When I heard that the Bay of Fundy was one of the best places in the world to see whales, you know I immediately signed up for a boat tour! I decided on Quoddy Link Marine Whale & Wildlife Cruises based on all of the glowing reviews I read about them.
I booked an afternoon tour starting at 1:30 pm. When I went to check in, the staff told me that the morning tour was just with a whale! So, I went into the experience cautiously optimistic that I would get to see a whale for myself. There are approximately 12 species of whales that use the Bay of Fundy for breeding and feeding. At this time of year (July), minke whales are commonly spotted.
Our first wildlife sighting was a group of harbour seals! I was particularly excited to see a seal in a banana pose, as I had never seen that before. The seals were really adorable to watch as they were lounging around, including one that was lying on their back in the water.
The next wildlife spotting was a juvenile bald eagle, perched on an island. I learned that bald eagles don’t get their white heads until year 5.
We cruised outwards, and that’s when we got our first sighting of cetaceans. We saw a pod of porpoises! There is only one species of porpoise in the Bay of Fundy, which is the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). They were entertaining to watch as they travelled throughout the water. It was around this time that someone had spotted a minke whale! I didn’t get a chance to see them as I was looking out a different window…
My first whale sighting on this cruise was a fin whale! I didn’t know that fin whales are the second largest in the world, only second to the blue whale. They can also grow up to 27 meters long, which is approximately the length of two yellow school buses. That’s a whole lot of whale!
The absolute highlight of the afternoon was seeing a humpback whale!!! I couldn’t believe it. It was the first humpback whale spotted this season, so we spent quite a long time with them. We were lucky enough to watch this whale fluke a few times, where they raise their fluke (tail) out of the water before diving.
Thank you, biologists Danielle and Claire, for the amazing enthusiasm and educational information, and thank you, Captain Mat, for getting us out to the whales safely and back.
If you ever find yourself in New Brunswick, I highly recommend taking a trip out to Saint Andrews for a whale watching tour. It’s an absolutely unforgettable experience.
Christine Song 