THAR SHE BLOWS! (We hope.)
Day 95 – We are going whale watching today, YAAA! It was 56 degrees & sunny at 6:20 a.m.
Looks like a perfect day for whale watching. We go out from Campobello Island’s Head Harbor & we always do see something, but when we were talking to Michael at our land, he said they went out earlier this summer & it was the best whale watching trip they’ve ever had. When I called to make the reservations, she said they’ve had a fantastic season thus far with lots of Humpback Whales. Can’t forget the passports; we’re going to Canada!
The whale watch trip was supposed to start at 1:30 p.m. (Atlantic Time, which is one hour later than Eastern Standard Time) & last for 2 ½ hours. Passengers were told to be there at 1:00. We had lunch before we left, & drove to Lubec where we stopped to throw out our recycleable trash. Then we got on the bridge that crosses from Lubec, Maine to Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada. We got through customs without a problem. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, with no clouds.
The tour goes out of Head Harbor, a lovely fishing harbor. It is offered by Island Cruises on the “Mister Matthew”, a small, but sturdy boat. We have been on whalewatching trips on large boats that hold a hundred people, and small boats that only hold a few people. We prefer the smaller boats. (Once we went out of Digby, Nova Scotia on a Zodiac Inflatable Boat where the passengers all wore large, puffy survival suits.) Anyway, the captain & owner of the “Mister Matthew” is Mackie, and he is a certified & respected member of the Eastern Canada Whale Rescue Team. They are called out of Head Harbor when a whale is in trouble, usually from getting caught in fishing nets. They go out on a Zodiac boat and cut the whales loose by hand! Mackie is a great guide & really knows the area & the marine life.
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
We left on time; there were 16 people and 1 dog on board, counting Mackie. It was warm & clear out. Mackie said that he’d been out earlier & there were two Humpbacks spotted off the eastern side of Campobello Island, but a fog bank was coming in & the water was a bit rough out there. We sure saw no signs of that in the protected inner harbor. We’ve usually gone out of Head Harbor & done the whale watch trip in the more protected waters of the Passamaquoddy Bay, and we’ve always seen Minke & Finback Whales. Mackie said that normally they only have a few Humpbacks each season, but this year there have been many. There’s been an abundance of food for the whales, herring in particular; this is drawing more whales to this area this year. We did not take the usual route, but went more out to sea because that’s where the Humpback Whales had been spotted today. As we rounded the Island, it got windier & colder. A large fog bank was in the distance; the water was rougher with bigger waves. Soon we were engulfed in heavy fog & could barely see the cliffs of the shoreline.
While we continued bouncing along, Mackie was on the radio. The fishing boats & other whale tour boats share information. The same two Humpbacks were still out there so we kept on going, “Mister Matthew” chugging along. We passed a couple of porpoises, glistening in the water. Good sign, lots of sea birds were circling overhead, meaning there were some fish. Two other boats were there. And so were the two Humpback Whales.
We spent the entire time out there with those two entertaining whales. They were amazing, not at all concerned by all the boats watching them. The whales were just below the surface most of the time, no long dives where they disappear for many minutes. They’d cruise between the boats, just feeding & sleeping, Occasionally we’d get a tail flip as one of them went down a little. Once one went right under our boat and we could see him/her just under the water. Other times they were very near either side of the boat. The fog had lifted & we could see the whales clearly. Just incredible.
Mackie kept us out there well beyond time to come back into the Harbor. – by the time we left there were six other boats out there & another one was approaching. Word got around. This was the place to be.
Mackie took a little trip around the East Quoddy Head Lighthouse. It sits on rocks and you can walk to it when the tide is out, but you must come back to the Island before the tide comes back in or you’ll be stuck out there until the next low tide. We went by the salmon farming pens; we could see the salmon moving around in them. We got back to Head Harbor about an hour after schedule. On the way to customs & the crossover back into Maine, a Bald Eagle flew over. It was all great.
Back to the RV & it was time for an early dinner. The high today was 74 degrees. I’m sure we’ll dream of the whales tonight. It was such a good trip, I bet we’ll go out again this season.
Island Cruises Whale Watch: ticket office located at 2295 Route 774, Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada with departures from Head Harbour Wharf, call 1-888-249-4400 or on Island (506) 752-1107, website www.bayoffundywhales.com, e-mail islcrus@nb.aibn.com, three tours daily (weather permitting) July–August, one tour daily in September, reservations recommended.