for air before diving. The captain did his best to track where they would surface next and everyone excitedly snapped pictures each time. The whales we found were called the Fin Whales, the second largest whale. Unfortunately for us, these whales are not social and did their best to get away from us. You often see those pictures of whales leaping up and putting on a show, but we didn’t get that this time. I was slightly disappointed, but at the same time I was more than thrilled that I got to see the whales, and got some pictures.
Other sights
Other than the whales, we saw a seabird nesting area, pirate caves, and went along the coast for a while. You could see hikers out on the coastal trails, and different light houses as well. We even passed Cabot Tower, which makes sense because Signal Hill is at the entrance to the harbour. The captain and crew informed us of the history and treasures that had been found in the caves. There were some people who were hoping to go in the caves, but it was too dangerous, so we just snapped pictures of what we could. We saw a sail boat that was waiting to come into the harbour, and we tried to keep an eye out for eagles, but they were nowhere to be seen. I would have loved to see eagles, as they are my favourite bird, but I wasn’t too bummed about it. Everything was so beautiful and I wanted the tour to last forever.
The end of the tour
Alas, as like all things, the tour started to come to an end. One of the crew was moving about looking for everyone who signed up to get screeched in. For those who don’t know, this is a little ceremony they perform with tourists in many areas of Newfoundland to make them honorary Newfoundlanders. You listen to someone as they perform the ceremony and then the tourist takes a shot of screech (a local rum), and then you kiss a cod fish on the lips. Some places don’t use a fish but a toy puffin and you have to kiss its butt. Not sure why, but that’s what you do. Unfortunately for us, the one who did the ceremony was unable to be there due to an injury, so we were not able to do it. They did refund us for that portion. Again, a slight disappointment, but in the grand scheme of things, the tour was amazing and I don’t regret it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, whale watching was a fantastic experience and one that I plan to do again if ever given the chance. I would even like to go back and try some of the other whale watching tours. The sun even came out and chased away the fog that had been hovering around in the earlier hours of the day. It was the perfect day and I’m so glad that I got to do it. I highly recommend Iceberg Quest tours, right in the harbour of St. John’s. After the tour, walk over to George Street or Water Street and grab a drink at one of the pubs, and a bite to eat. Check out the many shops and get some souvenirs. Just make sure you pay for your parking if necessary so you don’t get a ticket. Again, I’ll link the tour site below and I’ll also remind you that all the pictures in the Newfoundland blog series were taken by me. Until the next time remember that anything can happen if you try.
https://icebergquest.com/experience-the-wonder/
