The tour boat season is about to kick off in Newfoundland and Labrador, with one captain eagerly anticipating a successful season for iceberg and whale watching.
Captain Bob Bartlett, from Trinity Eco-Tours based in Trinity Bay, expressed optimism for the upcoming season, citing favorable wind and tide conditions that are expected to enhance the experience.
According to Bartlett, customers highly value sightings of whales and icebergs. He emphasized that Bonavista Bay typically hosts one or two icebergs that remain in the area for an extended period.
“There’s an iceberg off Bonavista,” Bartlett mentioned. “The ice report indicates a significant number of icebergs heading south.”
Pradeep Bobby, who leads the Earth observation team at C-CORE, a research and technology company, also shared his perspective on the iceberg season. Bobby highlighted the abundance of sea ice this year, which acts as a protective shield for icebergs, preventing them from melting quickly.
“The presence of sea ice along the Labrador coast and into Newfoundland waters is notable this year,” Bobby stated in an interview with CBC News.
Using satellite imagery from the Canadian and European Space Agency, C-CORE monitors the movement of ice from the Arctic down to the Newfoundland waters, tracking the icebergs’ trajectory based on wind and current patterns.
“The current offshore drift seems to have delayed the arrival of icebergs. About six weeks ago, icebergs were only observed in northern Labrador, indicating a delay in the season compared to previous years,” Bobby explained.
Bartlett, who has been actively sharing images of whales on social media, noted the early presence of certain whale species off the Newfoundland coast.
“Every year around March, we witness the arrival of whales and dolphins, followed by sightings of minke and humpback whales,” Bartlett remarked.
Describing humpback whales as the “showmen of the ocean,” Bartlett highlighted their entertaining behaviors, such as full-body breaches out of the water.
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He recalled a memorable encounter from two years ago when he witnessed two endangered blue whales in Bonavista Bay, including a calf, which he documented as a unique and heartwarming experience.
Contrasting this positive encounter, Bartlett mentioned a tragic incident from 2014 when a group of blue whales were discovered dead, trapped in ice off Newfoundland’s southwest coast.
On a positive note, he highlighted the provincial government’s initiative, Hello Humpback, a platform where users contribute whale-watching photos to aid in tracking humpback whales along the Newfoundland coast.
When out at sea, Bartlett captures footage of whales and uploads it to the website, allowing for the identification of individual whales and tracking their movements.
“Recently, we identified a whale that was previously sighted near Turks and Caicos,” Bartlett shared.
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