Les Baleines Du Saint-Laurent

“Il faut aller voir” (We must go and see).

The motto of Jacques Cousteau’s famous exploration ship Calypso.

Hector and I both learned to love marine life by watching Jacques Cousteau documentaries when we were kids.  And we think that whales are one of the most interesting animals found in the oceans.  That’s why we visited the St. Lawrence River.

So why are there so many whales in this area?  The waters of the Saguenay River, the St. Lawrence River and the deep Laurentian Trench (which funnels cold, saline ocean water westward) converge at the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord and are violently forced upwards by the abrupt end of the trench.  This is called upwelling, and brings the nutrient-rich waters from the deep up to the surface, triggering an explosion of life forms that are the base of the food chain.  A total of 13 species of whales may be found here at different times of the year.

This area has been protected and designated the Saguenay – St Lawrence Marine Park,  The park encompasses the area near where the Saguenay fjord enters the St Lawrence River.

In fact, the road east of Tadoussac is called the Route des Baleines – the Whale Route.  The route stretches for 560 miles along the remote north shore of the Flueve St-Laurent and over many rocky headllands that whales sometimes swim by.  So the road has many overlooks where people can whale watch from the shore.  

Our campground was east of Tadoussac in the town of Les Bergeronnes.  We had read that this area, the Lower Estuary of the Saguenay National Marine Park, was especially productive for whale watching.   And a couple that was tent camping by the river at our campground spotted whales from their camp one morning.

But both of us also enjoy being out on the water and were very excited about going out in a zodiac again.  As Jacques Cousteau once said, “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever”.

We also knew we wanted to go out in a small boat because the larger whale watching boats, including one that accomodates 600 passengers, just don’t provide the same close up experience.

After interviewing a couple of our top choices, we chose the Croisières-Neptune whale watching company because we got a good vibe from the staff and also because they had both open and covered boats.  Since the weather was iffy and pretty cool, that was a good option to have.

We also knew we wanted to go out twice, so Hector negotiated a special rate right off the bat.  We went out in the covered boat the first morning, a rather chilly morning.

Fin Whale

After being out a while, we got a brief look at a Fin Whale, the second largest animal on the planet, so that was pretty exciting as well as a first for us.

Fin whales have an asymmetrical color scheme, one side of their face is black, the other gray.  They are also the fastest of all whales.

Fin Whale /Rorqual Comun

There is an interesting system of communication about whale sightings to all the captains of whale watching boats.  That’s how our captain heard about a Humpback Whale sighting and then headed over to where the Humpback Whales had been spotted.

Even though Humpback Whales aren’t endangered, there is still a restriction on how close boats can get to them, and to any whale – about 100 yards.  But, if your boat is stopped and the whales change course and come to you, that is acceptable.

Rorqual Bosse in French

Humpbacks also put on quite a show as they almost always show their tail flukes when they dive.

We were fortunate to get a pretty close look at the Humpbacks, but not as close as a zodiac directly in front of us, who got to see the fluke up close and personal as one of the Humpbacks dove right in front of it.

The weather was supposed to get colder and rainy, so we’d planned to return the next morning, but when we ended our initial cruise it actually looked pretty nice, so we got suited up in our thermal safety suits and turned right around and went out in the open Zodiac.

And it’s a good thing we went back out just then, because on that tour we spotted a Blue Whale, the largest animal ever in the history of the planet.  The Blue Whale is an endangered species; the North Atlantic population only numbers 250 to 300 individuals of reproductive age and a few calves.  Ten or so individuals visit the St. Lawrence Estuary, and they leave between September and October.

Blue whales in the Northern Hemisphere grow to about 98 feet and reach a maximum weight of about 200 tons (!!!).  Because it’s an endangered species, boats have the same restrictions as for the Beluga Whales, they must not get closer than 400 yards.

But we could tell this was a massive animal.  We got a good look (through binoculars and long lens) at the blowholes at the front, then a long look at it’s back as it cruised along, and finally the dorsal fin (tiny on Blue Whales) near the tail.  We knew we were really fortunate to see one but didn’t realize until later just how lucky.

Blue whale head and blowhole.  The blow can be 30 feet high!

Blowhole with “splashguard”

Blue whale back

More back of the “Rorqual Blue”

yet more back … wait for it …

Near the back of the whale

Blue whale dorsal fin.  AMAZING!

This was an outstanding whale watching day.  You could look out in the distance and see multiple blows, some of which you could hear as well.  Whales were everywhere.

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The pectoral fin of the Humpback is the longest appendage in the animal kingdom

There were also a few rain showers in the area.  We got caught in one towards the end of our outing and things got a bit interesting for a few minutes.

