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Whale Watch

The highlight of our trip was the "Excursion aux grandes baleines" --the whale watch. It was a foggy afternoon in the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence but visibility was decent. One look at the horizon and you could see the tell-tale spouts of whales. They were everywhere. It was truly amazing.

Our boat was quick and we were lucky enough to see a blue whale--the largest animal to ever live on earth!-- and three humpback whales as they feasted on the nutrient rich sea. A blue whale eats about 4 tons of krill per day during the feeding season and can grow up to 120 feet in length and weigh more than 100 tons. A blue whale calf drinks 600 liters of milk per day!

The humpbacks didn't disappoint. They swam along side the boat and sounded, showing off their tails before reappearing a few hundred yards away. Our biologist on board, Marc, was informative and fluent in French and English.

All Suited Up!

Shannon watching the Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale Sounding

Here you can see the Forillon National Park peninsula in the center. We were not very far out into the Gulf considering all of the whales that were around. At the end of the trip we went onto the back side of the peninsula to where the harbor seals hang out. All you could see were their heads poking up dark against a dark sea--so no pics.

Daniel watching the trio of humbbacks.