Day 25 - Whale watching

Thu, 08/16/18

We'll be getting up a bit earlier today as we're heading out on the boat this morning to see the whales in the Saguenay River and St. Lawrence River. A bus will pick us up and take us to the harbor. Many people will board the large tourist ship with us, which will be on the water for about 3 hours.

Fortunately, we're dressed warmly today because the wind and the 4-degree cold water (!) from the North Pole make it a chilly experience. Interestingly, the Saguenay River is filled with seawater from the Atlantic below, while freshwater from the North Pole flows on the surface and mixes very slowly.

The river delta around Tadoussac is one of the best whale-watching spots in the world. Numerous whale species (Beluga, Fin, Minke, Blue, and Humpback whales) can be observed. And indeed, after just a few minutes, we can already see numerous white belugas in the distance. There are whales surfacing everywhere in the surprisingly quiet waters. Some close, some further away. Thanks to our guide, we also receive a lot of information and, except for the huge blue whale, see all the aforementioned species in the wild. Coolio.

Right on time, we're back at our dock shortly after noon, and after taking numerous pictures and impressions, we leave the boat. Of course, we're a bit cold, so it's quickly back to our room :)

We spend some time philosophizing about whales, their presence here, and the whale sightings. Finally, we head to the village one last time for dinner with positive impressions.

But we still want to see for ourselves if the water is as cold as they say. At the harbor beach, we dip our fingers into the water. It's really... cold! The whales probably like it that way. On the other hand, professional fishing is prohibited, so there is plenty of food for them and the whales like to come here.

We head back to our accommodation and enjoy the atmosphere at our warm little lake behind the hotel.