Well, after all that excitement we decided to go out again in a couple of days.  We enjoyed the open boat more and with the thermal suits and some layers underneath we stayed pretty warm.  Also, the smaller boat was much quieter with a four stroke outboard so you can really hear the whale’s blow even at quite a distance.

So Hector once again negotiated a nice rate for us, and we returned.  The weather was beautiful.  That morning we saw two Humpback Whales, one of which swam right alongside of us.  We got a really close look at the head, the blowholes (two of them … like nostrils),  like a prehistoric monster coming towards us.  Unbelievable.

We also spotted a Minke Whale.

Minke Whale / Petit Rorqual

And when we returned after that tour we decided to go out again.  By now the tour operator was pretty amused at our high appetite for whale watching.

Like Hector said “I just don’t get tired of seeing them”.  Whales are so majestic and mysterious and there is still so much we don’t understand about them, I don’t get tired of them either.  So we turned right around and went back out.

On the way out, we spotted some Beluga Whales, so bright white!

We also saw another humpback lazily feeding and followed her around a while.  While watching the Humpback, we spotted some Harbor Porpoises, which are also Cetaceans and included in the 13 species of whales that visit this area.

Well, we’d spotted six different species of whales at this point and were pretty happy.  But the whale watching operator offered us an extra special repeat customer discount to go out a fifth time.  We didn’t commit.  But the next day, we headed over there to check out the conditions.  It was foggy and pretty cold, and the captain said he wasn’t going to go out.

But there was a couple there who only had one chance to see whales, and they asked them to please take them out, they were willing to take a chance on not seeing anything.   So, what the heck, we went as well.

Visibility was terrible but we got a radio notification of a Humpback Whale and headed over there.  The sea had gotten a bit angry, and there were some pretty high swells, but just over the swells, we saw her (I call them all her).  She was not spending a lot of time on top, but diving quite a bit.  And every time they dive, you lose them.  Many times they change direction or travel much further out.

Great view of the blowhole

But this one was sticking around and she came up right behind our boat.  Awesome.  The sound of the “blow” when it comes up right next to the boat is startlingly loud!  Seeing her so close was amazing.  For a foggy day, this was an excellent sighting.

M. La Rouche and Julie

This was our last day, and the weather really wasn’t very nice, so we decided to cap the whale watching at five times :-).  But we had tons of fun with the staff at  Croisières-Neptune.  They were really nice people but they probably thought we were crazy Americans.  As it turns out, five outings by one customer was a record for them.  Crazy Americans indeed!

That afternoon we visited CIMM, the Centre di’Interpretation des Mammiferes Marins.  It’s a wonderfully educational museum, fairly compact, but packed with information.  The museum is an arm of GREMM, a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific research on the marine mammals of the St. Lawrence and education for the conservation of the marine environment.

There are a number of naturalists on site, and they are extremely informative.  The center keeps tabs on the whale population, as they are the central point of communication for whale sightings and in turn communicate them to others.

They’ve individually identified a number of the whales through markings on their flukes, their dorsal fins and their backs.  So we learned the names of two of the Humpbacks we saw.  You know you’ve been out whale watching a lot when you start knowing the whales by name :-).

Siam

Siam is a beautiful lady who has a tail that looks like the eyes of a Siamese cat.

Tic Tac Toe

And Tic Tac Toe has criss cross scars and lines on his tail.  We saw each of these beautiful animals more than once while we were out on the St Lawrence River estuary.

So the captains communicate which specific whales they’ve seen, and that helps CIMM keep tabs on (more or less) what the current population of whales is.  Pretty impressive.

And one of the last things we learned was that there had been confirmed sightings of only two blue whales that week.  Two blue whales in the river and we saw one of them!  The naturalist kept telling us that we hit the jackpot.  So now we knew just how lucky we were!

Will we return and go whale watching again?  I sure hope so.  The Grand Fleuve was just that … grand!

~ Brenda

“We protect what we love”. Jacques Yves Cousteau

The Fjord of the White Whales

I love fjords!  And I have been fortunate to see some in Alaska and Norway, and now have an opportunity to see the largest one in Quebec, the Saguenay Fjord.  It’s one of only 38 of the 2,130 fjords around the world that is at least 60 miles long.  Most of the fjord is protected as part of the National Parc National du Fjord-du-Saguenay.

This awesome place was formed during the fourth and last ice age, which ended about 10,000 years ago.   The sheer weight of ice sheets covering the region sculpted the land and chiseled a U shaped valley.

Hector and I opted for a six-hour boat tour out of Tadoussac, a beautiful village located at the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord and the St. Lawrence Estuary.  Tadoussac is a member of the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec and is one of two representatives of Canada in the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club (there are 100). 

