Lifestyle and Leisure
Whale watching in Quebec
Louise Willis discovers the joys of the deep In Tadoussac, Quebec, and explains why she is now a whale-watching fanatic.
It was 6:30am on Canada Day weekend and the sun was shining. My car was packed with the necessities – insect repellent, binoculars, my camera and a cooler. I had a travel mug full of coffee and a couple of chocolate croissants and was ready to go. My destination? Tadoussac – the town in Quebec where the St.Lawrence River meets the Saguenay Fjord. When these bodies of water meet, there is a mass churning which stirs up plankton and krill, two of the main food sources of whales – the reason for my trip. Not only is it the 'hometown' of Beluga whales (also called Arctic whales or white whales because of their colouring), Tadoussac is one of the few places in the world where Blue whales can be seen.
The journey to Tadoussac took us past Quebec City where we could see the majestic Chateau Frontenac looking down over the city, past the spectacular waterfall 'Les Chutes de Montmorency', and the Pierre Laporte bridge – named after the Quebecer that was murdered by the separatist FLQ in the 1970s. After passing some strange life-sized Smurf houses, we decided to stop and see the basilica in Ste Anne de Beaupre, the oldest pilgrimage site in North America. Saint Anne is the proclaimed patroness of the province of Quebec. Not being much of a worshipper myself, I concentrated mostly on the carvings, the mosaics and the stained glass that incorporate our native Canadians as well as the plants and animals of the local region.
A conversation with Jean Philippe, a recent theology graduate, helped me to understand the attraction of this shrine – he spoke of the peace and the overwhelming spirituality of the basilica and also spoke about the importance of religions around the world. He also looked like the gardener from Desperate Housewives, which had absolutely no influence whatsoever on my willingness to talk at length with him about world religions and our mutual past doing volunteer work in orphanages. Once the subject of world religions was exhausted, I remembered the reason for my trip and bid farewell to my new friend. As I was leaving I had a quick peek at the unusual building next to the Basilica. Neon-lit and round, it was called the 'Cyclorama Jerusalem' which I mistakenly thought was a cycling facility. Not so. The Cyclorama Jerusalem turns out to be the world's largest panorama where you can experience being in the Holy Land during biblical times and relive the Crucifixion. Amazingly, it has been in Ste Anne de Beaupre since 1895 and was built by the famous Parisian panoramist Paul Philippoteaux. Humbled, and feeling slightly foolish at thinking it was a cycling arena, I sheepishly got back into the car to continue my journey.
Travelling through the Charlevoix region of Quebec, it is quite easy to find yourself getting entranced by all the wildflowers and beautiful scenery. This region is known for, among others, delicious cheeses, organic farming and artisans – in particular a well known paper-maker called 'Papeterie St.Gilles'. Their luxury paper is often filled with the petals from this region's wildflowers, and is prized in Quebec and throughout Canada. As enchanting as the scenery was, I tried to remain focused on going to see the whales – though I do admit to a brief stop at a Fromagerie as I could not resist tasting the famed local cheese. By lunchtime, we had arrived at Baie Ste.Catherine, where the road literally stops. I eased my car onto the ferry so that we could cross the Saguenay Fjord. Tadoussac was now in sight. I decided to stretch my legs and walked over to the side of the ferry. I could have sworn that I saw that telltale puff of spray created by a whale's blowhole. Surely it wasn't this easy to see whales? Yet there it was again, and then the fin and the back of the whale emerged from the water. I literally screamed with excitement and a number of other tourists came running over to try and catch a glimpse. I later discover that the whale I saw was a minke whale. It was the first of many sightings, and each sighting remained just as thrilling and mesmerising.
After arriving in Tadoussac, and filled with excitement, I headed towards my accommodation. Although there is a campsite located atop the glacial moraine, we decided to be extravagant and stayed at a Bed and Breakfast run by a Montrealer, Denis, who serves gourmet breakfasts (big selling point). Denis was most welcoming and gave us all sorts of useful info such as the best spots for whale watching, the best restaurants in town and where to get the freshest snow crab legs for a fraction of the restaurant price. Dressed in oh-so-flattering bright yellow waterproof jackets that doubled as lifejackets, we ventured out into the choppy waters of the St.Lawrence. A number of feeding cormorants and seagulls acted as an indicator that the krill and plankton were being churned up and it was likely that this where we would experience the whales close-up.
Within minutes we saw our first whale spout and we realised we were in the company of a pod of about three Minke whales – recognisable by their size and their distinctive narrow snout – each surfacing two or three times before diving. Minke whales are the smallest of the baleen whales, measuring between eight and nine meters and weighing between five and seven tonnes. Amidst all of this excitement, someone also saw some Beluga whales coming our way, their glistening white backs glinting in the sunshine. Beluga whales are the most exquisite of creatures. Sociable and playful, they are the treasure of the St.Lawrence. They live there year round. Comparatively small, they are between three and five meters long and usually weigh between one and two tonnes. What they lack in size they make up for in personality. Later in the trip we saw many Belugas from an observation point, including many mothers and calves – they were basking in the sun and showing off, even playing in the wake of one of the boats, jumping through the waves. They are a threatened species and have been known to have high levels of toxicity from all of the pollutants in our waters. They are also some of the most beautiful animals I have ever seen and I could easily spend countless hours watching them, with what seems to be a cheeky little smile always on their faces.
The unique thing about Tadoussac is that there is great whale-watching to be done from the shores – after the zodiac trip I went for a walk and then sat with my camera on the rocks and waited. Sure enough, Beluga whales were soon spotted, followed by more minke whales – announcing themselves with their spouts. What a vantage point. The following day the weather was a bit grey so we went out in one of the covered boats. It was a rainy day but it definitely brightened up when two fin whales were spotted. Fin whales are the second-largest animal in the world – only blue whales are larger. Fin whales can grow up to 26 metres long and weigh up to 80 tonnes. One of the Fin whales sighted was a female named 'Caiman' – recognised by her scars and dorsal fin – who has been visiting the region annually for almost 20 years. One of the highlights of my trip was being the sole person to see this beautiful whale surface behind the boat when everyone else was busy looking out the front.
I never did see a blue whale. Surprisingly, they are listed as being a common whale in the waters of the St.Lawrence – it is one of the few places in the world to see such a magnificent creature, a sight made even more special as there are only a few hundred of them left in the North Atlantic. Did you know that they are the largest animal ever to grace our earth? They are larger than any dinosaur that ever existed and one whale is the equivalent size of 25 fully grown African bull elephants.
I will return to Tadoussac, for the beauty and the magic of the place, and in the hope that one day I will be privileged to catch sight of one of these gentle giants.
I packed up my car knowing that I would be back.
For further information:
Sanctuaire Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre
Whales of the St Lawrence
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