The Most Beautiful Bays in the World are selected not just for their natural beauty but also for their commitment to respecting the way of life and traditions of those that inhabit the area, their commitment to sustainability and to protecting their habitat, and their potential for economic development.

Tadoussac is also the gateway to the Côte-Nord and is located at the heart of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park.  The Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park was created to protect the environment, wildlife, and natural resources that are a part of the Saguenay Fjord and the St. Lawrence River Estuary.

We boarded our tour boat in Tadoussac in the morning of a day whose weather was predicted to be sunny and windy.  Of course, that morning the weather was cloudy and calm 🙂 but just fine for a boat outing.  

The boat was at about ¼ capacity so there was lots of room to spread out.  Of course most of us inhabited the open part of the boat to experience the fjord in all of its refreshing glory.

The confluence of the Saguenay and the St. Lawrence creates a very nutrient rich environment which attracts a large variety of marine mammals.  One of the areas that we sailed through is known for attracting Beluga Whales.  This is the southernmost point in the world where Beluga Whales congregate, as they are typically only found in the Arctic and Subarcttic zones

So we were extremely fortunate to see quite a few “little” belugas swimming around in the fjord. At 13-16 feet long and 1,300-1,500 pounds they’re not really little, but they are in comparison to some of the other whales in the area.

Since the Belugas are a threatened species, boats are not allowed to get closer than 400 yards from them.  This meant we saw only the top of their bright white heads and backs  as they swam along the water.

But it was still a thrill to see them.

If only we could see them up close like this! But this downloaded pic shows how cute they are.

These adorable white whales are a threatened species as their population was decimated by commercial whaling. Although whaling has been banned in most countries, their recovery has been slowed by pollution, disturbance by humans, habitat degradation and occasional entanglement in fishing gear.

Cruising through the fjord, we learned some amazing facts about its size and depth.  It’s 65 miles long and its width varies between just over ½ and 2½ miles wide.   The Saguenay Fjord has an average depth of 690 feet, with the deepest point at 890 feet.

There is a statue called Notre Dame du Saguenay perched high at the top of one of the cliffs.  The statue, sculpted in 1881,  is 30 feet high and commemorates the survival of a traveling salesman who fell into the frozen waters of Lac St Jean, prayed to the Virgin Mary to save him and washed up miraculously on ice.

The cliffs along the fjord have an average height of 490 feet, with the highest one at 1,150 feet. The fjord is at once a sea and a river, as cold salt water from the St. Lawrence estuary runs under warmer fresh water from its tributaries and Lake St. Jean.

Just a stunning place.  As we continued on our cruise, we made a stop at L’Anse St. Jean, located in a beautiful valley on the shores of a natural bay.  After visiting a couple of shops which had very high quality local art, we decided to stop, have a leisurely lunch and enjoy the view.  A little café by the dock served food typical of the Brittany area of France – simple crepes with delicious fillings – fabulous.

The day had finally caught up to the weather report as the sun came out and it became very windy.  But it was still a lovely cruise back to Tadoussac.

It was a perfect day on the water amongst the striking cliff walls of the Saguenay Fjord, watching the little white flashes that were the Belugas.   I couldn’t have wished for more.

~ Brenda

Angel Goes Whale Watching

We found a whale watching tour that allows dogs!  Oshan Whale Watch did have a stipulation that if any of the passengers objected to having a dog on board, we would not be able to bring Angel.  But we decided to take a chance.

Bay St Lawrence

Oshan Whale Watch goes out of  Bay St. Lawrence, at the most northern coastline at the top of Cape Breton Island.  We left at 7a.m. for our 10:30 boat tour so we’d have a little time to stop and gawk and take a few photos.

This was our first drive on the Cabot Trail, and the first time we entered the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  VERY scenic.

And, yes, we were able to take Angel on board, and although a few people looked surprised, everyone seemed ok with having her there.  Angel was a little disoriented at first, but she settled right in.  Keeshonds were companion dogs on Dutch barges, so I think she still has boating in her blood.

It was a relatively clear but cool and windy day and Captain Cyril Fraser informed us that because of the strong winds, he was going to skim the coastline rather than heading straight out.    We headed out as some snow crab fishermen were returning to the dock with their catch, giant snow crab, WOW!

Shortly after the start of our tour we spotted an eagle perched on the rock face of the imposing cliffs, some gray seals and quite a few birds including beautiful Northern Gannets.  Gannets dive for their food and they put on quite a show.

The most prevalent whales here are pilot whales, humpback whales are not spotted too often in these parts this time of year, so we adjusted our expectations accordingly.  It was taking a while to spot any whales and then we found the pilot whales.

Pilot whales travel in pods so we saw quite a few.  They are known to be very friendly and curious, and, true to form, they swam right up to the boat.  Seeing their fins above the water, they almost look like giant dolphins until you see their cute bulbous heads.

Pretty cool!

The captain put out a hydrophone and we heard the whales singing, very cool.  Then they swam off and we followed them for one more look.  Angel was a little short to see over most of the side of the boat, so I don’t believe she saw them, but her little nose was going crazy, so I think she smelled them.

Off the north end of Nova Scotia … latitude 47

The whales swam off a second time and Captain Fraser said he was going to give them a break and not go after them again.   Hector and I were excited to have seen a third type of whale in the wild while on our tour of the Maritimes.

At one point Angel decided she would assist the captain and sat right behind him.  Before I could warn him, he stepped back and stepped on her.  And instead of getting upset, he was very apologetic and petted her to soothe her.   So sweet.

Pilot Whale exhibit

After the tour, we headed back to the Cabot Trail.  On the way we stopped to have our packed lunch at Cabot’s Landing Provincial Park, a picnic and beach park.  This park also features a National Historic Site marker and a plaque commemorating the landfall of John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto).  The first to discover continental North America in 1497 (Columbus landed in the Caribbean).  

Giovanni Caboto was Italian, but sailed for King Henry VII.  According to the plaque, “His landfall…, was in this vicinity, and is believed to have been the lofty headland of North Cape Breton”.  Apparently, there are other places that claim he landed there first, including Newfoundland.

The most specific area for his landfall that is proven beyond a doubt is somewhere between Maine and Labrador.  But the people at Cape Breton claim this as the spot where he made landfall.  And who are we to question?

It was a very long day and drive and Angel had a nice nap on the way back home.  She is such a good girl and a real trooper.

Oshan Whale Watch is a very simple outfit.  They don’t have wildlife experts on board and they don’t narrate much on the tour but they will answer any questions that you have.

Oshan is the Gaelic clan moniker for the Fraser family and the name of their boat and business.  It’s a small family operation with some very nice folks.  Captain Fraser has 30 years experience as a captain most recently as a lobster fisherman.  In fact the boat is a working lobster boat during the season.

This whale watch company offers something we hadn’t seen before (besides allowing dogs on board);  if you go out on their tour, you can stand by for a second whale watch tour at no charge.  Of course, most tourists are not around long enough to take advantage of that, but we were 🙂

Let’s go!

So the following week we decided to take the afternoon boat tour in order to get a different perspective with the afternoon light.  And out we headed mid-day with Angel for the 4:30 tour.  Well, this time it was a bright, warm, clear, sunny day with almost no wind.  Perfect day for boating, whales or no whales.

And the folks at Oshan were once again SO nice, they’d even taken our names down that morning when we called even though we were on standby.  And here we were taking a free cruise with a dog!

And when Captain Fraser saw Angel, he said to her “I’ll try not to step on you again”.   Obviously a dog lover.  And again some passengers looked surprised, but no one objected.  So Angel set off for her second whale watching tour.  And the first mate, the Captain’s daughter, gave her lots of pets along the way.

The water was still and crystal clear.  And, not long after we cast off, we found the pilot whales once again.  This seemed like a larger pod and they came even closer to the boat.  There was even a cute baby calf in the group!

Cute!!  Looks just like mama.

What’s that smell??

I’d positioned Angel on a low side of the boat so her head was just above the gunwale, but I’m not sure if she saw them, and, if she did, she didn’t react much to them.  But her little nose was going once again.

We went after the whales once and then the captain said he would not chase them again, just like the last time.  Clearly he respects these lovely creatures.

And on this cruise, since it was such a calm day we headed straight out to sea and around the northernmost tip of Nova Scotia, Cape North.  Which was really cool, since we’d also visited the other end of Nova Scotia, Brier Island, last month.

There were lots of gray seals popping their heads out of the water all around us.  I love these seals with their long noses, and because they’re so curious.

Then, as we rounded the point, we spotted a flying eagle and another eagle sitting in its nest.  Captain Fraser brought us a bit closer to the shore, but there were some submerged rocks in the area and he couldn’t get too close.  Everyone still got a good look at the eagle, you could even see his white head up in the tree with the naked eye.

The captain then took us around some beautiful rock formations and arches.  It was quite a scene with the crystal clear water.

As a last activity, Captain Fraser gave his passengers an opportunity to try and fish with a line.  He dropped a line with some lures in the water, then each person got to pull it in and lo and behold! each person almost instantly caught three mackerel.  Cute.

Then Captain Fraser cleaned the fish in the back of the boat and offered mackerel to anyone who wanted it.  Really a very entertaining tour and a totally different experience from our first outing.

And Angel agrees with us that our first tour was lots of fun, but this one was truly perfect.

~ Brenda